Generator Safety
When the power goes out, a portable generator can make life a lot easier. But if used improperly, that generator can make life a lot more dangerous! Keep these tips in mind when using a portable generator:
- Plug individual appliances into the generator using only grounded heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords with a wire gauge adequate for the appliance load. A minimum 14 gauge is recommended and preferably 12 or 10 gauge. Lengths greater than 25 feet require a heavier wire gauge.
- Observe the generator manufacturer's instructions for safe operations.
- Do not plug the generator into a wall outlet.
- Never use a generator indoors or in attached garages. Operate the generator only outdoors in a well-ventilated dry area, away from air intakes to the home, and protected from direct exposure to rain and snow, preferably under a canopy, open shed or carport.
- Never store gasoline in the home. Gasoline, kerosene and other flammable liquids should be stored outside of living areas in properly labeled, non-glass safety containers. They also should not be stored in an area near a fuel-burning appliance: the vapor from gasoline can travel invisibly along the ground and be ignited by pilot lights or arcs from electric switches.
- If you intend to connect the generator directly to the house wiring, you MUST have a double-throw switch or other approved system to disconnect your house from The Energy Cooperative's main power lines. This will protect your Cooperative's workers from being shocked by power from your generator while doing repairs to the line, and protect your generator from being damaged or destroyed when the main line power is restored.
Standby generators require special attention to safety
A flicker at first, perhaps another, then... darkness. It's a power outage. How long will it last? That's difficult to tell. The Energy Cooperative strives to get each and every outage repaired as quickly as possible, but sometimes, especially during heavy storms, repairs can take longer than we'd like.
As we head further into winter some members, especially those with all-electric homes or electric heating systems, may be pondering the purchase of a backup generator to keep their home's critical systems up and running during a power outage. If that is the case, here are a few bits of information to consider before you head off to the hardware store:
It is an absolute necessity that your generator, if it is connected directly to your home's wiring through the circuit breaker box, be equipped with a "double-throw" transfer switch. This is not just a good idea, or a suggestion -- it is the law. In order to protect linemen from possible injury or death from "back-feeding" power going out onto the electric system, your generator must be isolated with a double-throw switch. Contact a licensed electrician to install the switch.
If you use only a portable generator, in order to keep a bare minimum of items plugged directly into it, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for grounding the generator. From our experiences with consumers, we know that this advice is rarely followed, but it is extremely important! Static electricity, for example, can build up on the generator itself, and provide a nasty shock to a person who touches an under-grounded generator. Builders, re-modelers and do-it-yourselfers should heed this advice as well, when using portable generators under normal circumstances.
Your generator's capacity should be approximately 20 percent larger than the actual "running" load size you need. In other words, once you determine how many watts of power you need to provide backup power to your home, add 20 percent. This is to account for the extra power some electric motors, etc. require when starting up. If you don't size the generator properly, you could damage your home's electric system and any appliances with electric motors that have attempted to start.
Once you determine what you consider to be the essential items needed during an outage, consider having circuits for those items wired to a "sub-breaker" box so those items can be connected directly to the generator's output. However, keep in mind that you may overload the generator if you have a number of electric motors all trying to start at once. It may be best to keep all the breakers in the sub-breaker box off except for lighting, and heat. Breakers for refrigeration, water heater and other appliances can be turned on one at a time or on an as-needed basis once the generator is up and running.
Do not rely on a backup generator to protect your home from long outages if you are away for an extended period of time -- say, for example, if you are a "snowbird". If you leave your home during winter for longer than a normal vacation period of one to two weeks, you should seriously consider winterizing your home to ensure that it can withstand an extended outage. This means winterizing the plumbing system to avoid freezing damage and emptying refrigerators and freezers (or at least consolidating everything in one refrigerator/freezer).
Although we strive to keep your power on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no electric utility can guarantee that will be the case. Most often, outages are repaired within a matter of a few hours. If, however, you choose to use a backup or standby generator to see you through these time, we ask you to please review these tips and any manufacturer's recommendations to ensure your safety, the safety of utility workers and to avoid unnecessary property loss or damage.