The covered porch is still inside for carbon monoxide
A covered porch counts as indoors for carbon monoxide. Learn the 20-foot rule, safe generator placement, and how to set up CO alarms.
Power Outages & Backup Power
30 articles
A CO alarm on every floor before the first outage night
Check that every floor and sleeping area has a battery-backup CO alarm, placed and tested, before the first winter power outage.
Bluetti Elite 100 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 for home outage backup
Bluetti Elite 100 vs. Jackery Explorer 1000 compared on runtime, solar charging, and price, with a clear pick for keeping a home running through an outage.
October Saturday: start the generator, test the alarm, cover the hose bib
Use one Saturday before the first freeze to start your generator, test smoke and CO alarms, and disconnect, drain, and cover outdoor faucets.
What should you buy in October that you will want in a November outage?
Stock water, no-cook food, light, charging, a 7-day medication supply, fuel, CO alarms, and food-safety tools in October, before a November outage.
Power Out? How Long Fridge and Freezer Food Stays Safe
Discover how long food stays safe in a power outage, how to extend that time with a cooler, and exactly what to throw out.
Can your backup power start a sump pump in a fall storm?
Discover whether your backup can start a sump pump when power fails, comparing battery backup, generators, power stations, and more.
Storing Gasoline and Diesel: How Long It Lasts
How long stored gas and diesel stay usable, what stabilizer adds, how ethanol changes things, and how to store and rotate fuel cans safely.
Small Solar for Backup: What 400–800 Watts Can Actually Run
What 400 or 800 watts of portable solar refills in a day, June vs. December, and which outage loads it can keep running.
Standby Generator Costs in 2026 (and Where the Wait Really Comes From)
What a standby generator really costs installed in 2026 ($7,000–$20,000), what the money pays for, and why fall installs take 4–8 weeks or longer.
What a Power Station Won't Run: Space Heaters, Well Pumps, Central Air
Battery power stations are great for phones, lights, routers and medical devices. They're the wrong tool for heat, wells and big appliances. What they will and won't do, in plain numbers.
Generator Fuel: How Much for a Day, and How to Store It
How to estimate how much gas your generator burns in an outage, how much to keep on hand for a multi-day Midwest storm, and how to store and rotate it safely.