Safety comes first when investing in a generator

By Tribune Staff

LOCAL technicians and electronic retailers revealed the benefits of investing in a good generator and have shared safety tips on how to properly handle the machines this hurricane season.

A certified technician told The Tribune generators are ideal due to their convenience.

He stated there are two types of generators – portable generators, and those that are permanently installed – and explained that when it comes to purchasing one, a cus- tomer will have to choose between “affordability and longevity.”

Speaking about portable generators, he said: “They are a lot cheaper because they are a cheaper model design which uses twostroke gasoline engines which they convert into a propane engine.”

He added that a diesel engine is a “much better product,” but is worth twice the price.

Still, he admitted that he would recommend the diesel generators to “any- body who could afford one,” because while propane generators are more affordable, they last “nowhere near as long” as their counterparts.

The technician also added that he would not recommend running a generator during a hurricane, because the objective is to save the generator’s power for the aftermath of the storm.

“An engine needs air and fuel and spark to create a combustion.So when you suck in that turbulent air that is around that gen- erator from the hurricane, it’s either too much or the wrong velocity... and it shuts down the engine,” he said.

Portable generators are a lot cheaper because they are a cheaper model design which uses two-stroke gasoline engines.

Recalling an incident when a young man was electrocuted while han- dling a portable generator, the technician insisted that patrons should be very careful, because even “highly trained technicians” prac- tice extreme caution when dealing with the machinery.

“We know what to look for, and we are very mind- ful and cautious of what to look for, versus a novice who doesn’t know much,” he said.

“The young man was running in the rain, he had a portable generator and a drop cord (and) was standing in water.

“He had a short (and) he was electrocuted. Those type of things you want to avoid,” he stated.

In terms of generator safety, Nick Rademaker from Harbourside Marine One retail store said it is important to ensure a gen- erator is not running in a closed space.

He called a 2016 inci- dent when a married couple died because their genera- tor, installed hours earlier in a washroom of the house, blew deadly carbon monox- ide in their home.

“The second thing is you want to make sure the gen- erator is the right (one) for the usage, meaning you’re not trying to put too much load on the generator and burn it out and create prob- lems,” he said.

Mr Rademaker also said generator owners should make sure that their machine is “in the right application” for what they are using.

“Like the R7200 (gen- erator) can run the fridge, freezer, light, and a small air conditioner, but it can’t run a four or five-bedroom house with the oven, and the dryer, and everything else,” he explained.

Said Patrick Petty, the owner of Carib Generators:

“As a rule of thumb a person who is not familiar with a genera- tor - any generator, has no business fooling with it ...

“The secret is don’t wait until a hurricane is on the way to have your generator serviced because the tech- nicians will all be busy and getting to you might not happen.”