Generator Safety Basics - How to Run a Portable Generator Without Risk

After a hurricane, a portable generator can be the difference between a ruined freezer and a manageable outage. It's also one of the leading causes of injury and death after storms. Almost every generator tragedy is preventable with a few rules.

Rule 1: Never run a generator indoors

Generators produce carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas that can kill within minutes. Never run a generator:

• Inside your home, garage, basement, crawlspace, or shed: even with doors or windows open.
• Near windows, doors, or vents where exhaust can blow inside.

Place it outdoors, well away from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from any openings. Follow the distance recommended in your generator's manual.

Rule 2: Install CO alarms

Put battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas. Test them before storm season. If an alarm sounds or anyone feels dizzy, nauseated, or weak, get to fresh air immediately and call 911.

Rule 3: Never backfeed your house

Plugging a generator into a wall outlet ("backfeeding") can send electricity back through the power lines and kill utility workers or neighbors. It can also start a fire in your home. Instead:

• Plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cords sized for the load.
• Or have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch or interlock, which safely connects the generator to selected circuits.

Rule 4: Respect the fuel

• Turn the generator off and let it cool before refueling. Spilled fuel on a hot engine can ignite.
• Store fuel in approved containers, outside living areas, away from heat sources.
• Gasoline goes stale; use a fuel stabilizer if you store it for months.

Rule 5: Keep it dry

Operate the generator on a dry surface under an open, canopy-like structure if it's raining: never in standing water. Touching a generator with wet hands can cause electrocution.

Size it for what you actually need

List the essentials (refrigerator, a few lights, phone chargers, fans, maybe a window AC unit) and add up their running watts plus the startup surge of the largest motor. Many people buy more generator than they need and burn extra fuel every hour. Check the labels on your appliances or the manufacturer's specs.

Test it before you need it

Start your generator a few times during the off-season. Change the oil as the manual directs, and make sure you know how to start it in the dark. A generator that won't start after a storm is just a heavy box.

This is general guidance. Always follow your generator manufacturer's instructions and local safety officials.