The crazy power outage that occurred this week caught many of us off guard and left us sitting in the dark. There are a couple of things we could’ve done to be a little better prepared.
First, having your emergency kit handy with essentials like extra batteries, flashlights, and a phone charger. Luckily, the outage didn’t last too long, it wasn’t freezing cold, and the sun was shining, so darkness wasn’t too much of an issue.
READ MORE: Emergency Kit Essentials For Wyomingites
If the electricity were to go out and be out for an extended period of time, how would you cope? With winter’s delayed arrival this year, we’ve been fortunate to have nice temperatures; other than being a bit of a nuisance, yesterday’s outage wasn’t a major issue.
After the outage, like me, you may be thinking about ways to be ready if it happens again. In addition to having your emergency kit, you may want to consider purchasing a backup generator, but how do you determine the size you’ll need?
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I stumbled upon a YouTube video from ‘Toolman Tim’s Workshop,’ where Tim discussed the questions you should ask yourself before buying a generator.
Questions To Consider Before Buying A Generator:
What’s your budget?
The higher your budget, the larger generator you can afford. The higher the quality and output of a generator, the more you can plug into it.
What items do you want to power during an outage?
The more items you plug into the generator, the higher the output power you’ll need to produce.
Do all items plugged into the generator need to run simultaneously, or can they be alternated?
If you’re only going to run certain items at certain times, your output needs will be less than if you need all items to run at the same time.
Are you running sensitive electronics?
Some electronics require a power inverter to prevent damage.
What is the total wattage you’ll need to power your items?
Each item you’re supplying power to requires a specific amount of power to operate correctly. Finding the wattage used for each item will be essential information to ensure the generator you’re buying is capable of producing enough watts to meet your needs.
What type of fuel do you want to use?
Propane? Gasoline? Natural Gas? Using gasoline-burning generators will give you more wattage, and you’ll experience a drop-off in the other types of fuel.
Watch Tim’s video for more information and ideas on selecting the best generator for your needs.
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