Owning a home and providing for a family is a lot of work if you really sit down and think about it. Unfortunately, sitting down does not happen as often as we would like. There is the whole traveling aspect along with other duties in life especially when it comes to raising a child and creating a productive and innovative household.
Thought about buying
We move out of the city and purchased our house several years ago, during those years we have had multiple power outages and survived them all with minor complaints. There were talks of getting an auxiliary power system added to the exiting house in case of emergency but nothing was done. With time we became very complacent until the next event boldly reminded us that nature still exist.
Really thought about buying
After the birth of our son in 2013 we also decided to pursue our goal of an auxiliary power system but we were dragging our feet. Then came the first snow storm of 2016, discomfort and inconvenience hit home for 4 consecutive days. No power and no preparation gave us a cold wake up call. I had to work the 12 hours night shift as an essential personnel for the duration of the event while my wife and son stayed at home with no power nor backup plan. It was 35 degrees in the living room with the gas log on but no power to run the blower motor. My wife moved the food from the freezer and fridge to our master closet where it was 28 degrees. Time went on and in the fall of 2016 came Hurricane Matthew with another power outage and more obstacles in life.
Definitely really thought about buying
Our two and a half year old son was miserable, there was nothing we could do to make him happy. I was trying to heat up his milk over the gas log fireplace just so he can have a warm cup. I don’t know if you have children but for those who can imagine seeing your child in a situation of distress it really breaks your heart. Now we were very determined at this point to do everything in our power to prevent this situation from happening again.
Finally bought a generator
I did my research and calculated the necessary load for our house (I say necessary because in an emergency situation luxury is not a necessity) which averaged about 2100 watts. I knew I needed at least twice that because your generator should function at half load to reduce the stress on the unit. Also the water heater is rated at 4500 watts and I considered using it if possible. I eventually purchased a unit rated at 6500 watts running with 8125 watts surge. It is also important to consider your appliance surge demand when choosing a generator. My wife could not be any happier, now we have a back up and we are a little more prepared for an event.
How do you cope with power outages? Comment below and share this post!
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