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What To Do If Your Power Goes Out

Power lines covered in ice after a winter storm that caused power outage

With the winter season just beginning, you can be sure that the inevitable snowstorm is coming your way. These storms are a threat to electrical equipment. When snow and ice create buildup on power lines, the weight can cause them to break. Tree limbs can also become heavy with snow and ice, causing them to snap and fall onto power lines.

A home power outage can happen with electrical equipment down and not functional. Having all your power shut off at once can lead to utter panic but remaining calm and rational during an outage is important. When you have a plan in place, you are relieved from extra stress and anxiety.

Power Outage Checklist

  • Call your utility company. Your utility company is responsible for restoring service during power outages, damaged power lines, and other electrical emergencies. They must be aware of your outage to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
  • Protect your appliances. Invest in a surge protector to ensure your appliances and electronics are protected ahead of time. When the power goes out, unplug important appliances, such as TVs, computers, or large appliances, if it is safe to do so. Leave just one light turned on so you can tell when the power comes back.
  • Gather flashlights. Do not use candles for light or warmth, as they are a serious fire hazard.
  • Keep refrigerator doors closed. Food in an unopened fridge should stay cold for about four hours. A half-full freezer should keep the temperature for 24 hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours.
  • Have an emergency kit on hand. This step requires some preparation ahead of time but will pay off in the long run. Prepare your emergency kit with non-perishable food, water, extra batteries, medical supplies, extra clothes, and blankets. Having these items on deck will prevent you from having to find them in the dark.

Invest In A Backup Generator

The easiest way to function in your home with a power outage is to invest in a backup generator. Generators can keep your lights on during electrical outages and necessary power appliances. Every home should have a backup generator to avoid the inconveniences and dangerous situations having no electricity can put them in.

If you want to save you and your family the struggle of trying to survive without power this stormy cold season, call (301)365-4226 to contact a professional generator installer. GenTech Generators provides one free preventative maintenance visit with the purchase of a generator so you can be sure to have a safe and working generator this winter.

Why Every Home Should Have a Backup Generator

In the past couple of years, the majority of households in the United States have suffered hardships. With the pandemic breaking through around the globe in the beginning of 2020, restrictions, lockdowns, and other hardships were brought on. With that being said, severe storms including hurricanes, tropical storms, and other natural disasters were not put on pause. These storms kept on track without fail.

Many people around the country are turning to backup generators and standby generators to ensure their homes continue to have power even when their main power shuts off due to a severe storm or natural disaster.

Power outage

The Importance of Power for Your Home

As homeowners, we all understand the importance of having power in our homes. When the power goes out, and we don’t have any backup power, life can take a turn for the worst. Electricity and other fuel are things that we cannot live without, which means the power in our home is that much more important than it used to be. We use power for cooking, washing, heating, and cooling our homes. These are necessities for everyday life.

Having a backup generator on standby when a bad situation occurs is very beneficial, so you don’t have to worry about

Backup Generators are Selling More and More

Turbulent weather attributed to climate change has left American residents and businesses searching for ways to cope, and increasingly they are turning to a specific solution: backup power generators.

As homeowners, we need backups in our life, whether that may be backup jobs, financial plans, or backup generators. Investing in a trusted backup generator is essential for daily life. Our country needs to be able to prepare for things that we cannot control.

If you’re in need of backup generator, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at GenTech Generators. Contact GenTech Generators at 301-365-4226 today or visit us online for more information!

In the Event of a Natural Disaster, Backup Power Saves The Day

Over the last decade or so, there have been millions of people all across America who have been left without power due to natural disasters. From hurricanes in places like Texas, Florida, and New Jersey to flooding in certain areas in Illinois, natural disasters and severe storms have caused hardships for many homeowners and forced them to spend days, and in some cases, even weeks, living without power.

In the event of a natural disaster, a backup generator can absolve any doubt and fear associated with such a tragedy.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes bring a lot of water with them, but they also bring a lot of wind. That wind is usually to blame for wide scale power outages. The wind can knock down power lines and make it impossible for people to get access to power for days.

With a backup generator, you can keep the power coming to your home, even in the event of a power outage in your area.

