List the essentials
Note the circuits or equipment you want to keep running—heating, refrigeration, lighting, sump or well pumps, communication.
Resources
Generator resources for the Farmington area.
Practical background for choosing, sizing, and maintaining backup power—written to help you ask better questions, not to replace a site-specific assessment.
Sizing basics
Start with the loads, not the label.
Generator sizing is easiest to get wrong by starting with a wattage number instead of the property. A useful starting point is the equipment you actually want to keep running, and how those loads behave together.
- List the circuits or equipment you want to keep running
- Flag anything with a high starting load, like well pumps or HVAC compressors
- Decide between whole-property and selected-circuit backup
- Confirm fuel availability and any placement constraints
Standby vs. portable
Two different approaches to backup power.
Standby and portable generators solve the same problem in different ways, and the right choice depends on the property, the budget, and how hands-on you want to be during an outage.
- Standby systems start automatically and transfer load without intervention
- Portable units require manual setup, positioning, and refueling
- Transfer equipment and code requirements differ between the two approaches
- Site conditions—lot size, fuel access, storage—can favor one over the other
Sizing, step by step
A useful sizing conversation follows this order.
None of this replaces an actual load calculation, but it puts you in a position to have a more productive first conversation.
Account for starting load
Some equipment draws far more power at startup than while running. A sizing recommendation has to account for that surge, not just steady use.
Choose the coverage scope
Whole-property and selected-circuit backup lead to different equipment and different project scopes.
Confirm site conditions
Fuel source, electrical service, placement, and access all factor into what is actually practical at your property.
Michigan winters add a variable
Cold starts and seasonal swings matter.
Southeast Michigan's freeze-thaw cycles and storm season put real demands on standby equipment—cold-weather starting, humidity, and debris around the enclosure all affect readiness in ways a summer self-test may not reveal.
A seasonal checklist is not a substitute for scheduled maintenance, but it helps catch obvious issues between visits.
See maintenance planningSeasonal checklist
Storm-season and seasonal readiness.
A short routine between scheduled maintenance visits can catch obvious issues before they become outage-day surprises.
Before storm season
Confirm fuel supply, check battery condition, and look for visible corrosion or blocked airflow around the unit.
Ahead of a forecast outage
Confirm the system starts and transfers as expected, and clear the area around the enclosure.
After extended runtime
Note operating hours, watch for unusual sounds or alerts, and schedule an inspection if anything seems off.
Off-season care
Address a failed exercise cycle early rather than waiting, and keep service records up to date.
Still working out the details?
Send your questions along with the address and service you need.
Tell us what you want to keep running and where the project is located. We’ll start with the right questions.