{"id":29,"date":"2025-01-30T19:14:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T19:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/?p=29"},"modified":"2025-01-30T19:15:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T19:15:29","slug":"planning-for-climate-change-test-your-backup-generator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/?p=29","title":{"rendered":"Planning for Climate Change: Test your backup generator!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ok preppers, here\u2019s the second installment in my little \u201cplanning for climate change\u201d series\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of you who own portable backup generators, you really need to test them out on a regular basis to make sure everything\u2019s running well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running a test is important for other reasons as well, since its also a good time to educate the rest of your family so that they can fire things up themselves should you be unavailable when the power goes out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have a \u201ctodo\u201d list for this attached to the generator that we go through when we test run it twice per year. Here\u2019s how it looks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. (detailed instruction for starting up the generator)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Connect a portable load (we use a space heater) to one of the 120V outlets. This stabilizes the generator RPMs if its \u201chunting\u201d which many do when there\u2019s no load.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. plug the custom 60\u2032 power cord into the 30Amp outlet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    meanwhile, the second person is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. running the custom 60\u2032 power cord that goes from the generator through the kitchen (4 outlet drop there) down to the furnace room (ends with another 4 outlet drop)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. plug the furnace into the outlet<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. plug computer UPS into the outlet<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. plug an extension cord into the outlet and connect it to the water heater<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. plug another extension cord into the outlet and connect it to the sump pump.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. go back upstairs and plug the refrigerator into the kitchen outlet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      When you run through the test, you\u2019ll be amazed at what you will uncover. Don\u2019t just assume everything will work especially if you have a new generator that\u2019s never been used before. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Ok preppers, here\u2019s the second installment in my little \u201cplanning for climate change\u201d series\u2026 For those of you who own portable backup generators, you really need to test them out on a regular basis to make sure everything\u2019s running well. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-fragile-planet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kwilcox.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}