Whole Home Protection with a Residential Generator
Myrtle Beach is a rapidly growing coastal city with a lot to offer homeowners. It’s also right in the path that many hurricanes take during Atlantic Hurricane Season. Storms, flooding, and outages from downed utility lines are commonplace. While there isn’t much you can do to prevent power outages from happening, you can install a whole home generator so your life isn’t interrupted when it does happen. In this post we’ll look at how quick and easy a whole home generator installation is for many homeowners on the Grand Strand.
From Sales to Installation: 1-2 Weeks
If Cooper Electrical Services has the generator in stock, it can be a couple days to a week. If the generator must be ordered, it can take a few days to receive a shipment. Most systems that need to be ordered come from the Cummins Power warehouse in Atlanta.
The best time to purchase and start a home generator installation project is spring. This allows ample time ahead of our busy summer season.
The Home Generator Installation Process
The process to install a generator for a Myrtle Beach home includes the following steps:
- Site Analysis: To start, a Cooper generator professional will survey your lot to find the best placement for a standby generator. You’ll want a space beside your home that is near your fuel source and electric meter and is also level and drains well.
- Site Preparation: The next step is prepping the area for a generator. This includes removing debris or shrubs (if necessary), leveling the ground, and putting down gravel and a concrete pad for the generator to rest upon.
- Generator Placement: Next, we place your generator on the pad or slab, leaving room around the system for maintenance and service.
- Connect to Fuel: It’s now time to connect your generator to its fuel source. Most Myrtle Beach residential customers use natural gas or liquid propane, both readily available in our area.
- Install Transfer Switch: A transfer switch will be installed to your main breaker box/electrical panel in your home and connect to your generator. The transfer switch shifts between utility and generated power automatically and as needed.
- Diagnostic Tests: Finally, a Cooper Electrical Services technician will test your new residential generator system to make sure everything works as it should.
Factors that Slow the Home Generator Installation Process
Most installations take a week, more or less, from site inspection to diagnostic test. That said, there are some things that can make the process take a little longer. Here are a couple hiccups that can slow things down:
HOA Approval: Many neighborhoods in the Myrtle Beach area have HOAs with their own bylaws. Many have processes for approving projects that alter the exterior appearance of your home. Some clients have had to seek approval from their neighborhood ARC (Architectural Review Committee) before installing a residential generator.
Fuel Installation: If you don’t already have a natural gas or LP tank, you’ll need to have that installed. For this reason, the installation may take longer. Although it adds time, it is relatively easy and part of the process that we can help you navigate.
Call Cooper for Whole Home Generator Services
Cooper Electrical Services is your source for turn-key generator services. Work with one team from sales to installation to maintenance and service. Additionally, Cooper Electrical Services is an authorized Cummins dealer. Cummins’ QuietConnect series of home generators provides whole house power at a quiet volume. To learn more about residential emergency power solutions, Call Cooper.
