Most people think of all portable generators as being nearly identical to one another, at least as far as their utility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These units are designed to produce electricity when traditional sources fail \u2013 using alternative fuel sources and helping us keep our lights on, our HVAC systems running, and giving us enough juice to operate all of our important appliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what about some of the more sensitive electronics we own like our computers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is the electricity produced by portable generator exactly the same as the electricity pumped into our home on a regular basis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are we running a risk plugging our computer into a power strip that has been hooked up to a generator?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out the answers to these questions below!<\/p>\n\n\n
Right out of the gate, you should know that the power produced<\/a> by portable generator is not always identical to the power that normally gets delivered into your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, plugging your computer into a power strip certainly looks and feels like you are doing the same thing you\u2019ve always done when you plug your computer into the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the energy source that is being delivered to that power strip (and then into your computer) isn\u2019t exactly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, most portable generators<\/a> (traditional portable generators, anyway) are not the safest thing in the world to use with your more delicate and sensitive electronics \u2013 like a computer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because these generators are pushing out a different kind of energy, one that fluctuates, is anything but uneven, and can surge at any time to push serious voltage fluctuations through your devices \u2013 frying them in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously that\u2019s not ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portable generators can be made safe for usage with more sensitive electronics like a computer if you do a couple of different things first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters, you\u2019re going to want to try your level best to invest in inverter style generators \u2013 those that have the ability to produce a pure sine wave or a square wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your sine wave generators are the best of the bunch, delivering you even and consistent power that isn\u2019t going to spike and that isn\u2019t going to jump all over the place.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll still want to use a power surge protector (something we highlight a little more in just a moment), but the energy produced by these generators is much safer for your sensitive and delicate electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a lot less to worry about connecting a computer to a sine wave inverter generator than there is an old diesel generator pumping all kinds of juice through the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Square wave inverter generators are little riskier to be sure, though they are still much more consistent than a conventional generator will be. PSU components inside of a computer should be able to filter out the spikes (since they are much smaller than a conventional generator), but you\u2019ll still want to make sure that a power surge protector is hooked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portable generators definitely have more than enough energy to power a computer, as long as you\u2019re not using some old-school handcrank operation, anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\nAre Portable Generators Safe for Sensitive Electronics Like a Computer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Do Portable Generators Have the Power to Run Computers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n