Generac-QT13068 Liquid Cooled Generator For Home Security

If you are a rugged individual who can comfortably live without the guarantees of the electric power grid, or if you are a parent needing the assurance that your family will be safe during a power outage, then a standby or as some would call them, back up generator is what you need. Generac generators lead the industry for dependable home energy backup systems. For this very same reason many homeowners purchase emergency generators to ensure uninterrupted electrical power during storms or unexpected power outages.

A steady increase in the number of natural disasters and Chernobyl type disasters has forced many homeowners to consider purchasing home power systems. Wishfully thinking that, “ I should have been better prepared”, after the fact is small consolation when you are freezing or starving because the perishable food has spoiled because the refrigerator is not working. Proper planning prevents problems is a simple acronym to live by.

Weathering the storm is possible. Also, when the storm prevents you from traveling you can rest assured that a properly installed and maintained generator will last until the storm passes. Having on hand generac generator parts for your installed backup system is an extra measure of security. Riding out a power outage no fun, inconvenient and a possible medical hazard. Many medications require refrigeration. Compounded with the threat of possible home invaders and thieves who know that security systems have been compromised---and you can have a real problem. The wicked never sleep during emergencies.

America has always been a leader in every measure of standards of living. Because traditional wisdom discounted the notion that we were / are a vulnerable nation, skeptics have dismissed the idea of power outages on a national scale. However the truth is that we have a decaying infrastructure. To that concern we must consider the possibility of deliberate terrorist and criminal attacks upon our power grids. And in some areas there is simply a lack of funds to maintain our grids.

The idea of major power outages can no longer be dismissed. In a recent Forbes article, dated 11 18 11, titled, “Power Outages Claim Utility CEO As Casualty”, the article details how a freak snowstorm in October left more than 800,000 Connecticut Light and Power customers without power. CL&P’s inability to restore power for many of those customers for nearly two weeks forced the power company’s CEO to resign.

Even with large power companies there is absolutely no guarantee of continual power during a storm. Even if we discard the threat of bad weather, the facts also include the increased consumer demands on our power systems. Often these demands result in brown outs that significantly impede our access to electricity.

So the 64 dollar questions is, “What can the average homeowner do to protect family and property against these threats?”. The direct answer is to purchase a standby generator. And the second answer is to purchase a properly installed liquid cooled Generac generator. Allow me to digress for a minute to clarify what may be a point of contention. So what exactly is an installed generator as opposed to a portable generator?

Portable generators are as the name implies---portable. They can be stored away out of sight until they are actually needed. The generator and cables can be stored in as corner or closet. These generators are put in place after a power outage. And since they are gasoline powered, they will have to be installed outside. The fumes are poisonous and will kill you.

Permanently installed standby generators are, as the name indicates already installed. These units incorporate and use automatic transfer switches. When a power loss is detected a signal is relayed to the standby generator. The standby generator remains active until the power outage from the electric company has ended. At that point the system switches off until the next power interruption is detected. Permanently installed generators eliminate the need to unplug and re plug your appliances back into their normal outlets. You do not have to be bothered with emergency power switches and cords connected to portable generator units.

Now I will mention the advantage of permanently installed generators over portable generators. Permanently installed generators allow you to easily select what areas of your home to power. If you choose to backup only one room, such as the family room, then the generator will power the TV, lamps, stereo, ceiling fans and lights. If you choose to power the kitchen you will be able to use the stove, refrigerator, microwave, overhead lights and all of the outlets. You choose and select the rooms you want to power.

A natural gas generator for home use is a logical choice. Generac generator units run off a natural gas or liquid petroleum ( LP ) fuel supply. Your unit will automatically initiate a once a week brief self test. This test is to ensure that everything is running properly before and when you need the backup power. Portable generators have to constantly be refueled, in addition to finding and connecting the power cords ( sometimes in the dark ).

A quiet series of generators are available. This is a significant benefit that allows a person to sleep throughout the night. Portable generators on the other hand require constantly refueling. With quiet generators you do not have to refill every few hours with gasoline. With portable generators your sleep will constantly be interrupted by the noise they produce.

Generac standby generators are sold as pre packaged systems that include the automatic transfer switch, conduit, wires, connection box and labor. You save about 25 percent from the cost of competing generator companies.

