Purchasing a generator provides peace of mind, and prepares your home or business for whatever New England weather should come along. But how do you know the time is right? And what’s really involved in the process?
We caught up with a Griff Electric customer who recently had a generator installed to protect his Tiverton, RI home. He did his homework, and it paid off: he’s been protected through 3 storms in the past year!
Here’s what you need to know about generator installation:
Generac Guardian Series 20kw
Q: Why did you decide to get a generator?
A: There was a storm where the power went out for a whole week, mainly in Connecticut, but it caught my attention. I was concerned about losing power and the affect it would have—you want to be prepared for such things! It’s good insurance. It makes you feel more secure.
Q: Why work with Griff?
A: My wife and I saw their office near Clements, so we gave a call. They’re very responsive and personable. I really like dealing with Sean and Zach, and the guys who were here for installation. I get the sense that it’s a family firm, and I like that when dealing with contractors. It caught my attention.
Q: There are lots of generator options out there. How did you choose?
A: Sean and Zach came out and mentioned a few generators, including the Generac. I checked into Generac and it’s a very good company out in the Midwest, where they HAVE to have good generators! It had good ratings. I read a lot and decided, “That’s the product.”
I chose the 20kW. It’ll cover just about anything in a normal household – you can practically have everything running at once. I could have settled for something less but I decided if I’m going to make the investment, I might as well go for the 20kW.
We also have a natural gas supply, so that was a factor. It runs from our natural gas line so there’s a constant fuel supply to the generator.
Q: What was installation like as a homeowner?
A: For setup, the crew has to do a lot of handling of the generator when it gets to the property and they handled it very well. The Griff crew showed me that they were all experts in some aspect of generator setup.
They also installed a new electrical panel and they did a great job on that. They recommended upgrading the box, so that went in first.
They know what they’re doing. Once they start something, they move quickly, but carefully.
Q: So how’s it going now?
A: The generator kicks on automatically when the power goes off. We’ve used it for outages maybe 3 times; most were short, one was 12 hours. It’s worked fine.
The generator is set up to test out every week, so there’s a trial run once a week for about 12 minutes and it keeps it in good shape.
The other thing is, Griff offers annual maintenance. It’s good to have people who know what they’re doing! I’m pleased with Griff Electric. I trust them.
Don’t trust the safety of your home or business to just anyone! Know what you’re purchasing and whom you are working with. It’ll pay off in the end!
