When the wind, rain and the occasional snow hits, the lights might flicker or go off completely and leave homeowners wishing for their own personal power plant to keep things moving when the current isn’t.
When outages happen, a backup power generator might be the best option, especially for those living on the outer reaches of Clark County’s power grid.
Those who have noticed the power out more frequently this January than last year would be correct in their assumptions, according to data from Clark Public Utilities. Whereas close to 3,000 customers lost power in 59 outages between Jan. 1-18 2016, close to 73,000 customers experienced one of the 278 outages that happened in the same timeframe this year.
Clark PUD spokesperson Erica Erland said rural areas tend to get hit with outages the most, in the north and east of the county particularly, often due to weather events. Although system maintenance is a priority for the PUD, “still, wind following heavy rains, or accumulations of ice … take a toll,” she wrote in an email.
When considering the need for a generator, customer distance from a substation is something to think about, Erland said. Being farther away from one means longer feeder lines, often through wooded areas, which give more opportunity for problems like downed poles or trees across lines, she said, meaning longer times to get the power back on after a storm.
Clark PUD Safety Manager Michael Getman said the kind of generator offered by a retail home improvement or supply store would not be adequate to power a whole home. That requires a bit of selectivity in what a homeowner wants covered by the generator in the event of an outage. Checking the wattage listed on appliances a homeowner wants to keep running through an outage and then using the total as a benchmark for selecting a generator can make sure everything needed can get powered.
For those using a portable generator, having the necessary appliances plugged directly into the unit was important so as to keep from backfeed, or when a generator is putting energy into the grid, from happening. For things not to do, Getman said there have been cases where individuals have modified an extension cord to have both ends as male sockets in an effort to have the generator’s power feed into the home’s system.
“It certainly can cause problems,” Getman said, adding that overloaded extension cords, generator or other complications could be a result of the practice.
For those looking for the convenience and reliability of a stationary generator, Getman recommended installing a transfer switch which can switch power from the grid to a generator. That switch can help keep backfeed coming from the generator into the network, possibly impacting PUD crew working to start the power up again.
Apart from proper connections, Getman listed some other precautions to take when using a generator to make sure the unit gets the job done with little incident.
Adequate ventilation was a big concern for gasoline-powered units. Getman said it was important to make sure the generator is outside and away from any openings in the home — windows, doors or vents — so as not to have carbon monoxide buildup.
Having a detector for carbon monoxide in the home was another step mentioned to ensure the power generation doesn’t inadvertently become poison generation.
Getman stressed caution on refueling the generators, as although units can run for hours on a full tank inevitably they will need more gas. He said to make sure the unit was cool enough to add gas while avoiding spills into the exhaust system or on a hot engine block.
Determining how often a generator will be used is important before making the purchase not only for the return on investment, but also when it comes to maintenance. A unit used once during an outage event then kept in a garage for years before the next time it’s needed could very well not work like it should given a start after so much time.
Getman said some basic maintenance was needed to ensure the generator works right, listing running the unit occasionally, checking its oil as well as any fusing the unit has as precautions.
With 6,600 miles of distribution and transmission lines covering all 628 square miles of Clark County, no matter how solid the system, some customers will lose power. The question is whether that risk means putting the significant investment of a backup generator into the equation to help mitigate that inconvenience when it happens.
“We do a pretty good job here at Clark (PUD) limiting the amount of outages, but you know Mother Nature doesn’t really help us out all the time,” Getman said.
