When it Comes To Generators Size Does Matter! Repeat this after me, "Generator sizing!" I had a gentleman write me pleading with me to join him in his quest to speak out against and eventually sue a well know generator manufacturer and major hardware store.
He had plans to put them on RipOffReport, ConsumerFraud and file a complaint with his Attorney General.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this dude was PO'd! He kept say'in, "You don't cheat me without some heads rolling!" But what got him chompin at the bits was his own fault.
This was his first generator purchase and like many first timers, he strolled into his local hardware store, spoke with a floor salesperson and bought a generator without ever properly calculating if the unit could handle all of the devices in his home.
The process is called generator sizing and the people who skip it, generally either damage the generator or cause damage to their sensitive electronics or appliances.
In his case, he ruined the generator beyond repair by grossly overloading on the unit.
When the circuit breaker kept shutting the unit down, he falsely assumed he had a faulty generator.
His next ill-advised action escalated things into a catastrophic chain reaction.
He went into this "jackleg and shade tree mechanic book of tricks" and bypassed the overload circuitry on the generator.
When he did that ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! The refrigerator started producing that eerie smell that says, "Something electrical is on FIRE.
" By the time he made it to the kitchen, his lights, refrigerator, furnace, computer and flat panel television had all shut down and his generator went, "Kapoof!" If you are thinking, "This is not looking good!" You hit the nail right on the head! Both the refrigerator and the generator had burned out! His first reaction was to curse heaven, hell and earth, pick up that stinkin generator, head down to the hardware store and give them folks a piece of his mind.
Upon arriving to the store, he immediately summoned the manager (he didn't want to talk to mere peons) and explained how the generator never worked from the get go.
The manager, knowing the reputation of the generator brand asked him if he overloaded the unit.
His response was, "HELL NO!" The manager rephrased the question and asked him if he performed generator sizing before selecting this particular wattage unit.
All the man could do at that point was stare at the manager with this puzzled look on his face and say, "Generator WHAT?" The manager did what the floor salesperson did not do; he explained what generator sizing was and why it was so critical to calculate the wattage he needed.
Since the man had never heard of such a thing, he accused the manager of trying to avoid giving him a refund for a faulty generator.
After going back and forth and almost having to call then police, the man left the store and got online to find some people to help him take up his cause and that's when he contacted me.
Talk about a quick turn of events! His bubble and hopes were busted when the first thing I asked him was, "Did you perform generator sizing prior to buying the unit?" Now, he was all ears...
when we did the calculation, turns out he was seventeen thousand watts short for all of the devices and appliances he wanted to run during an outage! Because he skipped this process, he was out of the $2200.
00 he paid for the generator plus he had to buy a new refrigerator.
Folks, generator sizing is serious business! What Is Generator Sizing? In layman's terms, it is the simple process of determining the wattage of the generator you will need for your particular set of circumstances.
If done properly, you'll take the guesswork out of purchasing the right generator.