This past winter with its cold temperatures could have caused major problems to homeowners if there was a power outage. With temperatures in the teens and single digits it wouldn’t take long for your house to freeze causing thousands of dollars in damage. Give us a call and let us help you get prepared with a generator that’s right for you.

During last winter’s power outages some standby generators were unable to start. In some cases the extended periods of cold temperatures caused the battery to loose power and the crankcase oil to thicken, making it hard to start.

To prevent this, Generac has a cold weather kit that will automatically maintain optimum battery and  oil temperatures throughout the winter, keeping your generator ready to start even in extreme cold.

The photos show a cold weather kit that we installed in Ovations, a 55 and older community in West Grove, PA.

The recent ice storms left people without power for days and even some up to weeks. Don’t let this happen to you! We can help with a generator back up system that’s right for you, from portable generators to whole-house standby generator systems.

Even if you have a portable generator we can make it a easy and safe hook up so you don’t have to run dangerous extension cords in your house through windows and doors or even worse, jury-rig your wiring.

Interlock devices allow you to turn your existing breaker panel or sub panel into a generator transfer panel by safely back feeding your breaker panel with power from your generator.

This device only allows the breaker to the generator to be turned on if the main breaker is off and only allows the main to be turned on if the generator breaker is off. Take care when using a interlock device to make sure that your generator can handle the load.

These photos show an interlock device installed on a sub panel here in Oxford, in Chester county.

June 1st is the beginning of the hurricane season. This is a good time to make sure your back up power systems are in good working condition.

Make sure that your maintenance is up-to-date on your generators; check the oil, oil filters, air filters and batteries. Remove old gasoline and add fresh gas. Test run your generator and test the voltage output to make sure it is what the manufacturer recommends.

For commercial buildings test emergency lights and exit signs and replace batteries and bulbs if needed. Emergency lights and exit signs can save lives, allowing people to find their way out of a building in the event of a emergency.

The photo below show (in order) an 8 circuit transfer panel and an L14 30 twist lock outlet for a portable generator in Atglen, PA, and at the bottom we’re draining the oil on a Generac whole house standby generator in Oxford, PA. The top picture shows a battery replacement underway on emergency lights at Traditions at Inniscrone club house in West Grove, PA.

If you’re thinking of selling your house there are some easy and inexpensive upgrades and repairs you can do to make your house more attractive to prospective buyers, as well as help you pass your home inspections.

First, make sure you have working GFCI outlets that are required at wet locations in your house such as bathrooms, kitchen, basement, garage and outside the house. Replace outlet covers and light fixtures indoor and outdoor and replace smoke detectors.

For more info on getting your house ready to sell contact Jennifer Dastalfo at Beiler-Campbell Realtors. The top photo shows new front door lights in West Chester, and below is a GFCI outlet and weather-proof outlet cover in Landenburg, PA.

Daylight savings time begins March 10, so don’t forget to change the batteries on your smoke detectors. Also smoke detector units are recommended to be replaced every 10 years, so check the date on the back of your smoke detector when you change the battery.

An estimated 65% of deaths from home fires took place in a home without a working smoke detector. Smoke detectors are recommended to be installed in all bedrooms and on every floor.

Generators can be used to power your home when utility power is lost. There are many options to choose from, with different power sources and capacities.

Most commonly used are the portable gasoline powered plug in types and also the whole house automatic generators that run on propane or natural gas. Both can do the job and keep refrigerators, freezers, pumps and heaters running until utility power is restored.

The advantage of a whole house generator is they can handle a larger load like A/C units and hot water heaters. Also with an automatic transfer switch (ATS) the house changes over from utility power to generator power automatically. This can be a big advantage especially if you’re away on vacation and a bad storm hits at home and knocks out the utility power.

The ATS unit detects the outage and starts the generator, which begins to power the whole house. When the utility power is restored the ATS switches back over and shuts down the generator.

The pictures here show a new Generac generator installation with ATS in Avondale, Pennsylvania here in Chester county.

In some buildings it’s not possible to run or fish electrical wiring in the walls, like in some old houses that have solid masonry walls. Wire mold is a good option because it has a neat clean look and protects the wire from damage.

These pictures show a dedicated outlet using wire mold, installed for an air conditioner in West Grove, PA.