Portable Power Generator: Keeping Your Family and Home Safe

Nothing is more convenient than a portable power generator during an outage. You can rely on a good generator to give you enough power to run important appliances and equipment. Generators however are potentially dangerous. You should know how to protect yourself and your family from the consequences of incorrect generator use.

Product Instructions

The product manual should be the first thing you look into. Read the manual and make sure you understand everything in it before you install your generator. If you know that you aren't very good with technical details, then ask an electrician to help you. You may have to pay extra for installation but the cost is worth it if it means you are kept safe. Keep the product manual in a prominent place in your home. You may have to refer to it in case you have problems with your unit.

CO Precautions

One of the top dangers of generators is its tendency to emit carbon monoxide. This gas can kill and you may not even know that it is around because it has no color and smell. Prevent carbon monoxide from entering your living space by putting your generator in its own ventilated area. This should be outside your home and garage. You should also make sure that the generator isn't anywhere near your neighbor's windows. Otherwise your neighbors could succumb to CO poisoning.

Take extra precautions against CO from your portable power generator. Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home. These will warn you if CO still manages to find its way to your home.

Connections

Do not connect your generator to the wiring of your house. Doing so could result in an electrical back feed that could kill a linesman repairing electrical connections. It is best to connect appliances directly to the generator. You can also use an outdoor standard extension cord. If you truly prefer to have a direct connection, then you have to contact a licensed electrician. An electrician would use a transfer switch to ensure that back feed cannot occur.

Wattage

Check the generator wattage before you buy a generator. This will help you find out the limits of your generator. Portable units are only supposed to be used on a couple of appliances. It is never intended to provide power to your entire house. Powering too many appliances can result in an overload that could lead to damage or fires. If you need to provide power to a lot of appliances, then you can rotate the appliances that you attach to the generator.

Fuel

You may think handling fuel is a matter of common sense. A lot of people however, still take fuel flammability for granted. A small spark could easily ignite generator fuel if you do not use and store it properly. Always turn off your generator when refueling. Your reserve fuel should also be kept outside your main living area and away from small children. Make sure that the containers are not made of glass and are properly labeled.

You can never be too safe in using your portable power generator. Be extra careful all the time to ensure your family's safety.