On going scheduled maintenance is provided by a trained network of dealers, installers, and factory trained service technicians. As a team they will analyze your electrical load, determining what size generator you will need, install your system and provide on going scheduled maintenance. Scheduled maintenance will keep your unit in top operating condition. Emergency service is provided within 24 hours, seven days a week.

A diverse selection of Generac generators are available for residential, office, and commercial use. You can enjoy peace of mind and never feel powerless. With Generac you know that your home, family and business are protected even if you are not there. Today is the day, to order your Generac QT-13068 Liquid Cooled Generator.

Quake Raises Safety Concerns

Attribution: By Eileen O'Grady and Joshua Schneyer
HOUSTON/NEW YORK | Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:14pm EDT ( Reuters )

Quake raises safety concerns.


The 5.8 magnitude quake's epicenter was just a few miles from the two-reactor North Anna nuclear power plant operated by Dominion Resources in Mineral, Virginia, 80 miles southwest of Washington.

The plant lost power and automatically halted operations after the quake. While a Dominion spokesman reported no "major" damage to the facility, three diesel generators were required to kick in and keep the reactors' radioactive cores cool. A fourth diesel unit failed.

While nuclear power plants can operate safely on back-up power, failure of generators was a key reason for the disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant after a 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami in March.

"Nuclear power plants lose a significant margin of safety when they're forced to rely on these emergency back-up systems," said Paul Gunter, director of reactor oversight at Beyond Nuclear, an anti-nuclear lobby group.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said North Anna's shutdown was safe and posed no risk to the public. It wasn't clear when off-site power could be restored or when the 1806-megawatt plant, which remained on alert, could restart.
Dominion spokesman Jim Norvelle said the plant was designed to withstand an earthquake of up to 6.2 in magnitude.

But some experts expressed concern about the narrow margin between the design metrics and the quake's size.

"It was uncomfortably close to design basis," said Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, which has pushed for stronger nuclear regulations.

"If Fukushima wasn't a wake-up call, this really needs to be to get the NRC and industry moving to do seismic reviews of all the nuclear power plants in the country."

Tuesday's quake, which was felt along the East Coast as far north as Canada, was the region's largest since a 5.9 quake hit New York State in 1944.

North Anna's reactors are among 27 east of the Rockies that the NRC highlighted during a seismic review last year as presenting a potential hazard, due to the amount of ground-shaking they were designed to withstand.

Twelve other nuclear plants along the Eastern Seaboard declared an "unusual event" following the quake, the lowest of the NRC's emergency classification ratings. North Anna's "alert" status is one step further up on a four-step U.S. emergency scale.
READY OR NOT?

Many nuclear experts say plants in the United States were designed with big margins of error built in, but last year's NRC survey found that the risks posed by earthquakes were higher than previously thought.

And Victor Gilinsky, who was an NRC commissioner at the time of the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in Pennsylvania in 1979, said that he was concerned that safety at plants like North Anna were not being reviewed as understanding of earthquakes increases.

"It is important to review the seismic design of the plant in terms of current knowledge," he said "Instead, the NRC has been relicensing plants without any real safety review - they do not question any of the original licensing conditions, they only check to see whether the plant has a program to deal with old equipment. It's an irresponsible approach."

Still, Ronald Ballinger, an engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said quakes like Tuesday's posed little danger to U.S. nuclear plants.

"The size of the vibrations from this East Coast earthquake are probably less than you would feel in a loud nightclub," Ballinger said.

Based on its 5.8 magnitude rating, the quake was almost 10,000 times weaker than Japan's quake in March and posed no tsunami risk, Ballinger said.

U.S. nuclear plants responded to Tuesday's quake as they were designed to, said Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute trade industry group.

No other East Coast plant had operations disrupted. Entergy's Indian Point nuclear plant located north of New York City was operating normally, as was Dominion's two-unit Surry plant in Gravel, Virginia.

The last time a quake of similar magnitude hit Virginia was in 1897, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A 7.3 magnitude quake, the largest recorded in East Coast history, hit South Carolina in 1886.

Dominion is one of 11 U.S. power companies who have expressed interest in building new advanced nuclear reactors. It has proposed adding a new reactor to the North Anna plant.

(David Sheppard, Jeanine Prezioso, Roberta Rampton, Eileen Moustakis and Janet McGurty contributed reporting; Editing by David Gregorio, Martin Howell)