PORTABLE GENERATOR SAFETY: THE RULES THAT SAVE LIVES

Rule 1: Carbon monoxide is the killer — outdoors only, far from the house

CO from generator exhaust is odorless, invisible, and lethal in minutes in enclosed spaces. The rules have no exceptions:

• Outside only. Never in a garage (even with the door open), basement, carport, crawlspace, or covered porch.
• 20+ feet from the house, exhaust pointed AWAY from windows, doors, and vents — including the neighbor's.
• Battery CO detectors inside the home, every sleeping level, tested before storm season.
• Newer portables with built-in CO shutoff sensors (most quality units sold today) are worth every penny — but they supplement the rules, never replace them.

Rule 2: Never backfeed — connect it right

Plugging a generator into a wall outlet with a homemade double-male cord ("suicide cord") energizes your home's wiring backward — it can electrocute the line workers restoring your power and is illegal everywhere. The safe options, in ascending order of convenience:

• Heavy-gauge outdoor extension cords directly to appliances — fine for fridge-and-fans duty.
• Power inlet box + manual transfer switch — a proper, code-legal connection that lets the generator run selected circuits through your panel safely. This is the right answer for any portable used as routine storm backup.
• Or step up to a standby generator with an automatic transfer switch and stop carrying cords in the rain entirely — see standby vs portable.

Rule 3: Fuel discipline

• Shut down and cool before refueling — gasoline on a hot engine is how generator fires start.
• Store fuel in proper containers, away from living space, with stabilizer, rotated every few months.
• Stale fuel is also the #1 reason portables fail to start — run the machine monthly for a few minutes.

Rule 4: Water and overload

• Generators and rain do not mix: run on a dry surface under an open canopy-style cover, never standing water.
• Respect the wattage limits — overloading trips breakers at best and cooks the windings at worst. Know your unit's starting vs running watts and what your appliances draw.

The bigger-picture answer

Portables are the right tool for camping, job sites, and occasional light-duty backup. If you find yourself depending on one every storm season — running cords in the dark, rationing outlets — that is the signal you have outgrown it. A properly sized standby unit removes the cords, the fuel runs, and every rule on this page from the equation. Size yours in 60 seconds or get a free quote.

Frequently asked questions

How far from the house should a portable generator be?

At least 20 feet, outdoors, with exhaust pointed away from all windows, doors, and vents. Never operate one in a garage, basement, or enclosed/covered space of any kind — even with doors open. Carbon monoxide kills generator users every storm season.

What is backfeeding and why is it dangerous?

Backfeeding is plugging a generator into a wall outlet to energize the house through its own wiring — it can send lethal voltage back into utility lines where crews are working, and it is illegal. The safe connection is a power inlet box with a manual transfer switch, or a permanently installed standby system.

Do I need a transfer switch for a portable generator?

If you want the portable to power household circuits (not just plugged-in appliances), yes — a manual transfer switch is the code-compliant, safe way to do it, and it permanently ends the extension-cords-through-windows routine.

Why won't my portable generator start when I need it?

Stale gasoline is the usual culprit — fuel left in the carburetor degrades in months. Run the unit briefly every month, use fuel stabilizer, and consider draining the carb for storage. The second culprit: overloaded starting watts from trying to run too much at once.