about this site

This site exists because people in my family have needed equipment kept running when the power went out. Not conveniences. Equipment.

If you have ever sat through a hurricane or an ice storm doing arithmetic on a battery percentage, you already understand the problem this site is about. Most backup power advice is written for someone protecting a chest freezer. That is a different problem from keeping a CPAP running for three nights, or an oxygen concentrator going, or insulin cold.

what this site is

It is a researched resource, and I want to be precise about what that means, because a lot of sites in this category are not.

Recommendations here are built from manufacturer specifications, published test data, electrical standards, and what owners and installers report over time. Every number that matters is traced to the company that published it, so you can check it yourself rather than take my word for it.

what this site is not

It is not a test lab, and I do not claim to have run this equipment on a bench. I do not have calibrated instruments, and I do not have a warehouse of generators. An earlier version of this site described hands-on testing in a level of detail it should not have. That was wrong and it has been removed.

What I can do is read the specifications carefully, understand where manufacturers quote peak figures instead of continuous ones, and explain what that means for a device that has to run all night. That is the useful work in this category, and it is honest work.

who this is for

Mostly older readers, and the families of older readers, who have a device in the house that cannot simply be switched off for a day.

That shapes what gets covered. Runtime matters more than peak wattage. Quiet matters, because the machine may be running in a bedroom. Simplicity matters, because whoever has to start the thing at 3am may not be the person who bought it. And the honest answer to a question is sometimes that battery power will not carry your device and you need a different plan — you will find that answer on this site where it applies.

what I am not

I am not a licensed electrician. Nothing here is a substitute for one, and anything involving a transfer switch or a panel connection needs a professional. I can help you work out what to buy and what it will actually run.

Nothing here is medical advice either. If a device keeps someone alive, your equipment supplier and their clinician should be part of the backup plan.

how this site makes money

Affiliate links. If you click through and buy something, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

No manufacturer has editorial input, nobody pays for placement, and commission does not decide what gets recommended. Where the honest answer is that you do not need the more expensive thing, that is the answer you will get.