Small Generators for Disasters

The 2009 hurricane season has been quiet so far, but late August is hard to ignore in Louisiana. Katrina and Gustav are hard dates to forget, as are Rita and Ike in September. September has been a hard month for Louisiana the last few years because it was a month to get everything running again. The aftermath of a hurricane is often harder than the actual impact of the storm.

The difficulties after a hurricane are rarely as reported as the landfall of the storm and are hard to understand if one is not there. After food, water and shelter there is not a more important thing to have after a storm as a generator. Even someone in Kansas has seen the run on supplies after a hurricane, and seen people trying to get one after a storm.

This fall should provide some excellent deals on generators if there are no hurricanes. The big box lumber yards have them and air conditioners loaded up along the coast. If there are no storms expect sales on portable generators to come along as the big boxes try to unload this years generator supply. The time to buy one is now, not when a storm is on the way or has passed and price and model don't matter.

Where I live in South Louisiana generators are old hat to most and many are moving to big natural gas powered generators that can power the whole house. These big generators are a result of people here expecting a power outage as well as lessons of the last few years. These big generators are pricey and not in most people's budget for a maybe.

The small gasoline powered generators still provide power for most in our area, and can still make a bunch of new friends you didn't know you had. These generators may not provide complete comfort but do make life more bearable. The most common are in the 5000-6000 watt range as the cost is around $500 and they have enough power to get through.

The 5000-6000 watt generator will do it's owner well if used sparingly and maintained. With a generator in this class one can keep the fridge cold, the TV on and a small window air conditioning unit. Don't expect to run the whole house as you can't, and it is probably dangerous if you do. Remember making life bearable is the main point of a generator of this size.

The keys to getting by on the small generator is maintenance and reasonable use. Many run a generator from the time the power goes off until it comes back on. After Gustav I was out of power for 12 days in some of the most unforgiving heat I had ever experienced. After Katrina I was running on generator power while working in Plaquimines Parish in December.

With the time frame uncertain and the difficulties in getting fuel, running a portable generator continuously is questionable though possible. The shortage at fuel at this time will lead to the generator being shut off at key times to conserve resources. A common strategy to do this is to run the generator all night to sleep comfortably and put a good freeze in the freezer. During the day only run the generator a few hours at a time a few hours apart.

Running the generator a few hours at a time will keep the fridge cold even if it doesn't do much for the house. This Will conserve fuel as well as let the generator cool down which is important with gasoline powered generators. The gasoline generator is your best friend after a storm but if not used safely it will become your worst enemy.

After a hurricane gasoline generators and accidents associated with them become one of the most constant emergency calls. So if you decide to run a generator the whole time at least let it cool down between fuel fills as quite a few hot gasoline generators that were being filled have had explosions. To compound the problem after a disaster, an exploded generator will not automatically bring emergency personnel soon if at all.

With that do not put the extra gas cans by the generator or close it up where it could catch fire. Under no circumstances put the generator in a house as there is always someone who does and they die from carbon monoxide. A chain and lock will help prevent the generator from being stolen and will keep it out of the house.

A small 110 volt air conditioner will run on one of these generators but will work best if one room is closed off and made into a cool room. Also, change the oil frequently as the generator will last a long time if you do so. I hope nobody has to use their's this year, but if you do, good luck.