Keep Your Home Safe with Safety Tips for Using a Power Generator

Power generators are like mini power plants that can save you a lot of inconveniences during power interruptions. They are probably one of the most revered inventions by man and is a great investment for any home, office or business. And even though they mostly do one purpose, and that is to create electrical energy to power up your home or your appliances, the benefits are endless. Imagine yourself without any electrical power for an hour, it could drive you mad, now what if it’s for the whole day, or even longer? A power generator can be a real life saver, but, it can also pose a danger to our lives as it uses combustible fuel that can do a lot of damage.

With some safety precautions though, we can minimize the risk of danger and even lower the chances of any danger or damage to your power generator down to zero. Like any mechanical device, the power generator if not used properly and if devoid of care can break down, so keep in mind some of these safety tips to keep your generator in peak condition and to avoid any mishaps.

First off, you should never connect your power generator directly to the wiring of your home. This is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can do. Doing so can be very dangerous to the lives of those inside the house as backfeeding occurs. Backfeeding is when your regular electric connection comes back and feeds back to your generator which can overload it and cause it to be damaged or worse explode. To make sure, have someone make a permanent transfer switch between your generator and your connection to the power grid. This transfer switch will ensure that your wirings will only receive electrical energy from one source at a time, avoiding any backfeeding. Get a licensed electrician or electrical engineer to do this for you as to ensure your safety.

Another mistake you should avoid is connecting your generator to a regular wall socket in your home. This can energize dead lines and someone might unknowingly get injured by these. Try to connect your appliances one at a time to your generator. This way, you know that your dead lines stay that way until regular energy is restored and no accidents will occur.

Third, never overload your generator. Connect only appliances which your power generator can take. Calculate the rate of your generator and know which appliances it can power. Overloading can damage your power generator causing it to stop. If you only have a small power generator choose your priorities, like the lights.

Also, only use high voltage wires that can take the energy rate passing through it. Thin electrical wires can easily overload and burn through their protective covering causing a fire. Plus, if your generator is located outside and away from your home, use wires that are waterproof. Water is a good electrical conductor and can easily overload your wires causing injuries and fire.