HOW TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON WITH A STANDBY GENERATOR

As a homeowner who lives in a hurricane-prone area, one of the best investments that you could make is in a standby generator for your home. A generator that can kick in and power your entire home during a hurricane-related power outage - or any other type of power outage - can help you and your family live in comfort and safety in even the worst of conditions.

Of course, simply buying and installing the standby generator isn't enough. You need to do a few things that can help you make sure that your generator, home, and family are prepared for any tropical weather that might strike during hurricane season.

Have Your Wiring and Gas Lines Checked

The first thing that you should focus on is making sure that your standby generator can be used safely in the event that you need it. The last thing that you need in the middle of a hurricane is an electrical or gas fire.

You need to periodically have an electrician make sure that your standby generator is properly wired to your home. Then, you should have someone from the gas company take a look at your gas lines to make sure that they're safe and in good shape. If any problems are found with the wiring or gas lines, you'll want to have them repaired before hurricane season to ensure that you can use your system safely.

Do a Full Test

After you have made sure that your standby generator is safe to use, you'll want to make sure that it actually works. Once a year, before the start of hurricane season, you should pick a test day on which you will use your standby generator to power your home.

By actually putting your standby generator to work, you can check for problems and make sure that it works like it's supposed to. After all, it's better to discover problems with your generator now rather than when your area is dealing with tropical storm or hurricane conditions.

Make Sure You Have Plenty of Fuel

Of course, even if your standby generator works just like it's supposed to, it's not going to be much use for you and your family if you don't have enough fuel to run it. At the beginning of hurricane season, call and schedule a time to have your fuel tank filled up. Remember that power outages can last for days or even weeks in the aftermath of hurricanes, so you'll want to ensure you have plenty of fuel.

Now is also a good time to find a fuel supplier that you can count on after the hurricane, just in case you do happen to run out of fuel. At Paul Murray Oil, Inc., one of our specialties is helping people with disaster relief, so keep our number on hand so that you can call us if you run out of fuel after a tropical storm or hurricane.

Invest in a Spare

It's not a bad idea to buy a portable generator if you don't already have one. Even though it might not be enough to power your entire home, it can help with running a few essential appliances and devices. Then, if something goes wrong with your standby generator during a period of bad weather, you'll have a backup plan. You can often find portable generators on sale if you shop around before hurricane season.

To help ensure that your standby generator is ready for any upcoming storms, follow these tips. Contact us at Paul Murray Oil, Inc. so that you can have fuel delivered to power your standby generator this hurricane season.