Do you have a plan for when the lights go out? If you don’t, you’re not alone. The simple truth is that most people don’t spend too much time thinking about electricity or where it comes from. That’s dangerous, because if you don’t have a plan, when the inevitable happens, and the lights go out, you’re going to instantly be transported back to the 1800s until the grid comes back. Nobody wants that, but what can be done about it?
The easiest way to get through a power outage is to invest in a generator. There is a staggering variety on the market today, but broadly speaking, they can be classified into two groups: Fixed and portable.
Fixed generators tend to be large, whole-home or business solutions that are capable of providing for all your electricity needs for as long as your fuel supply holds out. Portable generators tend to be smaller and mobile. Most of the time, they stay in storage, tucked away out of sight and out of mind until you need them, then they’re pulled out to keep the essentials running until the crisis passes.
In addition to being offered in a wide range of capacity sizes, you can also find generators that run on a broad range of fuel types, including gas, diesel, propane, natural gas, and even solar. A few of the generators on the market today are also capable of making use of more than one type of fuel, which makes them tremendously flexible.
Whatever type of generator you choose, you’re essentially buying a kind of insurance. It’s your hedge against the power going out. You hope you never need it, but if you do, you’ve got it covered. Unfortunately, that’s only true if you pay close attention to backup generator maintenance in Manassas, VA.
At a minimum, you should make it a point to run your generator for a little while at least once or twice a year, and preferably at the start of each season just to make sure it’s working okay and will be ready and able to provide backup power if and when you need it.
If you’re a committed Do It Yourselfer and you know enough to handle the maintenance and repair work yourself, outstanding! Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to most people which is why our backup generator maintenance program in Manassas, VA is one of our most popular services.
- Perform a thorough visual inspection of the mechanical and electrical components
- Check the fan belt, perform a coolant flush if applicable, depending on the kind of generator you’ve got
- Check the oil and the oil filter and replace if and as needed
- And test the generator under load to make sure that it’s functioning properly and there are no surprises
If you already have a generator, a good thing to do periodically is to reassess your situation, and the longer you’ve had it, the more important that reassessment is. After all, over time, your needs are bound to change. It’s inevitable. The generator you purchased several years ago, even if it’s still in good shape simply may not be up to the task of meeting your needs today. If it’s not, then it’s time to consider an upgrade.
If you don’t yet have a generator, but you know you want one, before you break out the checkbook or credit card, an excellent first step would be to perform a home energy audit. This is simply a careful accounting of your power usage although getting that data in a helpful level of detail can be more of a challenge than first meets the eye.
We do a lot more than simply offer a great backup generator maintenance package in Manassas, VA, and one of the other services we provide is a home energy audit, so if you need an assist, we’re happy to help.
We’ll send one of our skilled technicians to your home and help you get it done, then give you the report. Armed with the details, you’ll see firsthand what your monthly power draw is, and what the biggest contributors to your total power usage are. That will help you make smart decisions about how much generating capacity you need.
Of course, capacity isn’t the only part of the equation; there’s also your budget to consider. You may desperately want to purchase a whole-home generator that’s capable of running every light and appliance you’ve got, but you don’t want to devastate your budget to see it done, so you may have to scale back your backup power ambitions, and that’s okay. After all, it’s better to have a partial solution in place to serve as a stopgap than no solution at all.
Once we’ve helped you right-size your system, another thing you should be aware of is that we carry a full line of exceptional Generac generators. If you want to buy one from us, we’ll help you select the model most appropriate to your needs and budget, install it for you and teach you how to use it when and as needed. We’ll also be happy to sign you up for our backup generator maintenance program in Manassas, VA right then and there, so you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Even if you don’t opt to buy a generator from us, we can still help you with proper sizing, and once you get your generator, whether it’s fixed or portable, you can still take advantage of our backup generator maintenance program in Manassas, VA, because our techs are qualified to service all major brands of equipment.
Once you’ve got your backup plan in place, another thing you may want to consider is home automation. We’ve been in the business for more than thirty years, and stay current with all the latest trends and technology. If home automation isn’t something you’ve been following in recent years, you’ll be amazed at what you can do with today’s off the shelf technology.
We’d be happy to discuss the possibilities with you and design a system that will automate every major system you rely on to keep your home running smoothly. Our comprehensive home automation solutions allow you to track your power usage remotely, and adjust your power use, even when you’re far from home.
That kind of power makes it possible to run your household at levels of efficiency you never thought possible, and that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
The bottom line is that no matter what your needs are where your home’s electrical system is concerned, we’ve got you covered. If you need to wire a new addition, or re-wire your home, we can do that. If you need to add a few badly-needed outlets to a room that doesn’t have as many as you’d like, we’ve got you covered.
If you’re looking for a home generator, we can help you select the best one for you, and as we mentioned before, we can also take care of all your backup generator maintenance needs in Manassas, VA and surrounding areas.
The simple truth is that most people don’t know a lot about electricity. They flip a switch and rely on the fact that the lights come on when they need them to, so when something goes wrong, it can be hard to even know where to start in terms of fixing it. That’s why it pays to have an expert in your corner.
We’re a locally owned and operated business, and we’ve been proudly serving the region for decades. We’ve built our reputation by exceeding the expectations of every customer we serve, and we’d love to add you to our growing family and to have the opportunity to impress you.
If you’ve been meaning to address some aspect of your home’s electrical system for a while now, but just haven’t gotten around to it, help is just a phone call away. Call our office when you’re ready to get started and let us tell you how we can help you. You’ll be very glad you did.