Safe operation of portable generators explained.
HOUSTON — When you lose power, a portable generator can be a lifesaver. But if used incorrectly, it can be deadly.
KHOU 11 went to a professional at First Class Generator Services to learn the correct and safe way to operate a portable generator at home and how to avoid common mistakes.
Owner, Britt Bailey, says the first thing everyone should do is read the manual, cover to cover.
“It’s like buying a vehicle. You’ve got all the way from mopeds to 18 wheelers, and there are vast differences between all of those. So, read the manual. Know what you’ve got and what the manufacturer says about being safe when operating,” Bailey said.
Bailey says the safest place to set up a home generator is in the backyard, out of the rain. He suggested placing it under a small awning.
Bailey says, then, you are ready to begin.
“The first thing we want to do is check the oil. It’s similar to the dip stick in your vehicle. Check the oil level,” Bailey said.
Don’t forget to add oil as needed, and change it as recommended by your manufacturer, which may be in as few as 25 hours on your generators’ first run.
The next step is adding fuel.
“Fueling is one of the most dangerous things you’re going do with the generator. So, if this thing has been running when you go to refuel the unit, make sure you’ve turned it off and let it sit for at least 30 minutes and cool down before you add fuel,” Bailey said.
Bailey suggests storing gas cans at least 10 feet away from the generator.
“That’s important. Don’t store the gas close to your unit. In fact, my preference is to store them outside the home, not even in the garage. If you have an outdoor shed, store them in the outdoor shed. Get them away from your home, Bailey said.
Before you turn on your generator, Bailey says it is crucial to ground it, meaning tie it to physical earth (PE).
“When this thing starts running, it could have a charge that is different than the physical earth so you’re standing here and there’s a differential in voltage and you touch it and you could get hurt,” Bailey said.
Bailey recommends using a pair of jumper cables and a screwdriver.
“Put the screwdriver in the ground. Make sure the ground is wet or moist. Leave a little bit sticking out. Then use your manual to identify the location on the generator where you will place the clamp. We’ll match the end of our jumper cables, so with this in the ground, we’ll just take this end and there you go. So, with this in the ground now we’re grounded to earth,” Bailey said.
You can also clamp the cable onto a metal fence.
Once you’ve checked your oil, gas, and grounded your unit, you are ready to power the generator.
When you’ve got the unit running, you can turn on the breakers to begin distributing power to your extension cords. Bailey says size, here, does matter.
“It’s just a good rule of thumb if whatever you are running, say it’s a refrigerator, you want an extension cord that is at least the size of the cord coming out of the refrigerator,” Bailey said.
Bailey said the extension cords you would typically use to connect lights during the holidays are not sufficient for running a refrigerator and window air conditioning unit.
“What that cord would be great for is you can plug it in here (surge protector), and now this is where you plug in your little portable fan and your cell phones, maybe your TV, stuff like that,” Bailey said.
Bailey said if you do use a cord like that, it is a good idea to keep pets and children away.
“Make sure your pets are secured and that they’re not chewing on the cord because an animal can be hurt by electricity just like any of us can. The thing that really scares me is say your family pet, your family dog loved one chews into the cord and they’re being electrocuted, the kids need to know, don’t go over there and grab that animal and try to pull them off, because as soon as they touch it, they’re part of the circuit too and they’ll get hurt,” Bailey said.
Bailey recommends using an extension cord with a GFI, or ground fault interrupter.
“What that means is, if the power goes out of the cord and doesn’t come back to the generator, it assumes it’s going to ground like somebody could be shocked or the cord’s shortened out, and this will tip at a very low current before somebody gets hurt,” Bailey said.
Bailey said the most dangerous mistakes generator owners make are related to fuel and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
“How they store their fuel and refueling the unit while it’s still hot is extremely dangerous. We’ve heard horror stories about that. The second thing that’s really scary and is what most refer to as the silent killer is CO,” Bailey said.
In fact, Bailey doesn’t recommend buying a generator without also putting a CO detector in your shopping cart. He suggests putting the detectors in your bedrooms.
Bailey says it’s a good idea to set up and do a few practice runs with our generator to make sure it’s in good working order before a storm threatens.
He also suggests taking your unit to a lawn mower repair shop once a year for a maintenance check.