Weathering Floods, Storms and Power Outages – Helpful Hints for Generator Safety
For most people living in the Northeast, home generators get their greatest use during hurricane season when rains and heavy winds lash the area, knocking down power lines and sometimes keeping them down for days or even weeks. Winter is also a period of typically heavy use, thanks to ice storms that can snap tree limbs and lots of car accidents – both of which contribute to downed power lines. But the fact is, no matter what season it is, most homeowners will experience some loss of power during the course of a year. And many of those homeowners will be turning to home generators to take up the slack.
While home generators can serve an important role in your home, in some cases, they may also be associated with accidents and even injury if not used properly. Nearly all generator-related accidents are associated with the use of portable generators. That’s because portable generators require users to come in contact with them in order to be used: They need to be turned on and off, fuel tanks must be refilled during use, and they need to be constantly monitored while they’re running to ensure they work the way they’re intended. What’s more, portable generators require you to run electrical cords throughout your home to power all your appliances and electrical devices. These problems are all eliminated with automatic generators, which run off your home’s natural gas or LP gas supply and tie directly into your home power system, eliminating the need for extension cords.
According to the American Red Cross, the primary risks of using a home generator include carbon monoxide poisoning, electrical shock or electrocution, and fire. The organization notes that the vast majority of these accidents tend to occur when portable generators are not used properly or when they’re wheeled indoors for use, exposing the home’s occupants to toxic levels of carbon monoxide (CO). In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that more than 85 percent of non-fire CO deaths are linked to portable home generator use.
If you must run a portable generator, follow these tips to reduce your risk of accidents:
- Read the operator’s manual carefully.
- Keep the generator outside while running, away from all windows including your neighbors’.
- Do not wire a portable generator to your power system; doing so can result in deadly surges.
- Turn off all appliances before starting your portable generator, then turn them back on one at a time, being careful not to overload the unit.
- Never refill your portable generator while it’s running or while it’s hot since that can cause a fire.
- Never leave a portable generator unattended while it’s running; turn it off at night and if you must leave your home.
- Use a heavy-duty extension cord designed for outdoor use.
- Use a battery-powered CO detector to alert you to dangerous increases in CO levels.
- When possible, upgrade to an automatic generator for safer, more reliable power backup.
While buying a permanent backup generator used to be extremely costly, today’s automatic generators are much more affordable thanks to new designs and features like “shedding” that let smaller generators power an entire home. To keep your automatic generator running properly, all you have to do is have it maintained regularly, just as you have your furnace or air conditioning system maintained.
At Corbin Electrical Services, we can help answer all your generator-related questions. Give us a call today at (732) 536-0444 to learn how an automatic generator could improve your life and your peace of mind.
The difference between home backup power and portable generators
When it’s time to buy an ancillary power for a home, most people think first of portable generators. That’s because portable generators are typically smaller, cheaper and sold at most home centers, hardware stores and big-box retailers, making them much more visible options for most consumers. But while portable generators certainly have their place and function in certain situations, for home use, a home backup power system gives homeowners much greater peace of mind as well as significantly greater ease of use. Here’s a quick overview of the primary advantages a home backup power system offers over a portable generator:
- A home backup power system, or automatic generator, is installed permanently outside your home so you and your loved ones are protected from deadly carbon monoxide gas. In fact, breathing in this odorless, colorless gas is a primary cause of portable generator-related deaths each year.
- Automatic backup generators use your home’s existing natural gas lines or LP fuel supply, making them less costly to run than portable generators. Plus, there’s no need to store fuel or refill the generator. And, you never come in contact with messy fuels.
- An automatic generator is just that- automatic! That means it can turn itself on even when you’re away and turn itself off when power is reinstated. It’s designed to work seamlessly with your existing power system unlike portable generators that must be turned on and off and continually monitored while in use.
- Automatic systems are more powerful and can be configured to handle greater loads than portable generators.
- Because they’re wired directly to your home’s electrical system, there’s no need to run power cords around your home or through open windows. A portable generator must be wheeled into place whenever it’s needed, filled with smelly fuels and connected via a maze of extension cords to the appliances in your home that need power.
- An automatic generator functions without human intervention or monitoring, making them an ideal choice for every home and every homeowner, regardless of age, disability or skill level.
- Finally, even the American Red Cross says that when it comes to home safety, an automatic backup generator is the preferred and safer choice over a portable generator because they are “better suited for providing backup power to the home.”
Both portable and automatic home generators can provide a source of power when the electricity goes out. But when it comes to sheer safety, convenience and overall peace of mind, it’s easy to see why an automatic backup generator is a better choice.
An investment in a backup power system is an investment in your family’s well-being. And thanks to advances in design and technology, automatic generators have become more affordable for many homeowners. Today, leading manufacturers like Generac and others offer a wide variety of systems to suit a broad range of budgets. At Corbin Electrical Services, we can help you choose the generator that’s best for your needs. Give us a call today at (732) 536-0444 to learn more and schedule a free in home estimate.
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