You Will Benefit from a Propane-Powered Generator!
Attention residents of El Dorado County: Rainy or snowy weather is usually windy weather, and that brings the potential for power outages. Just in the last few weeks you have heard mentions on the evening news about storms in the southwest with lost power for thousands in Los Angeles. January started with power outages in Sacramento. Whenever you hear the comment, "Workers are trying to restore power..." you might remind yourself that it does happen here, and that you can elect not to wait while workers try to fix things. As a home owner, you should be interested in having a back-up source of electricity that you can rely on. We are authorized installers for Kohler, Generac, Guardian, and Briggs & Stratton. Call us at 530.642.2476 or e-mail your generator question.
Prepare and maintain an emergency kit with enough supplies to be self-sufficient for at least 3 days, and preferably up to one week.
The kit should include:
- Flashlights with extra batteries
- Emergency radio with self-generated power
- One week supply of water
- One week supply of non-perishable food and a manual can opener
- A camp stove
- A first aid kit and handbook
- A-B-C multipurpose fire extinguisher
- Extra medication for those who need prescription drugs
- Adjustable wrench to turn off the gas and water supply
- Chlorine bleach and instructions for purifying water
- Candles and matches
- Blankets, warm clothes, sturdy shoes and heavy gloves
Expect the Unexpected!
If you have lived in El Dorado County for awhile, you already know that wind, snow, or for that matter, a wildfire, a traffic accident or even a construction mistake, can knock out PG&E-supplied power for a few minutes, a day, or maybe longer. You don’t want to wait until the power is out before you realize you are not prepared to handle the dark.
Alternative Electrical Systems (AES) is here to help homeowners and businesses located along the Highway 50 Corridor
Highway 50 Corridor from El Dorado Hills, CA, all the way to Minden and Yerrington, NV. be ready for the unexpected loss of grid power. You may even think a power outage is just interesting as you step to the window to assess the situation. It won’t take long to realize that some things you take for granted are not going to work for you; if you use well water, your pump is out. If you use a pellet stove, your heat is out. If your vehicle is parked in your garage, the garage door opener is out. No TV for storm coverage. No computer. You probably can't even make coffee while you wait for the lights to come back on.
Look at the list that PG&E suggests. The assumption is that you do not have back-up power! You’re advised to be ready to camp…in your house! It has happened that a snowstorm knocked out power for up to a week in Pollock Pines. Imagine the fun of preparing food and keeping warm when your stove is cold, thinking about how you should have provided a greater level of comfort—and safety—for your family.
Alternative Electrical Systems wants you to be aware of ways you can protect your home and business against the inconveniences of a power disruption when even a quick flicker can be a problem. Ranging from most basic to best, here are the levels:
Absolutely Primitive: Flashlights and candles stashed around the house.
Obviously this is hardly better than doing nothing. If the power outage happens during the day and is of short duration you may not suffer any inconvenience at all; sit down and wait. But the longer the power is out, the more you are going to be unhappy. If it is dark, you can sit there with a candle. Not likely to be much fun. And while a candle might seem a charming idea, it is also a fire hazard.
Tips: Unplug your appliances to avoid a blow out when the power returns. Using power strips with surge protectors is an easy and cost-effective way to protect expensive electrical appliances. Open the refrigerator and freezer doors only when necessary and keep a cooler and ice packs on hand to store items that spoil easily. Turn off your furnace, water heater, and water pump. Leave one room light in the “on” position so you can tell when the power has been restored.
Absolutely Basic: A UPS box under your computer, plus candles and a flashlight.
When you lose power, your computer shuts down and unsaved work is lost! A UPS box is an Uninterrupted Power Supply, actually a big battery that is always in use between your wall socket and your computer. Power comes first to the battery and keeps it charged, then the battery supplies electricity to your computer and peripherals. When the power goes out, the battery never falters and your computer keeps running, allowing you to save your work and shut it down to wait for the grid power to be restored. Note that these offer a limited power supply! Minimal units will give you five minutes, plenty of time to save and quit. We don't sell them but you can find them online or at office supply stores. Check out APC products to learn more.
Minimally Prepared for the Short Term: A Gasoline-Powered Generator.
Every time there is a news item about a hurricane, tornado, or some other bad weather event, people are shown rushing around the home supply store buying plywood, water, and more often than not, a portable gasoline-generator. If it isn't obvious, the best time to plan for emergency power is before the storm is already news! And learning to operate a gas-powered generator as the wind swirls around you is also not a great idea. If you already have a gas-powered generator for your motor home, you know the drawbacks: short term use, probably messy initial fueling, then letting it cool to refuel (certainly dangerous), never mind the noise ("What? ...I said never mind the NOISE!") and the carbon dioxide. And then there's the set-up time of digging it out, dragging it outside and getting it going. Check Honda for more information. No, we don't sell gas-powered generators.
Note: What we can do to help, should you already have a portable generator, is come to your location and install the proper box and wiring so that you have a double-throw double-pole switch that allows your generator to safely run power to your home circuits. Call us to find out about this often-overlooked detail when you’re buying a generator.
Prepared for the Duration: A Propane-Powered Generator
A Generac Power System, a Guardian, a Kohler, or a Briggs & Stratton generator will provide you with continuous power for hours and hours and hours as the generator runs quietly. These generators are pad-mounted and are supplied from your existing tank of propane, or if you have it, natural gas. Don't have a tank? We can arrange for a supplier to install a DOT propane tank.
If you have a well, how deep is it? An underpowered generator may not be able to pump water from a deep well. If you have a pellet stove, check this information from the US Dept. of Energy:
"...Unfortunately, pellet appliances are also more complex and have expensive components that can break down. They also require electricity to run fans, controls, and pellet feeders. Under normal usage, they consume about 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or about $9 worth of electricity per month. Unless the stove has a back-up power supply, the loss of electric power results in no heat and possibly some smoke in the house."
—US Dept. of Energy Consumer's Guide
Do you run a home-based business? What would it cost you to be knocked out of doing your work for even a few hours?
Do you have any medical equipment that requires electricity? How about a tropical fish tank? A freezer? There are many ways you could be disrupted by just an hour of down-time.
How Much Power Would You Need?
Careful planning is essential to choose and install a generator; don't leave it to the last minute! Everyone should have time to learn how to use the equipment in advance.
When adding a propane-powered generator, you can choose a size to run at "emergency" level, or step up to a size that can run your whole house for days if need be. We have customers who have installed multiple generators on large properties to insure that livestock will not be left without water in the event of any power supply problems.
A decent size (5kW) generator will cost about $6000.00±. We can help you select the right size when we talk with you to learn what you really need to power, how your home sits on your property (yes, this will make a difference), and whether you want unattended instant-on or a manual switch to start the generator. (If you travel a lot you may not want automatic activation!)
Go All The Way: Go Solar!
A generator gets you through the grid failures, but why not take the next step and generate your own power with solar panels?
Alternate Electrical Systems is a sales division of Carnahan Electric Contractors Ltd. We have a reputation for helping you get what you need: no more, no less. We do not represent any one particular product at the expense of "forgetting" to mention one that may be better. You are investing in quality equipment that you can rely on, installed by a company that will be here when you have more questions or need technical help. Please call us at 530 642 2476, or send us a note with your questions.
What if you don't live in El Dorado County?
We represent several major names in propane-powered generators: Generac, Guardian, Kohler, and Briggs & Stratton. These are great names, but we can also supply just about any other brand you may want. You can send us your plans and let us engineer an installation, then we have the generator shipped to your location. Don't dismiss this option as we have actually come in with great bids for people in other states. Send us a note to describe your situation. We will respond.