Winter Storms

Winter storms can dump inches and even feet of snow and ice on different states throughout the country. This snow and ice can weigh down tree branches and force them to fall and knock down power lines. The snow and ice can also sit on the power lines themselves and lead to power outages. This can be dangerous because winter storms also tend to bring arctic blasts along with them, and the last thing you want is for your home to be freezing-cold in the winter.

Outside of being uncomfortable, a cold home can also lead to frozen pipes and flooding in homes. A backup generator can help you prevent these problems.

Floods

Floods can occur for any number of reasons. In some cases, abnormally large amounts of rain can lead to flooding. In others, melting snow and ice can cause water to overtake a city and lead to flooding. Regardless of the reason, flooding can knock out power and make it tough for emergency crews to reach sites to restore it.

In the event this happens, you will be glad you have a backup generator to keep the electricity coming into your home despite the conditions.

There are a lot of reasons to consider investing in a backup generator—and there are likely going to be even more reasons in the future.

GenTech Generators can reduce the effects experienced during a power outage by providing you with a top-of-the-line backup generator. Call us at 301-469-7800 for more information on the installation process.

Winter Maintenance for Your Backup System

A backup generator system is incredibly worthwhile, especially during the winter months. If a storm or other problem with electrical service in your area causes your home to lose power, having a backup system installed ensures that your home will stay lit and warm during the inclement weather.

Preventative MaintenanceWhen service is turned off to a home during the winter months, the situation can become dangerous quickly. As winter approaches around the corner, it’s important to make sure your generator is ready for the winter storm possibility. The temperature inside of your home can dip down to a dangerous level within just a few hours, and in addition to the discomfort and health risk of this cold, there is also an increased chance that the pipes in your home will freeze and burst, creating a big mess if power isn’t restored quickly. It’s why many homeowners have chosen to install backup generator systems to protect themselves in the event of a power outage.

You need to do more than just install a backup generator system to protect your home, though. You also need to do preventative maintenance on it and winterize your system so that it’s ready to go if your home ever loses power during the winter months. So what’s involved with winterizing a backup generator?

To start, it’s important to test and run your backup generator system before it starts getting cold outside. This allows you to see how the system runs and identify any potential problems with its operation. If you notice that your generator is running strangely, sputtering or showing any other symptoms of irregular operation, call for maintenance on your system to ensure that it’s winter ready.

You should also change the oil and oil filter in your backup generator system to make sure that all lubricants are fresh and ready to keep the motor running during the cooler months. You’ll also want to check the condition of electrical components within the generator, including the battery, spark plugs and ignition contact points. During the winter months, you’ll also want to inspect your generator regularly and prevent snow and ice from building up on or around the unit. This can block ventilation or put stress on the generator that can impact proper operation when you need it most.

At GenTech Generators, we can help you make sure you’re ready for winter with our preventative maintenance service. We inspect your backup generator, perform an oil change annually, inspect all connections, hoses and belts for leaks and much more. Best of all, when you buy a new generator system from us, you’ll receive two free maintenance visits during the first year to help you make sure that your system is ready to go whenever the power goes out.

The last thing you want to do is wait until it’s too late to seek service. Whether you need maintenance for your existing system or are interested in learning more about installing a new backup generator, find out more today by calling GenTech Generators at 301-469-7800.

Benefits of Investing in Regular Generator Maintenance

Your backup generator is probably something you tend to forget about until you really need it. If it’s not properly maintained though, it could let you down when you need it most.

Don’t get caught in the dark! Today we’ll look at a few important benefits of investing in regular generator maintenance.

Save money

Although you will have to pay a modest fee to maintain and service your generator, adhering to a regular maintenance routine can actually save you money in the long run.

Businesses can lose tons of money if they’re forced to close their doors during long power outages, for example. Homeowners, meanwhile, can face their own set of costly issues when the power goes out. Sump pumps stop draining water from basements, heaters stop warming cold pipes and refrigerators stop preserving perishable food items.

A well-maintained generator can last for tens of thousands of hours. If properly taken care of, your generator could continue to serve you through years of power outages.

Avoid costly repairs or replacement

Regular maintenance can prevent and correct a variety of issues such as algae buildup in the fuel system, clogged fuel injectors and dead batteries. If left unchecked, some of these issues could permanently damage your generator, forcing you to invest in expensive repairs or purchase a new one. With proper maintenance, you can avoid all these problems and more.

