Hurricane Charley is quickly teaching homeowners a valuable lesson about taking electricity for granted.
The Category Four hurricane knocked out power to nearly a million homes in Florida, and many residents are still living without power.
Homeowners are now using portable generators in record numbers to safely restore power to their homes.
"Getting a generator is one thing," says Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com). "Getting the electricity into the house is another."According to Hoch, extension cords are fine for small generators because you can only plug in one or two appliances.
The most common way to use a portable electric generator is to place it outdoors, then run extension cords through an open window or door to the chosen appliances.
Extension cords have several drawbacks. First, most extension cords can't be plugged into a furnace, well pump or ceiling-light fixture. If the cords are too long, the resulting power drop may damage the generator and appliances. And if they are placed under rugs or carpets, heat can buildup and spark a fire.
"Be sure to use appropriately sized power cords to carry the electric load," said Hoch. "Typically, the thicker the cord, the more electricity it can carry." If you want to use extension cords, consider getting a Gen-Cord (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/accessories.php). You simply plug the all-weather cord into your 20- or 30-amp generator outlet and then run it inside. The plug on the inside splits into three 120-volt outlets, where you can plug in several household appliances or additional extension cords. For safety's sake, Hoch recommends hiring a licensed electrician to install a power transfer system that redistributes power from the generator to the home's circuit box.
The power transfer system (starting at $200) reduces the need for multiple extension cords running from the generator to specific appliances, and it eliminates the risk of electrical "back feed" injuring utility workers working on downed power lines. It is installed beside the main electrical panel, and then it's connected to the circuits you'll want running during a blackout. When the power goes out, you simply crank up the generator and run a single power cord from it to a transfer switch.
"Once the generator is running, you can choose which appliances and circuits you want to use by simply flipping the switches," said Hoch. It's important to keep track of what's being powered, warns Hoch, because the transfer switch is often wired into more circuits than the generator can handle all at once.
"A typical power transfer system installation will take less than two hours and cost around $100-$200," said Hoch. "But it's an investment that will be fully appreciated the next time the power goes out."Electric Generators Direct (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com) is an online generator superstore owned and operated by Power Equipment Direct, Inc. The company also maintains Pressure Washers Direct (http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com) and Air Compressors Direct (http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com).For more tips on how to pick the perfect emergency generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/pickperfect.phpFor more tips on how to safely use a portable generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/transferofpower.php.
Interpreting Florida's Sales Tax Holiday: How It Really Impacts Generator Customers
Romeoville, IL (ContentDesk) May 15, 2006 - Theres no doubt about it. Tax breaks are always a good thing, especially when they protect families from disaster. The State of Florida recently approved its second Sales Tax Holiday on emergency supplies. Beginning 12:01 a.m. Sunday, May 21, 2006 and ending at midnight, June 1, 2006, Florida residents can purchase emergency preparedness items, including portable generators, without paying state sales tax.
The concept is great as long as you read the fine print first, says Jon Hoch, founder of ElectricGeneratorsDirect.com, an online generator superstore. (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com)According to Hoch, the new law applies to portable generators selling for $1,000 or less, which is ideal for families looking to purchase a small portable generator for a relatively small home. Heres the Catch: According to the fine print, If the sales price of a qualifying...
Interpreting Florida's Sales Tax Holiday: How It Really Impacts Generator Customers
Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home
Hurricane Charley is quickly teaching homeowners a valuable lesson about taking electricity for granted.
The Category Four hurricane knocked out power to nearly a million homes in Florida, and many residents are still living without power.
Homeowners are now using portable generators in record numbers to safely restore power to their homes.
"Getting a generator is one thing," says Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com). "Getting the electricity into the house is another."According to Hoch, extension cords are fine for small generators because you can only plug in one or two appliances.
The most common way to use a portable electric generator is to place it outdoors, then run extension cords through an open window or door to the chosen appliances.
Extension cords have several drawbacks. First, most extension cords can...
Portable Generators
Portable generators are used in homes and in places where there is no power or the need for power is minimum. Portable generators are generally smaller and are designed to use for a few. A portable generator of 5KW has enough power to keep lights, refrigerators, computers and televisions running for 7 to 8 hours. Portable generators are normally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. They are the most popular of all portable generators.
Gasoline generators are relatively less expensive but require frequent maintenance and have a shorter life span. Gasoline has a short shelf life and cannot be stored for a long time unless treated with stabilizers.
Diesel generators, on the other hand, are fuel-efficient, consume less fuel per kilowatt of power produced, have longer life and require less maintenance. Diesel can be stored for longer periods of time. However, they are harder to start in cold weather and noisy. Portable generators powered by natural gas...
New Software Helps You Master Google AdWords
Tens of thousands of online businesses use Google Adwords to advertise their products and services on the Internet. However, many fail miserably as their ads are so poorly written they fail to generate the minimum CTR Google allows (.5%). When this occurs their ads are disabled and they are charged a $5.00 fee from Google to reactivate their account.It would appear that while many online businesses understand the importance of choosing targeted keywords for their advertising campaigns, they haven't a clue as to how to write compelling ads that make surfers click.Now a new software program called Ad Word Generator will solve this problem by giving you over 5,127 sales terms that are proven sellers in 65 specific categories, so that 90% of the hardest part - thinking - is done for you.Rodney Rumford, a full-time AdWords advertiser says, "The ability to create amazing Google Adwords copy in no time flat is really nice. I now use this software for every campaign that I start. This is a real...
New Software Helps You Master Google AdWords
How to make backgrounds for myspace?
Many people that owns myspace profiles have surely been visiting all these myspace resource sites trying to look for good backgrounds, but rarely have they found one good which they like. These people might have a photo or a drawed image that they want to implement in their profile. Sometimes, they also have a small image that they would like to use as a pattern. But they can't code themselfs.
So, what to do then? Well actually, you can easy add an image to a profile without any coding experience.
It's funny that people don't know that they just can use a simple Myspace Background Generator which will do the job for them.
However, after using that generator. You will get a piece of code that you need to insert in your profile. But when you have finally done that and are looking on your profile, you might think: Hey, something is missing.
There's no transperancy. The image covers as a...
Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home Home generator 
Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home Home generator term life insurance 
What Everybody Should Know about an Inkjet Printer: The One-Year Cost of Printing
You can purchase an inkjet printer for as little as $39. With a rebate, it may even be less. Not many people would argue about the good deal they got when they purchased their printer. However, the purchase price of an inkjet printer really doesn't tell you much about your cost of printing. After all, you do need paper and inkjet cartridges to keep your printer printing.
If you go to a local car lot and look at the sticker price of a car, you'd see some of the following items: the base...
Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home laser printer Home generator