Generators for Vancouver Island windstorms: standby vs portable

On a rural feeder in Metchosin, East Sooke, the Highlands or the Saanich Peninsula, you're at the end of BC Hydro's restoration queue. Core Victoria often gets power back in hours. Rural properties can wait much longer after a big December storm. Base the decision on how long you'll be out and what has to stay on.

That list is short: fridge and freezer, the well pump if you're rural, furnace fan or heat-pump backup, some lights, internet and phone charging. The hot tub can wait.

What a 14 kW standby runs

A 14 kW air-cooled standby (Generac, Kohler, Champion) gives you roughly 58A at 240V. That covers:

• The basics: fridge, freezer, well pump (a 1 HP pump pulls 4–6 kW on startup), furnace fan or gas fireplace, lights and plugs, internet, sump pump.
• One big appliance at a time: the range or the dryer or a water heater element.
• Heat pump: a cold-climate unit runs fine. Its backup resistance heat strips (which can draw 10 kW on their own) can't, so we lock them out on generator power.

It won't run an all-electric house as usual. With baseboards throughout, 14 kW heats two or three rooms. A load management module sheds the range or water heater when the generator nears its limit. It's cheap, and we usually include one.

Cost: the unit itself is $6,000–$8,500. The pad, gas fitting, transfer switch, wiring and permits add to that, and we quote the whole install after a site visit.

Portable with an interlock

We talk a lot of people out of a standby. A 7,000–9,500W portable or dual-fuel inverter generator ($1,200–$2,500) feeding the panel through a generator inlet and interlock kit, installed with a permit, covers the basics for far less than a standby.

The interlock is a plate on the panel that stops the main breaker and generator breaker from being on together. Wheel the generator out, plug into the inlet, flip two breakers, and switch circuits on as needed. It's legal and inspected.

Go portable if you lose power a few times a year for a few hours to a day, someone can wheel the generator out in bad weather, and the price gap matters.

Go standby if you're on a long rural feeder with multi-day outages, you travel, someone depends on medical equipment, or you rely on a well pump and sump pump.

Myths and permits

• "I'll backfeed through the dryer plug." No. A double-ended "suicide" cord energizes the panel with no interlock. It's illegal and puts line workers at risk. We won't touch it.
• "A transfer switch is a $3,000 device." Only automatic transfer switches (ATS) cost that much, and they're for standbys that start themselves. An interlock kit is a $150 part. A manual transfer sub-panel is a few hundred.
• "The generator's breaker protects everything." It protects the generator's cord. The house is protected by the inlet, interlock or transfer switch and properly sized conductors.
• "A plug-in setup doesn't need a permit." The generator doesn't. The inlet and interlock need a Technical Safety BC electrical permit. Standbys need the electrical permit plus a gas permit, and their clearances from windows and property lines can rule out a tight Victoria side yard.

Fuel

Parts of Greater Victoria and most rural areas have no natural gas.

• Natural gas (where FortisBC serves your street): best for standbys. Unlimited run time, nothing to store. Gas service has stayed on through past windstorms, but it isn't guaranteed in an earthquake.
• Propane: the default for rural standbys. A large propane tank can run a standby unit for days. Fill before storm season.
• Gasoline: fine for portables, but stations need power to pump. Use stabilizer, rotate the cans, and store fuel outside the house.
• Dual-fuel portables: run on propane, which doesn't go stale, with gasoline as backup. Your 20 lb BBQ cylinders become the reserve.

Run the machine monthly and service it yearly. The generator that fails in a storm is usually one nobody has started since the last storm. Inlets, interlocks and standby systems are part of our residential services, and we service what we install.

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