Owning a generator can be a blessing in the event you are involved in a prolonged power outage. The money you save from not having your groceries spoil will defiantly make it worth the time and effort. Living in areas that get a lot of high windstorms and electrical storms such as twisters and hurricanes make owning a power generator practically a necessity. The most popular brands run on gas or diesel fuels and can be very hazardous to the health and safety of the family and the community. When using a generator please take every precaution suggested to keep yourself, your home and your neighbors from harm.

1. You should always hire an electrician (certified and licensed) to install a transfer switch if you are planning to purchase a whole house generator. The electrician can install stopgaps that will prevent feed back into the utility grid. This can be harmful to others and make getting the power up again take longer. Most people only use the ones from the hardware stores so those are the generators we will discuss in depth.

2. Plug the appliance directly into the power generator. You will need a heavy gauge extension chord to run from the house to the generator. Having a generator running indoors is never a good idea. The carbon monoxide could kill you without warning.

3. Use the right type of sockets for the plugs on the appliance. Hooking a surge protector to the end of the Extension chord will allow you to plug in multiple types of plugs.

4. Grounding is necessary for a power generator. If it is not properly grounded you could get a schock or even electrocuted by touching it or the appliances getting juice from it. The owner’s manual will have directions for proper grounding. Do not take short cuts with these directions your life and the life of others may very well depend on it.

5. Never! Never! Ever, connect the power generator into your homes wiring. The feed back could easily run the utility lines and harm a neighbor or even a utility crewmember on a pole.

6. Do not attempt to refuel a generator while it is hot and definitely not while it is on. You must turn off all appliances before attempting to restart the generator. Turn it off when not in use or at night, especially if no will be home. Left unattended the generator could even be the cause of a house fire.

Finally never exceed the recommended wattage use for the type of power generator you own. And you should have your generator serviced at least once a year twice if you use it often.