R&A Magazine - Summer 2020 - 22

EFFICIENT TIMELINES
QUALITY DESIGN/BUILD
IN-HOUSE ARCHITECTS
47-YEAR REPUTATION

www.garmanbuilders.com * 529 East Main Street, Lititz, PA, 17543 * 717-733-4383

With the increasing frequency of damaging
storms and prolonged power outages, I'm
thinking more and more about purchasing
a backup generator. Having fallen victim to
Mother Nature's wrath in the past, I'd like
the peace of mind of knowing my family is
better protected. Before making a purchase,
what should I be considering?
We were asked a similar question a few years ago and,
sadly, the havocs of nature have not diminished. In fact,
our nation has seen an increase in natural disasters
and even locally, we have been affected by very heavy
winds, flooding, as well as ice and snow storms. In any of
these situations, wide-spread power outages can occur.
While power companies work hard to restore power as
quickly as possible, restoring power takes time. Depending on the severity of the outage, restoring power could
take days. If you live in an area that exclusively depends
on electricity for water, sewer, heat, sump pump etc., the
time spent without power can be extremely uncomfortable. In some cases property damage from flooding or
freezing will occur. If a power outage for several hours or
days would be stressful to your health or wallet, installing
a generator may give you an added peace of mind.
22 - R&A MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

PA080088

What type of generator is right for me? There are three
types of generators available: PTO driven, portable, and
standby. Your choice of generator depends on: your comfort level with gas engines and electricity, financial means,
and how much labor power you're willing to put in to manage your generator.
If you have a tractor equipped with a PTO, there are PTO
driven generators that can be connected directly to your
tractor. With this type of generator you would need to
manage the tractors accelerator to acquire the correct
voltage. These generators are most often connected to a
whole house double throw switch. The advantage to a PTO
driven generator is that you will not add another
gas engine to maintain. However, there are several disadvantages, including needing the tractor for other tasks,
the noise level, the quality of voltage output, and having to
constantly check fuel availability during a power outage.
If you are looking for a more compact and inexpensive
generator, there is a large selection of portable generators
to choose from. These portable generators vary in their
output from 1500 watt up to 15,000 watt. They also come
with a wide range of power quality. These generators are
easily stored and are the most inexpensive solution. The
disadvantages are they can be difficult to start, (especially
if using a pull cord) they can be noisy, they need to be

http://www.garmanbuilders.com

R&A Magazine - Summer 2020

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