Don't get caught off-guard! Be ready with a home backup generator. These whole home generators keep households going when the normal power grid goes down, causing a loss of electricity. Unlike portable generators, home backup generators are wired into the house, often directly into gas lines. They get the power back on within a minute or two, kicking on as soon as power goes out. Shoppers need to be careful when searching for the best home backup generator, getting enough wattage to power essential appliances and systems. These often include refrigerators, freezers, and heating or air conditioning units in more extreme climates. The three best home backup generators include the Briggs & Stratton 40445, the Generac Guardian Series 5871, and the Briggs & Stratton 40396. Read on to find out more about these home backup generators.
The Briggs & Stratton 40445 is a great entry-level home backup generator, especially for homeowners who are on a budget. This unit can keep the essentials powered, with an excellent square inch to power ratio. The high quality motor promises a long life with output that is fairly quiet. With natural gas, this unit has a maximum rating of 6000 watts. The propane-powered version has a maximum rating of 8000 watts. Each version of the small but powerful standby generator system comes with a comprehensive four year warranty. The price for the Briggs & Stratton 40445 is $2,299 through Amazon, which includes the 50 amp start up switch as well as free shipping.
The Generac Guardian Series 5871 is considered the best value when it comes to home standby generators. This is a 10,000 watt generator that does an excellent job of powering the essentials during an outage. The Guardian Series 5871 runs on either propane or natural gas, and is one of the most low maintenance units available. While it's not designed to run for days at a time, this is an ideal unit for those looking for an affordable option that will still do an excellent job providing power. The Generac Guardian Series 5871 is sold through Amazon for $2,792 and comes with a transfer switch as well as free shipping.
The Briggs & Stratton 40396 is known as one of the best heavy duty home backup generators. With this 20,000 watt monster, homeowners may not even notice a power outage at all. This model is a beast, running on propane or natural gas to pump out high amp loads. However, this unit comes in a corrosion-resistant case and is otherwise easy to maintain. There's a range of transfer switches, the use of one depends on what appliances or systems are run; air conditioning units, for example, might need higher transfer switches. Briggs and Stratton offers a 5 year limited warranty for their standby generators which covers parts, labor, and travel. This model can be found for $5,899 through retailers like Amazon.