Portable Generator Safety

Residential use of portable generators is growing rapidly. As the average age of homeowners goes up, their tolerance for the more frequent and longer power outages that we are likely to experience is going down. With this has come complacency about portable generators. There is less concern with safety, installation, and operation of emergency power sources and more with creature comforts that generators give.Many people think of generators as just another home appliance. The refrigerator is safe, so is the TV. The new generator must be also. It has a UL (Underwriters Lab.) sticker. Generators are different animals.

First, a gasoline engine usually drives a portable emergency power source. When gasoline engines are running they give off carbon-monoxide, a deadly gas. Air-cooled engines run very hot. A generator can easily start a fire with its exhaust. This is basic common sense; everyone knows that running an engine in an enclosed area is hazardous to your life and property. Here is where I have to tell you that you must abide by all federal, state and local regulations about using generators. If you are not a licensed electrician get one and all permits necessary before even thinking about hooking a generator to your home wiring. Have you read the Owners manual? If not, do it now. Follow all the manufacturer recommendations.

How about grounding? Don't worry you say? Oh, you bought an expensive generator that is equipped with a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter). Well did you know that a GFI might not function at all if the generator is not properly grounded? Recently we had a customer bring in a new generator for service. He should have bought a lotto ticket that day. His generator had an internal short circuit that made the handles on the unit electrically charged (hot as we say). Had he touch the wrong two things, at the same time, it could have killed him.

Do not use that generator until its been safely ground. Grounding is simple, refer to that owners manual. It would most often tell you to attach a #8 copper wire to: a metal water pipe that travels at least 10 feet into the ground, hook to a building ground, or drive a metal rod 8 feet into the earth, etc. Make sure you use a rod that is permitted for grounding. There are minimum sizes and material that will give you the proper grounding.

While we are on the subject of grounding do not overlook the appliance or tools grounding requirements when hooking it to a generator. Always use 3 prone extension cords in good condition and correct size. Using the wrong cords may damage the generator or its load.

Speaking of loads, let's cover a little about Transfer Switches". A transfer switch has a couple of very important functions. Transfer switches must be used to connect emergency power sources (the generator) to a home. The transfer switch must keep the generators power from going out onto the utility lines at all cost. More than one lineman has been injured while working on what should have been a dead wire but was hot because of a residential generator that he didn't know was there. By the way, if you do hookup a generator to your home or business you must notify the electric company that you have a generator. Transfer switches are simple in design but carry a great burden when an emergency hits. The switch must bring both the utility and generators power into the same circuit box but only allow one or the other to be connected to the load (refrigerator). Transfer switches must interrupt the incoming power, utility or generator, before connecting it to the load. That's obvious. It must control arcing. Arcing must stop before the power switch is completed or the generator will most likely be destroyed. Fires and personal injury may also occur. One might ask, are all transfer switches the same? The answer is no. Are you safe if the transfer switch is UL listed? Not always. Look for switches that are listed UL1800. The UL label must specifically state, "Automatic Transfer Switch", "Transfer and Bypass-Isolation Switch", or "Non-Automatic Transfer Switch". If your switch is not labeled this way it has not complied with UL1800 but rather a far-less-rigorous UL standard. Switches that are not UL1800 may not perform adequately when you need them the most. The only way you will find out is when the switch is called upon in a crisis situation. Like a 5000Amp short circuit, when a tree branch falls across the utility lines. That is like testing a new fire hose on its first 4-alarm fire. There is no such thing as to much safety when you are around electricity. Here's hoping the lights stay on.