Generators & Backup Power

It depends on what you want running. Critical circuits only — furnace, fridge, well pump, a few outlets — is usually a smaller air-cooled unit. Whole home, including air conditioning and an electric range, takes considerably more. We run the load calculation as part of the estimate rather than guessing from square footage.

A standby generator burns natural gas or propane and can run for days, which is what you want for a long winter outage. A battery is silent, needs no fuel, and covers hours rather than days — good for short outages and for pairing with solar. Some homes end up with both, and we install either.

Yes. We install an inlet and a transfer switch so you plug the generator in at the wall and throw one switch, instead of running extension cords through a window. It is far cheaper than a standby unit and it eliminates the back-feeding that kills people every storm season.

Yes, and we pull it. A generator install is a service change — new transfer switch, new circuits, often gas work — and Oregon requires it permitted and inspected. We schedule the inspection and hand you the paperwork.

If you already have gas at the house, natural gas is usually simpler — no tank, no refills, and it keeps running as long as the gas line does. Propane is the answer where there is no gas service, and it stores well. We coordinate either, and we'll tell you which is cheaper for your lot before you commit.

Annually, plus the weekly or monthly self-exercise cycle it runs on its own. Oil, filters, plugs, and the starting battery are what fail, and the battery is what most often turns a generator into an expensive lawn ornament. Our maintenance program covers all of it.

A modern air-cooled standby runs around the volume of an air conditioner and only under load or during its weekly exercise. Placement is set by code — clearances from windows, doors, vents, and the property line — and we work that out on the site visit before anything is ordered.