Home Standby Generators are one of our most popular products. These air cooled generators are most often paired with an automatic transfer switch. This ensures that when power is lost, it will only be a matter of seconds before backup power kicks in. Generators must be professionally installed to a home’s existing wiring. It senses when there is a power outage and immediately transfers the home’s electrical circuits and appliances to backup power. It then turns itself off when the utility power resumes. Home standby generators are easier to use than portable generators. This is because portable generators require you to move it outside, find the gas can and extension cords, fill the gas tank, run the cords through the house, and manually start and turn off the generator. Many people prefer air cooled home standby generators because they provide the security and confidence that home life can continue uninterrupted, no matter the weather conditions outside. If there is extreme cold or a really bad storm, you don’t have to worry about ever being without power nor do you have to go outside in those conditions to set up a portable generator. In addition, standby generators have the potential to actually reduce your homeowners’ insurance rate and could even provide a boost to your property value. 

Larger liquid cooled generators are often used in commercial settings. These models can range from 22kW up to 150kW. There are generators as large as 549kW; these generators are industrial sized diesel generators. Liquid cooled generators power the large demand applications that air cooled home standby generators are not large enough to tackle. It is uncommon to use a liquid cooled generator in a residential application, but it is not impossible. There are smaller liquid cooled generators, like the Kohler 38 RCLC, that can be used in larger homes. 

While air cooled generators are most often fueled by liquid propane or natural gas, RV and off grid generators are powered by diesel. There are a couple of reasons for that, primarily diesel is a cleaner burning fuel and it lasts longer than the alternative fuel choices. The larger commercial and industrial generators are also powered by diesel. These generators often need to run for extended periods of time which makes using propane or natural gas is impractical. Cummins Onan is the leading manufacturer of RV diesel generators. Generac and Kohler also manufacture diesel generators ideal for off grid situations. 

Portable generators are often purchased for recreational use. They are a convenient way to add power to camping trips or tailgating. They can also be used by labor men to run power tools on jobsites. These units are easy to maintain and use. Although they can be used as an emergency power source, it isn’t always practical. Improper use of a portable generator can also be very dangerous. Smaller portable generators are called inverters. You would use a power inverter for small appliances like radios or to make your cell phone charger portable. These are not ideal for running larger equipment, like power tools. 

The CARB (California Air Resources Board) compliant section of our site is a convenient way to find all generators that can be used in California and Massachusetts. The board has strict air quality control regulations and not all generators are compliant. Aside from CARB regulations, California also a second, more strict, set of regulations for the southern coast including all of Orange County, the Urban district of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino county. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is responsible for regulating air pollution along the coast of California. If you have questions on compliance, we can help you find an approved generator. 

There are also generators that cannot be shipped to Canada. The utility power doesn’t align with some transfer switches, so we have created the Canada Approved section for your convenience. These generators are all CSA (Canadian Shipping Approved) models. They are the same models sold in the states, modified slightly to be compliant with the utility power in Canada. 

With a wide selection of generators, it might be difficult to pick the exact type, size and model you need. We are factory trained and experts at generator sizing. We would love to help you back your power up today!