Generator Safety: Carbon Monoxide, Placement, and Backfeeding

After every big storm, the news carries the same tragic stories: families poisoned by a generator running in the garage, a lineworker hurt by power fed back into the lines. Every one of them is preventable. Here are the rules.

011. Carbon monoxide: the silent killer

Generators make carbon monoxide (CO), a gas you can't see or smell, and it can kill in minutes.

• Never run a generator indoors, in a garage (even with the door open), a basement, crawl space, or on a porch or under an open window.
• Keep it far from the house. Safety agencies including the CDC advise at least 20 feet from doors and windows, with the exhaust pointed away from the house.
• Have working CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, with fresh batteries, before the storm.
• Know the symptoms: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion. If anyone feels sick, get everyone into fresh air immediately and call 911.
• Buy a model with a CO shutoff if you're buying new; many newer portable generators include one.

022. Placement

• Outside, on a level, dry surface, away from windows, doors and vents.
• Protected from rain and snow without enclosing it: generator tents or covers made for running generators are fine; a closed shed is not.
• Where it won't be stolen. Generators walk off during outages; chain it if needed.

033. Fueling

• Shut it off and let it cool before refueling. Gas on a hot engine can ignite.
• Store fuel in approved containers, away from the house and the generator, and rotate it before it goes stale.

044. Cords

• Use heavy-duty outdoor extension cords rated for the load, with no cuts or worn insulation.
• Don't run cords under rugs or through closed doors that pinch them.

055. Never backfeed

"Backfeeding" means plugging a generator into a wall outlet or dryer outlet to power the house. It's illegal in many places and deadly:

• Power can flow back out through the transformer onto the utility lines, at thousands of volts, where a lineworker restoring power can be electrocuted.
• It can also damage your generator and start a fire when power comes back.

The safe way to power house circuits is a transfer switch or interlock kit with an inlet, installed by a licensed electrician with a permit. See transfer switch vs. interlock kit.

066. Shocks and water

Keep the generator dry, and don't touch it with wet hands. Use GFCI-protected cords.

A generator is one of the best tools a prepared household can own. Use it safely and it keeps your family warm and dry. Use it wrong and it's the most dangerous thing in the house.

Sources (2)

CPSC: Portable generators safety; Ready.gov: Power outages.

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