IMHO running a generator during a black out or other disaster scenario makes that home a target. Unless you have blacked out windows and show no signs of being better off than the rest of the neighborhood, you need to be careful, very careful.
True. And looters will follow the sound of generators, too.
There is a grey space between normal life and zombie apocalypse where infrastructure just sucks. Power companies going green are degrading the grid and even preemptively instigating blackouts because they no longer meet demand. People cant afford to have their refrigerators/freezers turned off for 48 hours multiple times a year spoiling hundreds of dollars of frozen goods each time that happens. Having these backups just makes economic sense today.
IMHO running a generator during a black out or other disaster scenario makes that home a target.
With the right equipment, any violators will be coming to target, not me.
Use it just to run the fridge and you don’t have that prob.
And considering the price of groceries, possibly a smart investment, especially if you’re prone to outages.
Bloody hot in Tey-has tho...
This is one of the benefits of the ‘green’ backups whether generator-sized or one intended for a standalone or grid-tied large setup. No noise, no lure for trouble.
Not the only factor — balance cost, static capacity (batteries), input capacity and fuel availability (like solar and night, or whether you have to dart out to the gas station for more fuel and is there any in a disaster), and expected duration of grid loss and need.
12-13Kwh? Not in Texas, but we have a few multi-day outages here too and we treat them as mini-camping trips. Work must happen, and don’t spoil the food, but it’s not the time to fire up every TV and screen in the house and run lights late into the night — as The Louiswu said that’s a big sign for troublemakers too.
Just get a quiet one. No air cooled.
I had to run my generator for 12 hours last week after a severe thunderstorm.
-PJ
It's a different story if the power outage is relatively short term, such as during an ice storm or a tree taking down nearby power lines.
When I sold my last home, I allowed the new owner to take over my generator. In my new home, we are prepared with candles, extra food, plenty of drinking water, heavy blankets, etc., to tough out an extended blackout. We will just make an adventure out of it.
To be honest, running a generator is a major PIA, especially as I am much older now. I have no appetite for going outside at 2 in the morning to fire up a generator, run cables, keep it gassed up, etc.