Portable Generators

Hi, my name is Jim.  I created this website to provide valuable information for preparing for disasters and choosing to provide backup power to homes.  I always thought I was prepared for emergencies.  Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Now, thanks to portable generators, I am prepared.

Westinghouse Portable Generators

It is funny that I never gave a much thought to electric power.   It was always there, after all.   If it went out, it was probably going to be back on in less than a half hour, where I live.   I hardly ever lost power and it was pretty rock solid.

Then, hurricane Irene was forecasted.   The stores were packed, and everyone went to buy food, water and essentials.   I bought a bunch of things, myself, to be prepared.   My refrigerator and freezer were packed.   I had flashlights and everything I thought I needed.

The hurricane hit and we lost power about 11 pm.  My child was scared, as she never experienced a black out before.   We were all up, and the wind and rain was really intense.   We put on some candles and I played my acoustic guitar to try to take everyone’s mind off of the stress.   I think I made up a song called the No Lights Blues…   We laughed and made it through the night.

In the morning, we still had no power.   No electric coffee pot.  “It must be coming back on soon, don’t worry!” So, I went to the local 7-11 to get coffee.  No big deal, right?

I began to hear the sound of portable generators going.   Some of my neighbors bought them prior to the storm, or already had a gas powered portable generator.

The next issue was cold water and no heat.   No, I don’t have an electric water heater.  My oil furnace heats the house and water.  The only problem was that without electricity, the oil furnace would not kick on.

A day went by without electricity, yet some of my neighbors still had electricity, because they had portable generators.   Then, two days without power.   My daughter was starting to ask if the power would ever come back on.  Things were stressful to say the least.

Remember all that food I told you about? My refrigerator packed with food that I was so proud of being prepared for a disaster?  With no electricity, the refrigerator wasn’t working.   I had to throw it all out!  I did have a small cooler, filled with ice that I had to keep buying at 7-11, along with morning coffee.

To make a long story short, we had no power for 9 days.  NINE DAYS!   You know, I never thought how important to our way of life electricity was.  Being without for nine days makes you aware of the reality.  Thank goodness it wasn’t cold enough to freeze the pipes in my home.

After this experience, I decided to get a gas powered portable generator.  I did a lot of research and decided on a Westinghouse Generator for my Disaster Preparedness Plan.   I decided to make this website to share my research so that others can benefit by the time I put in to purchase a portable generator.

I had friends that said that this was a once in a lifetime thing, and that I was crazy for even looking at portable generators.   It would just sit there.   I didn’t care.   I wasn’t doing that again.

Fast forward a year – Hurricane Sandy is predicted.  This time it was during a colder part of the year.    I applied what I learned from the last hurricane.   I bought food, but purchased a lot more dry things, like pasta, trail mix, nuts, fruit, etc.   I got more bottled water, and was ready.

The best part was that this time, I had portable generators.  I purchased several 5 gallon gas cans and filled them all.   I thought, “This isn’t going to be as bad as they think. I can always put this gas in my car after this hurricane blows over.   But if it is as bad as they say, I will be ready this time!”

I was ready, then the Hurricane Hit!   It was much worse than was expected.   I plugged in my Westinghouse portable generator and fired it up!   I had lights!   My refrigerator was running!   My heat was on!   The television worked but since lines hit the cable lines, there was no television.   But, our DVD player worked and we had something to take our minds off of the damage after the hurricane.  All thanks to my portable generator!

Some of my neighbors had portable generators and they had power, some didn’t.   Many of the folks who had portable generators helped out their neighbors with long extension cords.  But, without heat, many homes had their pipes freeze and had floods.   People in my neighborhood were without power for longer than 15 days.  I had power!  I was prepared.   My family did much better through a more damaging hurricane.   Dad is the Hero Supreme!

So, that is my story.   I made this site to share my experiences and what I have learned in the process.   It is my sincere wish that the information I post here helps some of you to prepare for your families.

I will be posting some of the strategies I learned along the way with gas powered portable generators, and will share some of why I chose the generator that I did.