Plan generator safety before the lights go out. A usable plan gives exhaust a safe outdoor location, keeps electricity away from water, uses the correct connection equipment and leaves time for the engine to cool before refueling. Keep the manual for the exact model with your outage supplies.
This guide covers portable, fuel-burning generators used by U.S. households. For selecting capacity and arranging an installation, start with backup-generator planning. An installed standby unit has its own installation and service requirements.
Choose the location before choosing the cord
The CPSC's 2026 hurricane-season guidance calls for outdoor operation at least 20 feet from homes and buildings, with exhaust directed away from windows, doors and vents. Account for neighboring buildings as well as your own. Never operate a generator in a home, garage, shed or other enclosed or partly enclosed space, even with doors open.
Walk the proposed location in daylight. Mark where exhaust points, where building openings are, and how people will avoid the hot unit and cords. Follow any greater clearances or additional restrictions in the manual. If the available space cannot meet the requirements, use another power arrangement or move to a location with reliable power.
Install and maintain CO alarms indoors on every level and outside sleeping areas, following the alarm manufacturer's instructions. The CDC generator fact sheet recommends battery-operated or battery-backup detectors near every sleeping area. A generator's automatic CO shutoff is an additional protection; correct outdoor placement and home alarms remain essential.
Settle the electrical connection in advance
The CPSC portable-generator safety alert warns against connecting a generator to a household wall outlet. This backfeeding can energize utility lines and expose other people to electrocution. Have a qualified electrician arrange approved transfer equipment for any connection to household wiring.
For appliances connected directly, use outdoor-rated, heavy-duty cords with an adequate wattage rating, intact insulation and grounding prongs. Check the whole cord and protect it from crushing. The cord arrangement must allow safe generator placement. Give an electrician the generator model, intended appliances and proposed route if the correct equipment is uncertain.
Make a short load list with running and starting requirements. Compare it with both the generator's continuous rating and its receptacle limits. Follow the manual's connection and startup sequence. A tripped protective device is a reason to investigate the load or fault, not to bypass protection.
Prepare for rain and refueling
Keep the generator and electrical connections dry, with dry hands when handling them. CPSC describes protection by an open, canopy-like structure on a dry surface where water cannot collect. Use a setup permitted by the generator manufacturer, preserving ventilation and exhaust clearances. An improvised enclosed shelter creates a CO hazard.
Before adding fuel, switch the generator off and let it cool as instructed by the manufacturer. Avoid a universal cooling countdown: model, load and conditions differ. Store fuel in suitable labeled safety containers outside living areas and away from ignition sources. Plan fuel storage with local requirements and the manual in hand.
Consider a fictional overnight outage: the only proposed rain shelter is a garage, and the household has no approved way to power its furnace. Both are unresolved planning problems. Resolve them before an outage; urgency does not make either arrangement suitable.
Know when to leave
Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless. If a CO alarm sounds, or anyone develops possible poisoning symptoms such as dizziness or weakness, get everyone to fresh air immediately and call 911. Stay outside until emergency responders say it is safe to return. Follow the emergency guidance in the CPSC carbon-monoxide fact sheet; investigating the generator must not delay evacuation.
Before each use, check the planned location, weather protection, alarms, cords, fuel and manual. After use, follow the shutdown and storage instructions and record any fault for service. Keep a charged phone and the household outage plan available even when the generator operates normally.