Reduce risk

Power outages can be downright dangerous during extreme weather events, particularly if you have family members with health concerns. Having a well-maintained generator on hand in case of weather emergencies can ensure that everyone stays safe during prolonged power outages.

Finally, remember to pay close attention to your generator’s weekly test schedule. Once a week, your generator’s motor should kick on for 10-15 minutes to perform a self-diagnostic test. If it misses this test, it means that something is wrong and you should notify your maintenance team immediately.

If it’s been a while since your generator was last serviced, GenTech Generators can work with you to develop an effective maintenance plan for the future. Give us a call or contact us online to learn more.

Why You Need a Generator in Your Home This Winter

Although we’re getting ahead of ourselves when talking about the winter season, this is a good time to start preparing and making sure you’re home is ready for the winter weather. Winter brings more than plush falling snow over ice-capped hills; it can also rear its ugly head in the form of harsh winter storms, savagely wiping out your home’s power. When this happens, you’ll need a plan B: a backup generator.

Why Invest in a Backup Generator

Why You Need a Generator in Your Home This WinterFunctionality

If your power goes out, you can’t function properly. Food will spoil because the fridge isn’t powered. That’s a lot of money gone to waste, especially if power is out for an extended period of time. What about your home’s security? Power outages affect home security systems. Home medical equipment that also depends on power to operate is also affected. This could gravely become a life or death situation if there is no quick way of turning the power back on.

Stay Warm

If you’re going to be cooped up in your house for a few days because of piling snow, you’ll want to be comfortable in your home. That means taking safety into your own hands by making sure you have backup heat. This is especially true if you own a home-based business. Your livelihood depends on it!

Prevent Flooding

Without backup power, how will you be able to run your sump pump? You’re going to need it if runoff from melting ice and snow flows into your basement, which is detrimental to the structure of your home and will result in costly repairs.

At GenTech Generators, we’ve seen the damage a brutal winter storm can do to the functioning of a home. That’s why we use a top-rated line of Cummins Generators during our installations. Find out how resilient these machines really are in the face of ugly winter weather!

The Many Advantages of a Cummins Generator

At GenTech Generators, we seek to offer products that are reliable, safe, affordable, and right for our customers. Especially for a product as complicated as backup generators, which really require a certain standard of expertise and experience that not many companies can live up to. You need to know that the generator you’re buying will provide you with electricity during a power outage and comes with an expert installation and maintenance team that is just as dependable as the machine.

That’s where Cummins comes in. Here’s why we deal exclusively with Cummins generators:

Cummins GeneratorCummins offers a global network

Cummins is the largest generator company in the world. What does that mean to you? A seal of approval on all Cummins products, guaranteeing longevity, parts available for your backup generator worldwide and repair facilities whenever, wherever. So, wherever you go with your generator, you have a company that’s there for you.

Noise control in your neighborhood

The Cummins generator is the quietest on the market. It’s been shown to beat out other major brands in decibel counts and when noise control is a major issue, both with municipalities like Montgomery County and local groups, that’s huge. Don’t worry—your neighbors will thank you later.

Cummins powers continuously and smartly

One of the most important factors every homeowner or business owner should consider when purchasing their backup generator is efficiency—because, in the end, that’s where the dollars come in. In that field, no other company compares to Cummins. The company is trusted for hospitals, stadiums, and data centers across North America for this very reason; it powers continuously, and it powers smartly.

At GenTech Generators, we offer the same quality and service to installation and repair that Cummins brings to its products. That’s why we’re proud to be an exclusive dealer for Cummins and have received the Top Cummins Dealer Award for two years in a row. If you have any questions about the Cummins generator or would like to schedule your installation, contact us today!

Backup Generators are a Must for Restaurants

Backup generators are some of the most important tools we have for fighting power outages. Whether power outages occur from severe thunderstorms, natural disasters, or other forms of blackouts, restaurants need backup generators to ensure they still can have power.

Restaurant open with backup generator during power outage

Many homeowners who don’t have power will need to acquire food from other places to survive the power outage. Restaurants who maintain their backup generators will be able to provide for people.

