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Place and run the generator safely

Generators kill through carbon monoxide and electrocution. Placement and connection rules are not optional.

How

  1. Run it outdoors only, at least 20 feet (about 6 m) from doors, windows and vents (CDC, CPSC), with the exhaust pointing away from buildings.
  2. Never run it in a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or porch, even with doors open (CPSC).
  3. Fit battery or battery-backup CO alarms certified to UL 2034 or equivalent outside sleeping areas and on every floor, and test them monthly (CPSC). See safety-10.
  4. When buying, ask for a model with automatic CO shut-off (CPSC).
  5. Shelter it from rain under an open canopy on a dry surface, never by moving it inside (CPSC).
  6. Never backfeed house wiring through a socket. Connect only through the inverter/charger input or an approved transfer switch.
  7. Check whether your generator's neutral is bonded to earth or floating. Victron explains that an RCD (GFCI) needs a neutral-to-earth link to work, and cannot detect earth leakage on a floating-neutral supply.
  8. Have an electrician confirm there is exactly one neutral-earth link for whichever source is running, generator or inverter (power-19 sets the rule of one neutral-earth bond per source and covers floating-neutral generators).
  9. Canada example: the Canadian Red Cross advises keeping the generator dry and away from windows and vents, with battery-backed CO alarms throughout the home.
  10. Know the CO symptoms the CPSC lists: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion. Get to fresh air at once.

Safety: Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless and can kill in minutes. Backfeeding can electrocute line workers and neighbours.

Do these first

Sources

  1. Portable Generator Safety Alert. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed 2026-11
  2. What to know about generators. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed 2026-11
  3. Avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed 2026-11
  4. Wiring Unlimited: ground, earth and electrical safety. Victron Energy (manufacturer), accessed 2026-11
  5. Generator safety. Canadian Red Cross, accessed 2026-11

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