Be Careful With Your Portable Generator!
We had a very good friend who had just bought a portable generator, and whether he never read the safety instructions or was just careless, we'll never know. He had been overcome by carbon monoxide fumes and by the time he was taken to hospital it was too late. I must admit it wasn't until we really looked into the safety issues associated with portable generators that we realized how some of our practices were bordering on being unsafe. We thought we would put this together and hope that anyone who stops by will read what we have to say about using a portable generator and perhaps save themselves or someone they know from serious injury or even death. CO poisoning is the greatest concern, because it is insidious - you can't see it and you can't smell it and it can remain in confined areas for hours. Sadly it is not common sense for a lot of people to not use their portable generator inside homes, garages, basements or crawl spaces, thinking that an open window or door will be enough ventilation. If you frequently use a portable generator close to the house, it is a good idea to install a CO alarm in your home. If you ever feel dizzy or weak then you need to get to fresh air immediately. Many people don't know that this is the first sign of poisoning.
A portable generator can also put the user at risk of either shock or electrocution, particularly if they are being used in wet conditions. Unfortunately in emergency situations it is quite normal to need to operate a portable generator in these types of conditions. It is therefore important to protect it from moisture with some sort of canopy or covering overhead, as well as keeping the surface it is standing on dry as well. This can be a little tricky when you know you have to have plenty of air circulating at the same time. There is also great danger when a generator is sitting in puddled water, and if your hands are wet when touching it. Using the correct heavy-duty extension cords is another important safety issue. Not just any lead will do, it must be one that is specifically designed to be used outdoors. Apart from this, it must have a suitable wattage rating. This means that it must exceed the total wattage of all the appliances that you are going to connect to it. Of course the cord is going to have to be long enough to reach all the way from where the generator is placed outdoors to where the appliances are. The cords must also be free from any cuts or kinks and it must be protected from being pinched as it goes through windows or doorways. Another one of the biggest dangers is to plug the portable generator into a wall outlet, which is known as "backfeeding". This poses a serious threat to utility workers who could be repairing the lines. They could easily become electrocuted, as well as any even neighbors who are served by the same transformer. As you can see, their use is not to be taken lightly, and in recognition of this it has become compulsory for all generators to display a danger label from May, 2007. |
