Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Propane Generators

Protect yourself from prolonged power outages with a propane powered generator. In many areas, severe weather or natural disasters can take out your power supply for days, or even weeks. Your reserve, or back-up power system can quickly, safely and inexpensively pick up the slack of unexpected outages, and many offer a seamless transfer from electricity to propane.

If you are investing in a large back-up generator which is fixed, you would do well to consider one fuelled by propane gas. A propane powered back up generator provides security and peace of mind by automatically turning on whenever your electricity supply fails. Propane tanks are available in a many types of size, so you are bound to find one which suits your needs for size and location.

You will need to have an electrician install a power transfer switch from the house's main electrical panel. Then just fire up the generator, run a single extension cord into the transfer switch and power the circuits you need through the main circuit breaker. This eliminates the need for extension cords draped all over the house.

Alternately, you may want to consider a portable propane generator. Or perhaps you are considering buying a portable propane generator? Maybe the word ?portable? is slightly misleading in this case, since most of these tend to weigh in at around 250-300 lbs., so it is not exactly lightweight. If you do consider one of these, ensure it comes with wheels.

Unlike battery generators, you need never worry about your back-up generator battery running low, and you would not need to conserve power during an outage by shutting appliances down. As long as you have the fuel supply, you can keep running your propane generator, day and night.

But a propane generator is not just for home use --- more than half a million American farmers rely on propane to run generators, irrigation systems, to control weeds, and much more.

Another huge plus for propane is that battery power can be expensive. Gasoline and diesel are also expensive options when compared to propane gas which is an extremely inexpensive fuel.

But maybe it is too late? Perhaps you already own a back-up generator, which runs from another fuel. In that case, you will know only too well the disadvantages of a diesel, natural gas, or electric generator. There is a solution. There are plenty of options available in conversion kits, which can change the fuel source of your generator, without putting you through the cost of upgrading to a new one. Most generators can be transformed into propane generators, allowing you to benefit from using this cost efficient, clean and reliable fuel.

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