Categories Of Electric Generators
Looking to buy an electric generator? Before you make the purchase, you should understand what kind of electric generators are available so you make the right choice.
The first kind you might want to consider is the recreational generator. These usually run a gas or diesel. A recreational generator is anywhere from 1000 to 3800 watts and is portable. A 1000-watter is only capable of running one appliance at a time, like a coffee maker. To be more precise, you should check the appliances for how many watts they use. As long as they don’t surpass 1000 watts combined, then you can run them simultaneously. Do a quick check of the appliances you want to run. If you don’t mind running one appliance at a time, then get a 1000 watt model. If you want to run 2,3, or 4 at a time, then get a 3800 watt model.
The next category of electric generator is emergency power. Someone buying this generator isn’t interested in brewing a cup of coffee on a camping trip. Rather, he or she wants to power up their house during a black out. These models are generally portable as well, that is they come with wheels and you can move them around. The big differences are the wattage and the price.
An emergency generator comes in wattages of 3000 to 17,500 and range in price from $450 to $3100. The higher wattage generators can handle all the appliances in your home simultaneously, your stove, fridge, washer, dryer, lights, etc. You’d have a hard time taxing out the 17,500-watt generator unless you had every burner on the stove on and washer and dryer running.
The next category of electric generator is that used for professional jobs. These generators run also from 3000 to about 17000 watts, but they are more durable and therefore more pricy. On the low end they run $400, while the higher wattage units can cost as much as $4600. These generators are expected to get more use than a recreational or emergency backup generator. Think about it! The recreational or backup ones are only used occasionally. On the other hand, the industrial strength generator may being running 8 hours a day everyday on a construction site. This baby has to last a long time under strenuous working conditions. If you plan on using your electric generator everyday, spend a few more bucks and get a professional grade one.
The last category of electric generator could be considered standby power. These kinds of generators are big and are not at all portable. They aren’t even measured in watts, but rather Kilowatts, and the cheapest models run about $2000 while the upper end models can cost as much as $17,000 and put out up to 100 kilowatts of power. That’s 1/10 of a megawatt. That’s a lot of power. Large homes or commercial operations might have a need for this kind of generator.
So… there it is. These are the basic categories of electric generators. Which kind do you need? Visit us.
Jonathan Coffee lives in Virginia. Visit him at http://www.electric-generator-center.com
Jonathan Coffee