A natural gas generator is a great way to power your home, during a power outage. Unlike traditional gasoline generators, natural gas standby generators have a much longer shelf life so they’re much safer for you to store in your home as residential backup generators. Gasoline requires a chemical in order to settle the volatile components, if your intention is to store the gas for more than a few weeks. Otherwise the containers can corrode, or even combust, which is remarkably unsafe. There is no risk of this happening with natural gas, so a natural gas generator is a much safer option for home storage.
Natural gas is comprised mainly from methane, and requires a lot of processing in order to remove the unusable elements, and leave only the viable gasses. Not unlike propane, natural gas can be reliably stored for long periods of time, without the worry of corrosion because the gas is much more stable. Therefore, for most homes, a natural gas powered generator is a reliable alternative to using standard gasoline. There are two major types of natural gas generators that you’ll have to choose from: portable natural gas generators, and natural gas standby generators.
A portable gas generator is a small power source that can be used to power a few appliances in your home during a power outage. These aren’t intended for prolonged use, or to power an entire home. Rather, a portable standby generator is a good way to keep a refrigerator, or other important appliance working through a power outage. A natural gas generator can power small appliances for several hours, which should be plenty of time to get through any power outages without too much trouble.
A large standby generator is a good way to power your entire home, throughout a power outage. These are massive generators that can weigh in excess of 1,000 pounds and be 5ft high. A standby natural gas generator is intended to power most, if not all of a small home, for a matter of days opposed to hours. You can purchase a natural gas backup generator with a large natural gas tank, so that the power is readily available. These are great alternatives if you live in an area that’s prone to a lot of power outages.
You can purchase either from a large retailer like Home Depot, and they will have varying styles to meet your safety concerns and power wattage requirements. You can also shop online however, at websites like Amazon.com, which have a wider variety than you’ll find locally, and usually at lower prices. Typically a natural gas portable generator will cost around $500 to as much as $2,000 depending upon how much power the unit will put out. The large natural gas standby generators are typically $5,000 and up for a good reliable one. Also you’ll have to factor in the cost of a large natural gas tank, as well as the gas to store inside the tank.
By doing the math on how much power wattage you require to keep the most important appliances running through a power outage, you should be able to find a generator to meet your needs. A natural gas generator will be safe and reliable through any outage, and should serve your needs for years without too much engine trouble. Just make sure to do the proper maintenance as dictating by the generator’s owners manual.