Losing power at home is a total bummer -- there's never a convenient time to experience a blackout. Luckily, there is now a safe and affordable way to directly power your home with a portable generator so that you'll never have to deal with this major inconvenience again. And, you can watch an installation and how it all works in our video below.
Using a Portable Generator for Your Home
When your neighborhood experiences a blackout, it likely doesn't take long before the sound of running portable generators begins to fill the air. We'll go over the main ways to do so, and explain which method is the safest and most convenient.
Extension cords:
Portable generators usually have multiple outlets that allow you to plug in extension cords, which you can then run into and through the house to power various items. This method will work, but it has its limitations. It also requires that doors or windows to the outside be open, and dealing with multiple extension cords could be a tripping hazard and is definitely not convenient.
Backfeeding:
Backfeeding is the process of plugging a cord from a portable generator into a home outlet in order to feed electricity directly into the home.
Yes, you could do this, but it's especially dangerous and even deadly -- not only to you and your household, but also to the utility workers on the line. You can read more about the dangers of backfeeding here and here.
Manual transfer switch:
The ultimate solution for powering your home with a portable generator involves the installation of a manual transfer switch. A manual transfer switch interfaces with your home's electrical system and is connected to an outlet called a power inlet box that's installed on the exterior of the house.
So, during a blackout, all you need to do is power up the generator, plug it into the inlet box, then flip the necessary switches on the manual transfer switch and voilà -- you have power. You can watch the whole process, and an installation at a Levittown home, in the video below:
As you can see, pairing a portable generator with a manual transfer switch is a safe and convenient way to power your home during an outage. And, it's much more affordable than adding an automatic home standby generator
Before using a portable generator, we encourage you to read over the owner's manual that came with your generator and check out our Portable Generator Safety Tips. If you'd like to learn more about generator solutions for your home, click the button below or give us a call at 215-245-3200.
Before using a portable generator, we encourage you to read over the owner's manual that came with your generator and check out our Portable Generator Safety Tips. If you'd like to learn more about generator solutions for your home, click the button below or give us a call at 215-245-3200.
