Since this is a suburban district and part of the Chicago Metropolitan Area you might be forgiven for thinking that everything in the neighborhood works just fine and never lets you down – particularly the electricity supply. In an ideal world this could almost be true but, in the practical world that we live in, things can (and do) go wrong.
Power Outages
Basically, there are three ways in which your home could find itself without electricity (assuming that you are always up to date on your billing payments):-
* An equipment failure at the main generation plant.
* A break in the power transmission lines or transformers that bring the electricity from the plant to your residence.
* A problem within your residence (such as a “blown” circuit breaker).
All three can be “fixed” but the worrying question is how long will it take to restore the power to your home? Obviously the answer depends upon the severity of the problem and its location. The timescale can run from a few seconds up to many hours.
Effects From Power Outages
Even a few seconds outage can have serious effects on many electronic devices in your home (from computers to intruder alarms and much more). We usually guard against this with a backup battery within the device but, even then, should the main failure be longer than the battery’s life, troubles can develop of we are not there to turn off the device.
There is a long list of electricity demanding items within every home. Some might not bother us if we are without electricity for them for longer periods. We can heat water on a gas range if our electric kettle cannot be used. But, how do you stop food from spoiling in an eclectically powered freezer cabinet? Maybe you run your indoor climate control system on a gaseous fuel? However, electricity will still be needed for things like pumps and fans – how long can you comfortably stay inside in summer without your aircon (or in winter without central heating)? Maybe you would not miss your night time TV for an hour or so, but what else can you do at home in the dark?
Protect Yourself
The obvious answer is to have standby equipment to make your own electricity whenever the main supply fails. The American company Generac produces a guardian automatic generator for elmhurst use. They manufacture a range of sizes to suit individual’s power needs and all of them can be programmed to start feeding electricity into your house almost coincident to any mains failure. You don’t even need to be at home to protect your frozen food.
A guardian automatic generator for elmhurst can be purchased from and installed by their official distributor – Penco Electric Inc.
