CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The hum of a generator is a sound some viewers might find familiar, especially during the summer.
Perhaps it’s during hurricane season or during rolling blackouts when everyone is using their air conditioner.
Eric Medina, Northern Tool and Equipment parts and service tech said traditionally, the summertime is when they see generator sales surge.
He said the springtime is also a popular time for people to buy generators.
When finding the right generator, a person will first have to figure out how many appliances they'd want to power up.
Medina said the more watts and surge watts a generator has, the more appliances it can handle powering up.
“When your A/C starts, your refrigerator starts, that’s a surge, so that puts a lot of load on a generator," Medina said. "The higher the wattage, the safer you’re going to be. You’re not going to trip the generator."
Dennis Deanda also works in the parts and service department at Northern Tool and Equipment. He said a 4500 watt generator is about $800, while a 7500 watt generator will run about $2,500.
Deanda said when choosing the amount of watts, 3,000 watts can run a small window A/C unit, phone chargers, extension chords, power strips, and a TV.
He added a good amount of watts to power up everything in a small house is 13,000 watts.
Once you’ve bought a generator, Deanda said regularly maintaining it can save you money.
“The majority of units that come in when they get serviced, the cause of failure usually is lack of proper maintenance," he said. "A little TLC once a month, have the engine run, make sure it’s not gunked up with bad gas, will save you some money."
