Generator safety tips

Generators are powerful machines, and if used improperly, they have the potential to be very, very dangerous. So to help ensure that you’re safe when putting your generator to use, we’ve listed a few tips.

Never use your generator indoors

Portable generators are combustion engines that exhaust carbon monoxide – a deadly gas. This gas is both colourless and odourless making it extremely difficult to spot. If your generator is indoors this gas can quickly overcome occupants of the house.

Place the generator outside and point the exhaust a way from a place where the fumes could enter an enclosed space.

Don’t hook it up to an electrical outlet in your house

Hooking a generator up to your property’s electrical circuits is called ‘backfeeding’ – and it’s an extremely dangerous practice. Doing this still feeds power into utility company lines, which can easily injure, or worse, kill, anyone working on those lines.

The way a generator should be used is to connect a heavy-duty power cord to the generator and then connect appliances to the cord. That is, providing they’re within the wattage range that the generator allows.

Avoid overloading

Every generator has its own power rating which signifies the wattage that can be hooked up to the machine.

If you plug too many appliances into the machine, there’s a large chance that it’s going to damage the generator and the appliances. It could also cause a fire too, so make sure you know the limit of your generator.

Store fuel safely

Gasoline should always be stored in an approved safety container. Avoid keeping your gasoline indoors too – especially near other fuel burning appliances.

And remember – when you’re refuelling your generator, give it time to cool off.

Read the manual

Before you even consider starting your generator up, take time to read the manufacturers manual. In it, you’ll find plenty of advice on how to correctly use your generator, and a few safety tips like these.

If you have any question about how to use your Triace generator safely, you can contact us here: https://www.triace.ie/contact/