JF Ranch
Well-known member
Friends, I posted this under the thread that FH started about backup generators. I thought it important enough to re-post as a new topic:
WORD OF CAUTION! Aside from all the good ideas here about backup generators, I want to offer an important personal experience of mine.
A half dozen years ago, I bought a gas powered generator, something like an 8000-9000 watt outfit, to run our house in a power failure. My brilliant idea was to set the thing just inside our attached garage door, to keep it out of the snow storm (You get where I'm headed with this?). I had an adequate cable long enough to reach the power pole. The Power Company had installed the proper disconnect throw switch to keep my generated power from backing up through the power lines. This is VERY IMPORTANT for the safety of the linemen repairing the outage.
When I lost power during a spring storm, I fired up the generator and had it setting just barely inside the garage with the door about half way up for ventilation. I was home alone at the time because it was during the school year and the family was at our house in town.
I had enough power to run the furnace, essential appliances, a light or two and the TV set. I settled in for the night, cozy as a bug in a rug. After no more than an hour or so, I started to hear a beep going off. It took me a few minutes to locate the source of this alarm which was located in a bedroom next to the attached garage. Unknown to me, my wife had installed a "First Alert" carbon monoxide-smoke detector there.
Long story short, my dumb idea of keeping the shiny, new generator out of the elements nearly cost me and my family, my life. I thought that with the garage door up it was ventilated enough but it was not. I was amazed how quickly the carbon monoxide seeped into the house and am fortunate that we had a detector.
PLEASE FOLKS, never set up a generator in any sort of building. I've been told by our Power Company that a building with an engine running in it can contaminate air such that with even a few breaths of it going in to turn it off, can cause permanent damage to your lungs.
It has been a conscious decision of mine ever since, to offer this story to anyone and everyone, if discussion ever turns toward generating power during outages. Proper detection devises are a great idea as well.
WORD OF CAUTION! Aside from all the good ideas here about backup generators, I want to offer an important personal experience of mine.
A half dozen years ago, I bought a gas powered generator, something like an 8000-9000 watt outfit, to run our house in a power failure. My brilliant idea was to set the thing just inside our attached garage door, to keep it out of the snow storm (You get where I'm headed with this?). I had an adequate cable long enough to reach the power pole. The Power Company had installed the proper disconnect throw switch to keep my generated power from backing up through the power lines. This is VERY IMPORTANT for the safety of the linemen repairing the outage.
When I lost power during a spring storm, I fired up the generator and had it setting just barely inside the garage with the door about half way up for ventilation. I was home alone at the time because it was during the school year and the family was at our house in town.
I had enough power to run the furnace, essential appliances, a light or two and the TV set. I settled in for the night, cozy as a bug in a rug. After no more than an hour or so, I started to hear a beep going off. It took me a few minutes to locate the source of this alarm which was located in a bedroom next to the attached garage. Unknown to me, my wife had installed a "First Alert" carbon monoxide-smoke detector there.
Long story short, my dumb idea of keeping the shiny, new generator out of the elements nearly cost me and my family, my life. I thought that with the garage door up it was ventilated enough but it was not. I was amazed how quickly the carbon monoxide seeped into the house and am fortunate that we had a detector.
PLEASE FOLKS, never set up a generator in any sort of building. I've been told by our Power Company that a building with an engine running in it can contaminate air such that with even a few breaths of it going in to turn it off, can cause permanent damage to your lungs.
It has been a conscious decision of mine ever since, to offer this story to anyone and everyone, if discussion ever turns toward generating power during outages. Proper detection devises are a great idea as well.