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.
01Power & Backup
Your Neighbor's Generator and Your Bedroom Window
On a tight suburban lot, the generator next door can be closer to your bedroom than to theirs. How to bring it up, where generators should go on small lots, and the CO alarm that protects you either way.
- Read
- 2 min
- Updated
- October 5, 2026
Your neighbor is being careful. Their generator is 20 feet from their house. It's also 8 feet from your bedroom window, with the exhaust pointed right at it.
On tight suburban lots, that happens all the time. And poison control centers specifically say to keep generators 20 feet from your neighbor's house as well as your own.
01Have the talk before the storm
It's a lot easier to talk about this on a sunny Saturday than at 11 p.m. during an outage.
- "Hey, where do you set up the generator when the power goes out? Our bedroom is on that side. Could we figure out a spot that works for both of us?"
- Walk the property line together. Look at windows, vents, the furnace intake, and the dryer vent on both houses.
- Agree on a spot and which way the exhaust points.
Most people just never thought about it.
02On small lots
- Point the exhaust toward the street or open yard, not toward any house.
- Use the longest outdoor-rated cord that's heavy enough for the load, so the generator can sit farther out.
- Consider a battery power station for overnight. No exhaust at all.
03Protect your own house
Whatever your neighbor does:
- CO alarms on every level and near bedrooms, with battery backup. See the CO alarm went off: leave, then call.
- Close windows on the side facing a running generator.
- Check your furnace and dryer vents aren't pulling in exhaust.
04If it's a problem during an outage
Knock and ask kindly. If you smell exhaust in the house or your CO alarm goes off, leave and call 911. That isn't a neighbor dispute anymore.
Good neighbors share more than a fence line during an outage. Sometimes that's power, a cord, or a cup of coffee. Sometimes it's just pointing the exhaust the other way.
Sources (1)
Photo: Engine-generator (medium size, on wheels).jpg) by Fumikas Sagisavas, CC0.
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