Home and cottage generators are great backup power systems to have in case of an emergency. Emergencies can happen at any point.

Floods, hurricanes, ice storms etc to just name a few cases where an emergency power generator system can be a godsend. With our increased dependence on electricity not only for electric heat and lights , water systems in our cottages and vacations homes as well as electricity for communication purposes – phones ,cell phones and computers having an emergency power generator backup system is not only handy but more and more become a essential necessity. Like everything else generators need to be properly used as well as maintained in order to be reliable and safe.

First of all you should make it a first rule and practice never to work on live electrical circuits or perform work that you are not technically qualified to do or perform. Treat the output cables or terminal box of a generator or generators with the greatest respect. They have the great potential to kill either you or a loved family member or friend.

Do not allow a child or inexperienced person to operate or connector the generator to any circuits. Never operate a generator inside your house, home, cottage, chalet or garage or any other enclosed building because more than potentially dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (dangerous car motor exhaust gasses) may build up.

Carbon monoxide can be a killer. You may have read stories in the newspapers from time to time of carbon monoxide gasses seeping from garages and poisoning whole families. Why take such a risk? Good ventilation for your generator is critical since the typical 3500 watt generator burns about ½ a gallon (2 liters) of fuel an hour at full load. As well, overheating from lack of ventilation can damage your valuable, important and essential generator.

Because of the uncertainty of the power generated from portable generators, sensitive equipment and loads can sustain permanent damage. You cannot expect the same smooth level of power generation and output that you are used to receive from your professional power utility, being professionally monitored and maintained, as from a small temporary gas driven generator, which is only used sporadically and under different conditions. Delicate equipment such as electronics – medical equipment, computers etc may well be secured with a surge protector or battery storage apc device. These come with different load storage capacities and different sized batteries to power these devices for an extended time period. The ratings are done by power load. The power load needed can be determined by the amperage needs of the devices that need essential power. In addition for more protection, both local and general, a surge protector can be physically installed in the essential loads panel of the home, cottage, chalet or trailer needing electrical surge protection capacity and coverage. These devices, the essential loads panel, looks similar to a smaller version of your main breaker service and most likely will be mounted and installed close to it.

Generators are great backup power systems to have in case of emergencies. Ensure that whether your generator is located in your home, trailer or cottage chalet that your generator system is used and maintained properly and safely.

Whether it is a cottage, a chalet or even a country house, the lure of a recreational property far from the city and its bustle is an attractive dream for many. It may be for your peace of mind, it may be for the “kids” or the grandkids to spend time with or share pastimes. Wonderful.

Yet take in account that a second property can be a source of a great amount of extra work and cost. Its not all wine and roses. Having one property is a lot of work and effort. Having a second property can add a great amount of strain to your workload and life.

Any work needed involves not only the work factor, but also the time factor of driving to the distant property. Grass has to be cut in the spring and summer. If the cottage property is used seasonally it may have to be “opened “and “closed “. Water has to be turned off in the fall before winter properly. Then the cottage property or chalet has to be “opened “in the spring time. True you may be able to hire out these tasks – or even forced by time constraints to assign these task to semi professional services. Yet this involves not only time to set up the service as well as the costs of hiring these individuals. On top of that you may have the frustrations of being able to contact these individuals and ensure follow through. So much you may think of dealing “with the locals at the beach”. It can be a pretty frustrating experiences and chain of events dealing with those locals at the Manitoba beach vacation facility areas.

Thus a vacation property, a rural retreat, can be not only a safe haven from the world but also a lot of work. It’s no accident that vacation properties are for sale all the time. People find that they misjudged the situation. There either is a lot more work involved than they thought or they get to a point or situation in life where it is just not warranted anymore or “not worth the time and trouble”

You may be considering a vacation property as an investment. It is true that vacation properties have escalated greatly in value over the last number of years. Low interest rates have led to great increases in real estate property values. The beauty of an investment of real estate in a second property is that this real estate and property is not essential as the primary roof over your or your family’s head. Even if you make “big money” on selling your primary home, you still have to live somewhere. In most cases the profits made are simply plugged into the next home purchase. Most people find that as they move up in life that they seldom want to move back down to humbler abodes or locations. The beauty of a second property as an investment – be it cottage ,chalet or even a plot of land for hunting , camping or later to build that cottage , is that the property can be sold and your profits taken out for your or your family’s own use or pleasure.

All in all – deciding to purchase a recreation or recreational property – whether it be chalet , cottage or even a country home can be all in all an exciting real estate investment venture , a wise choice for your families’ vacation or retreat from the world or an awful lot of work and responsibility at your second real estate property. That is not even including the mosquitoes, bugs and Lake Winnipeg fishflies.