As long-time Houstonians, Bret and Becky are used to riding out hurricanes and tropical storms. While severe weather is a fact of life for them, they recently entertained the idea of moving to get away from the looming threat of hurricanes. During their 40-plus years in Houston, they have been hit by hurricanes, tropical storms and an ice storm that knocked out power for days. Ultimately, they decided to stay in Houston and invest in a home standby generator to better prepare themselves for the inevitable.
This July, when Hurricane Beryl was predicted to hit, they didn’t pay much attention since it was forecast to be a weaker Category 1 storm. The day of the storm, the power went out around 5 a.m. but Bret & Becky didn’t have to worry because their 26kW PowerProtect generator from Briggs & Stratton automatically kicked in.
Bret is an aerospace engineer, so he did thorough research before selecting his Briggs & Stratton standby generator. He took into consideration that they would need extra power to run their two air conditioners.
“I talked to installers, read through the specs of a few different brands and decided on a Briggs & Stratton because it delivers more power on natural gas than a Generac does. I was also told it was easy to order replacement parts if I ever needed any.”
Bret
Bret & Becky’s generator was installed in December 2023 by Strategic Electrical Solutions (SES) of Angleton and they’ve already used it twice since then. The first time was in April when the power was out for eight hours after a transformer blew. Since they had power, the couple hosted a coffee hour for their neighbors who were in the dark.
The second time was in July during Hurricane Beryl when the power was out for 36 hours.
During Beryl, their Briggs & Stratton 26kW generator powered Bret & Becky’s two air conditioning units, refrigerator, freezer, pool pump in addition to everything else in their home. They also became a power source for their next-door neighbors to keep their refrigerators running. Plus, they took in two women from their church. The women stayed with Bret & Becky for a few days to avoid the high humidity and 100-degree temperatures that followed Beryl. And, once again, the couple invited their neighbors over for coffee.
“I was really glad to have electricity. Before retiring, I worked for a gas utility so I know it takes a while to get the power back on, especially when it’s millions who have lost power. If you don’t have a backup power source, you just know you’re going to be sweltering for a few days and that’s especially tough when you’re cleaning up afterwards.”
Becky
Once Beryl passed, Bret & Becky headed outside to assess the damage and determine what needed to be done. As they inspected their home, they discovered their generator had literally taken a beating.
Beryl’s extremely high winds caused the top portion of a palm tree to break off and fall about 30 feet directly onto their generator. The generator sustained exterior damage but continued to operate without issue.
“The Vanguard engine, alternator, muffler and electronics all survived. I was told that this generator was a beast when I bought it and I think this is proof. Thanks for engineering and manufacturing such a high-quality standby generator in Auburn, Alabama!”
Bret
New exterior parts to repair the enclosure have already been installed by their Briggs & Stratton dealer at no charge.
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