July 25, 2010

Best Portable Home Generator: What Type Of Fuel Should You Choose?

With the natural disasters that have occurred throughout the years, from massive floods to devastating hurricanes, more now than ever people want to be prepared for situations that happen unexpectedly. Preparing for such occurrences could involve having a backup power supply in case of an outage, such as a Honeywell HW4000 generator. In recent winters, some areas have experienced power outages lasting for months, so the demand for portable generators continues to grow. Therefore, if you are searching for the best portable home generator, what exactly should you consider?

Fuels

Worth noting is the fact that portable generators don’t use gas as the only fuel source nowadays, so deciding how you want your’s to be powered is a decision you will have to make. Though, there are benefits to owning gas powered portable generators.

Gas

For instance, it’s convenient. Gas is generally available to most people nearby, though there are exceptions. You may have other tools around the house that require gas, so you might already have the fuel you need to power your portable generator. With gas, all that is required is a storage container of any size and a local gas station where you can fill it up when necessary. Also, some of the better portable home generators, such as the HW4000, are powered by gas.

Propane

Then again, propane might be the means in which the best portable home generators are powered. As with gas generators, propane has it’s advantages as well. For example, propane won’t lead to as much toxic fumes and runs cleaner. They are considered also to be more secure. Though, because propane is stored in certain types of containers, once it runs out you will have to replace it with another or get it refilled. Either way, it’s not nearly as convenient as gas.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is preferred by some as far as the best portable home generators as concerned. Compared to other non-renewable fuels available for generators, one of the least expensive is natural gas. It also burns cleanly. Storing propane is similar to storing natural gas however, and it has to be brought to your home. You might want to go a different route if you want to use your portable generator as a primary backup power source for your home.

Diesel

Another fuel people go for when buying the best portable home generator for them is diesel fuel. They generally can run longer than gas and are also not as loud. Though, diesel fuel can be hard to find as well since not all gas stations carry it. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have diesel fuel easily available.

So, the first step before purchasing the best portable home generator is determining how you want it to be fueled. Gas makes the most sense overall, but every situation is different. After you purchase your portable generator, all you need to do to get it going is connect it to the places you want powered and then you’re all set!

See Also: Honeywell HW4000 Generator Review

Filed under Home Improvements by

Permalink Print