Generator safety

Portable generators make carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. These are the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s main points. Read the CPSC’s own guidance and your generator’s manual too.

• Never use a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or other enclosed area, even with doors or windows open.
• Keep it at least 20 feet from your home, with the exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents.
• Install battery-operated (or battery-backup) carbon monoxide and smoke alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas, and test them monthly.
• Choose a generator with a carbon monoxide safety feature. CPSC points to models meeting PGMA G300-2023, or UL 2201-2023 for reduced CO emissions as well as CO shutoff.

Never connect a generator to a wall outlet

Plugging a generator into a wall outlet sends power back into your home’s wiring and out to the utility lines. It can injure or kill you, your neighbors, or utility workers. Connecting a generator to your home’s wiring must be done by a licensed electrician. The options

If a CO alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, dizzy or weak

Get to fresh air right away and call 911.