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How To Install a Standby Generator for Your Home
Standby generators automatically activate when the electricity goes out, making sure your essential appliances and systems keep running without skipping a beat. Read on for step-by-step instructions on this installation process. While many home electrical projects are DIY-friendly, this one is not. We recommend hiring a licensed electrician to install your standby generator.
Hooking Up a Generator to the Home
Unless you have years of electrical experience, this project is too complex for you to do yourself. Unlike hookup generators, they can power your entire house. When a power outage occurs, the stand-by generator detects the loss of utility power and starts up automatically. An automatic transfer generator then disconnects your home from the utility power and connects it to the generator. Once you decide to install a standby generator, there are a few things you need to handle.
Make sure you whole care of the following steps before you dive into the installation process. A hookup generator, like generator one featured in the video above, is more than enough to power most homes.
Generators also use different types of fuel, like propane and natural gas, which can affect your choice. Make sure you have the following:. Select a location for your generator that meets local code requirements. Generally, it should be:.
Installing a standby generator is complex and involves electrical work and gas line installation. Follow along with the video above as you read the steps to walk through this process.
Generators have several key parts that help them run smoothly. Before you install yours, you should be familiar with these components. The engine, typically fueled by natural gas or propane, powers the alternator, which produces electricity.
The control panel is the brain of the generator system.
First Things First: Move the Generator Away from the Home
It monitors utility power, starts the generator when needed, and manages the transfer of power. Most generators have push-button controls that allow for easy monitoring and operation.
This component automatically disconnects your home from utility power and connects it to the generator during an outage.
When utility power is restored, it switches your home back to the grid and shuts down the generator. Unlike mobile generators that use a pull cord, standby generators often come with a whole battery to start the generator and power its control system. Consider the following tips for the click here of your generator and your own personal safety. Most modern standby generators, including the one in the link above, perform weekly self-tests.
These tests start the generator and run diagnostics without transferring power https://search-by-image.info/bend-dating.php your home, ensuring the system is ready when needed.
Understanding Standby Generators
During self-tests, the generator checks for any irregularities that might affect its operation. If you right! car dating site opinion any malfunctions, call a local electrician to house repair your generator. Always operate your generator outdoors and away from windows, doors, and vents hookup prevent carbon monoxide buildup inside your home.
If you place your generator too close to your home, you may risk getting carbon monoxide poisoning.
Is Installing a Standby Generator a DIY Project?
Always make sure the utility power to your house is turned off before redirecting circuits from your main electrical panel to a sub-panel. If you fail to do this, you could risk electrocution. Skip to content. Navigation for Electrical. In this video, This Old House host Kevin O'Connor shows how to install a standby generator and connect it to the electrical system in your home. Wire stripper. Linesman pliers.
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