Dec. 19, 2008 – a day which will live in infamy.

Granted, not infamy on the scale of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But if you don’t remember where you were that day – or the five or so days after that – chances are you weren’t in or around Fort Wayne, huddled under blankets in a cold, dark house eating canned tuna, or out braving icy roads and darkened storefronts in search of even a lukewarm lead on a generator.

The record- and power-shattering ice storm that hit the area beginning that day left many residents swearing they would never be without a means of emergency electricity again.

Although the state of the economy has prevented many homeowners from plunking down the cash to stash a generator in their garages, people have been looking.

“I found them getting extremely popular in the first part of December, when people were thinking about (the ice storm) last year. We had more calls for them then than we did the entire year,” says Jim Murphy, manager of the Guardian Services generator sales and installation division of Legacy Heating & Air Conditioning, Fort Wayne.

Area dealers say customers often are looking without any idea of what kind of generator to buy.

“People have to take a look at their needs first. Some people think that a generator has to do it all, and they wind up spending way too much,” says Bill Fish, owner of Turf Service Equipment and Repair at 6844 N. Clinton St. in Fort Wayne.

Dealers say generators vary. The key is doing your homework so you don’t overpay for features or capacity – or overload the generator.

We asked several experts questions that should be answered before a generator purchase.

Q. What kinds of generators are out there for homeowners?

A. Dealers say there are two basic types – portable generators and permanently installed standby units, sometimes referred to as “whole-house” generators.

The names are misnomers, however. Many portables are too heavy for most people to lift, so it’s worth looking at a generator with wheels if you expect to move it even a short distance.

Because portable generators generally run on gasoline or diesel fuel, it’s unsafe to run one in an enclosed space because of the potential for deadly carbon monoxide buildup from the exhaust fumes.

The whole-house types, on the other hand, don’t necessarily need to run every single outlet in the house, garage and basement – just enough to power essentials when the electricity goes off. That’s why many in the industry call them “standby” generators instead of whole-house.

Q. What’s the difference between the two?

A. Perhaps the biggest is that standby generators, which are mounted permanently outside the house, will turn on automatically within seconds of a power outage.

The units have an engine connected to a natural gas line or propane source and a switch that automatically senses the lack of electricity and turns on the generator.

Portable generators require human intervention to be fueled, turned on, linked safely to appropriate appliances and managed.

Then there’s price. Expect to pay $3,000 to $4,000 or more for a basic standby unit and $6,000 for a more powerful one, says Bill Berning of “Doc” Dancer Inc. Heating & Air Conditioning in Fort Wayne. The business sells and installs Guardian standby units.

A Blue Max portable generator with enough power to run home essentials costs about $400 at Mutton Power Equipment stores in Fort Wayne, says Javan “D.J.” Dalman, sales manager. Mutton also carries Honda portables with price tags ranging from $800 to $3,500 for a technologically sophisticated unit suitable for backup power for large amounts of computer equipment.

Q. That’s a lot of money, especially for permanent units. Who needs a permanent standby generator?

A. “We find that the primary group of people who would buy them would be homeowners who have finished basements with a sump pump who have concerns about a power outage that would lead to their basement flooding,” Berning says.

Those who vacation for extended periods and don’t want to worry about a power outage at their primary homes often invest in standby units, he adds, as do those with vacation homes they don’t visit in the wintertime.

Then there are those who just don’t want the inconvenience of a protracted outage. That includes people in rural areas where it might take longer to restore power; people who might be at work when an outage starts; farm or home-business owners who need ready or continuous access to electrical machinery or electronics; and people who depend on electrically operated medical equipment.

“In any of those cases, they’re like a one-time insurance policy,” Berning says. “They’re not just a luxury purchase.”

Q. How do you figure out how much wattage you need?

A. That’s where planning ahead comes in, says Dave Umber, owner of Umber’s Do it Best, Fort Wayne. “What you’ve got to do is use some smarts,” he says.

Tally up the wattage of the items you need: a sump pump or electric water heater if you have one, a space heater, a refrigerator, stove and microwave, lights, television, radio, computer, electric garage door opener. You can find wattage in owner’s manuals and printed on metal plates on the appliances.

If only amps and volts are listed, multiply to get watts. Then talk to a dealer and prepare to get creative.

Umber says all the items don’t have to run at the same time to get by.

“You keep rotating,” he says, a practice sometimes referred to as “power management.” For example, the fridge or freezer, if they’re not opened, can be rotated without spoiling food, he says.

“The average customer buys a 5,000- or 5,500-watt generator,” he says.

A generator’s wattage should be slightly larger than all simultaneous loads because of start-up wattage of appliances likely to turn on while other appliances are already on.

Start-up wattage is usually three to five times greater than running wattage, according to an article in the October 2008 edition of Popular Mechanics.

The largest start-up wattage, assuming you won’t be running an air conditioner, usually comes from a furnace blower fan or well pump, the article says.

Figure start-ups into your rotations, Umber says.

Q. What is a

power transfer switch?

A. For a portable generator, it’s a specialized circuit-breaker panel wired into the house’s circuit panel that isolates circuits to be powered while preventing current from flowing back into the power grid outside the house, Dalman says. Backflow of current can be a hazard to utility workers fixing downed lines, he says.

Also, a power switch can make it possible to power up a furnace, because you can’t plug it into a generator with an extension cord. Have the switch installed by a professional, Dalman says; it’s about a $100 job.

Q. What else should be

considered

when buying a portable?

A. Fish says the number of outlets on the unit is key, so you can plug in items that take more power without overloading. A single outlet might be enough for a camping trip or to run a power tool away from the house, but multiple outlets come in handy in emergencies, he says.

Don’t scrimp on accessories – only use heavy-duty extension cords and ask about power strips and surge protectors for sensitive appliances, he says.

Ease of start-up might be an issue for some owners, Dalman says. Generators with lawn-mower-style pull-starts may not be suitable for some owners, who would prefer a unit that starts with a key. But key-start machines usually provide more wattage and cost at least $900.

Run time – usually about eight hours – doesn’t vary much among models, and neither does fuel economy, dealers say. But some models promise less pollution.

Honda offers a line of models claiming quieter operation, but it comes as a trade-off for wattage and price, Dalman says.

The feature might be important if you plan to use the generator for camping as well as emergencies or if the unit can only be placed in proximity to your – or your neighbor’s – sleeping quarters.

Q. What about maintenance?

A. It’s pretty much a non-issue for Guardian standby units, Murphy says.

“They come on and check themselves every week and send you an alarm signal if they’re not operating. Maintenance is like an automotive engine – you change the oil after they run so many hours, probably annually – and that’s pretty much it.”

Dalman says portable generators should be started up every so often to make sure everything is OK.

“If something does go wrong, it’s nice to have a dealership nearby when you need it so you know you can get parts and service,” he says.

rsalter@jg.net