Power Outages Can Happen at Anytime

The problem with losing power is that it can happen at any time, but if you have a backup generator prepared and ready to go, you won’t have to worry about losing power. With restaurant owners, it’s one of the best investments you can make. Your livelihood is the restaurant business, and when there is a power outage, people won’t be able to support your restaurant.

Benefits of Backup Generators for Restaurants

The customers are an important aspect to the restaurant business. Investing in a backup generator allows you as a homeowner to ensure the success of your business.

Here are some of the major benefits of having a backup generator as a restaurant owner:

  • Prevent Food Spoilage
  • Help People Acquire Food
  • Bring in More Customers
  • Improved Security
  • Comfort the Community
  • Establish Your Restaurant as a Reliable Business

Why Choose GenTech Generators for Your Restaurant?

At GenTech Generators, we provide state-of-the-art cummins generators for people who need them. We encourage everyone to invest in a backup generator to ensure safety and security for your family or business. Restaurants are an important part of a community, and if they have the ability to combat the power outage with full power with a backup generator, the community will benefit from it. Contact GenTech Generators at 301-365-4226 today or visit us online for more information!

Backup Generators – A ‘Sound’ Choice

Backup Generators Installing a backup generator outside of your home is a great way to ensure that you can continue to go about your business in the event of a power failure. But one of the biggest complaints that homeowners often have when it comes to backup generators is that they can be incredibly noisy. Generators made by companies like Kohler, Generac and Briggs will often make a lot of noise and can cause friction between neighbors. Fortunately, though, there is one company that makes keeping the noise down a priority in the design and construction of its backup generators.

Cummins generators are the quietest generators on the market right now, and you will be doing a service to both yourself and your neighbors when you purchase one. Often times, local governments and homeowner associations will limit the amount of noise that you are allowed to make with a generator. For example, Montgomery County in Maryland has a noise limit of 65 decibels during the day and 55 decibels at night. If your generator makes more noise than that, you could be subjected to fines, and you will surely upset those around you who are forced to listen to your generator all day and all night long.

With a Cummins generator, however, you won’t have to worry about making too much noise, since the company has worked tirelessly to create quieter models. The Cummins RS-20kw – one of the most popular Cummins models – registers at just 62dba, for example, which is significantly less than similarly capable Kohler, Generac and Briggs models.

If you are thinking about installing a new generator outside of your home, you should seriously consider getting one manufactured by Cummins. GenTech Generators can educate you more about them and even provide you with an on-site demonstration to allow you to hear for yourself the difference of sound production from one of these units while running.

Learn more about installing a Cummins generator or request an appointment to learn more by calling GenTech Generators at 301-469-7800 today.

When You Invest in a Generator, Learn How to Use it

A backup generator is an essential piece of equipment for your home. If you’re considering investing in a backup generator, you should go for it. A backup generator will ensure your home’s power stays on when there is a power outage due to severe storms, natural disasters, or any other cause. Learning how to use the backup generator after it is installed is crucial for emergencies.

Power Outage due to Severe Storms

Learn How to Use Your Backup Generator

When your backup generator is installed, it’s important that you talk to the company to make sure you understand all the ins and outs of the generator. Asking the installer questions is extremely important for the long run. Not all homeowners do this, and when they need the backup generator to work and it’s not, you can run into problems.

Being Prepared to Lose Power in Your Home

No homeowner wants to lose their power in their home, but it’s good to be aware that there is a possibility of it happening. When you can understand the function of the backup generator, you’ll be prepared for severe storms, natural disasters, and other power outages. You’ll be able to manage the situation with your backup generator.

The Benefits of Learning Your Generator:

  • Be Prepared in Emergencies
  • Know How to Quick Fix
  • Maintain Your Backup Generator
  • Understand Malfunctions

Why Choose to Invest in a Backup Generator?

Investing in a backup generator can be one of the most helpful things you can do when there is the possibility of power outages occurring. You’ll save money and time when a power outage occurs because you’ll be able to keep your home running if there is severe weather. In the winter, power outages can be dangerous, so investing in a generator will keep the heat on, the lights on, and your refrigerator running.

Contact GenTech Generators at 301-365-4226 today or visit us online for more information about Cummins backup generator installation for your home.

GenTech Generators