Portable Generator Tips

2/20/2019 (Permalink)

Although hurricanes cause more power outages in the U.S. than any other weather event, winter storms are a close second. That's according to a University of Vermont study that analyzed 22 years' worth of power outage data across the U.S. 

Worse, because winter storms often include a brutal trio of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, the outages can last longer—and leave you more vulnerable, with impassable roads and, potentially, without power to keep the heat on.

In the aftermath of a storm, a generator is an invaluable piece of equipment that can, at the very least, help your life begin to feel normal again.

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But because you probably rarely rely on a generator, it’s easy to overlook the basic safety measures that should be routine with such equipment. It’s also easy to get preoccupied by the cleanup work that lies ahead, so you may even be tempted to run a generator in a living space if most of your house is severely water damaged and cannot be saved.

That is never an option.

Generator misuse leads to carbon monoxide deaths, injuries from close calls, and burns—all of which happen too often during power outages and storms.

“Portable generators canproduce high levels of carbon monoxide, a deadly, odorless, and colorless gas,” says Ann Marie Buerkle, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Running a generator improperly can kill you in as little as 5 minutes if the concentration of carbon monoxide is high enough. On average, 66 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning related to using a generator improperly, according to CPSC data.

Here are CR’s essential generator safety tips to get you through a storm and the days afterward.