I have conducted some research to address a few of the frequently asked questions about portable generators. Below, I provide answers to these common questions about power generators.

If you want to safely power the appliances in your home using a portable power station, it is important to have a transfer switch. However, you should be cautious not to overload the generator by connecting too many high-wattage appliances. Additionally, it is recommended to follow some basic safety guidelines when using a portable power generator. Always operate the generator at least 20 feet away from your house or garage, and ensure that it is placed on level ground.

Are portable generators safe?

Portable generators are safe to use if you understand the basic dangers and follow simple safety precautions to avoid unnecessary injuries.

Generators have gasoline engines that use flammable petrol as fuel, which releases poisonous carbon monoxide in the exhaust smoke. The generator also generates electrical current. These are the three things to keep in mind when using a portable generator: flammable gasoline, exhaust smoke and electricity.

Gasoline is flammable, and gasoline vapors are explosive. Please keep any sources of heat, open flames or stray sparks away from the fuel tank. Refuel the generator outside in the open air if possible so that there is enough ventilation to prevent fuel vapors from building up around the fuel tank.

The engine exhaust smoke contains carbon monoxide, which is odorless and invisible. It can cause symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, breathing problems and nausea. It can cause loss of consciousness and death when it is inhaled for too long. This can happen within minutes, therefore do not run the generator in a poorly ventilated indoor space such as the garage or basement. Do not run it where the exhaust smoke can enter the house through an open window or door. Store the portable generator inside when not in use, but always operate it outside in the open air.

The generator generates electrical current, enough to seriously shock or even electrocute a person. It is very important to keep a generator dry and away from water sources such as swimming pools, garden sprinklers or rain.

Are portable generators loud?

The amount of noise a portable generator makes while running can vary from around 60 to 80 decibels. It might depend on the size of the engine and the effectiveness of the exhaust muffler system.

Let us take a general loudness of around 70 decibels. This is equal to the noise that a household vacuum cleaner makes. Most generators work at around 70 decibels, but there are of course exceptions. Portable inverter generators made for recreational use might operate at around 60 decibels.

Generators used for powering household appliances are louder because they are bigger. Generators used for industrial purposes are also louder, although the noise level will not be such a problem at a busy construction site.

Are portable generators waterproof?

The electrical connection panel of a portable generator is not 100% waterproof. You should not run it in bad weather conditions with rain or snow. The problem is that the power is more likely to be out during bad weather than good weather. You need to shelter the portable generator from wet conditions, but running it in the garage, garden shed or on the porch might lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

What can you do? You might run the portable generator under the shelter of a carport, if there are lots of open space around it for air circulation. You could also make a sort of tent or shelter to keep the rain away from the generator, but this does not always work. Likewise, you can probably buy a generator tent cover that you can use to cover up the generator while it is running outside in the rain or snow.

Can portable generators be used indoors?

Portable generators may only be used outside where there is lots of air circulation to disperse the exhaust fumes and the carbon monoxide. Running a generator indoors might lead to increasing levels of carbon monoxide gas, which is very difficult to detect. Carbon monoxide causes dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness and inevitable death when inhaled for only a few minutes. Never operate a portable generator in an enclosed space or next to an open window or door.

Can portable generators damage electronics?

Ordinary portable generators send out AC power that is usually not stable enough for sensitive electronic equipment such as computers and televisions. Although, newer models provide somewhat cleaner electricity with slightly less total harmonic distortion when compared to older portable generators. If you are serious about protecting your sensitive electronic equipment, then you need to buy an inverter generator, which puts out a pure electric current to prevent damage to electronics.

Do portable generators use gasoline?

Most generators use gasoline (petrol) as a fuel source. However, there are fuel conversion kits available that can convert a gas generator for use with propane (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) as a fuel source. Still, these conversion kits might modify the warranty conditions.

You do not have to install a conversion kit. There are dual-fuel portable generators available that can use either gasoline or propane as a fuel source without modification. In addition, there are now tri-fuel portable generators available that can run on either gasoline, propane, or natural gas.

Does a generator produce AC or DC power?

Ordinary portable generators produce AC power. An inverter generator also produces AC power, which it then converts into DC power. The DC power is then converted back to clean AC power. The inverter generator produces a pure wave electrical current which is safe to use for powering sensitive electronic equipment such as computers and entertainment systems.

What size generator is right for me?

You will need to calculate how many watts are required to run your house. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Water well pumps might need a 240 volt generator.
• Electric water heaters might need 4500 watts.
• Most homes might need at least a 5000-watt generator.
• A recreational vehicle (RV) needs a 3000 to 6000-watt generator.
• Use a 2000-watt generator for camping.

Remember that appliances with electric motors require more watts to start. Appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, well pumps, air conditioners and table saws have a higher starting wattage of up to 3 times more than its normal running wattage. Once the electric motors of these appliances have started up, it will operate at their running watts. Light bulbs and coffee machines do not have electric motors and therefore do not require more watts to start.

What size generator can power a house?

You might be thinking about which generator is best for home use. You can look at generators, either portable or permanently installed, that have a running wattage no less than 5000 watts with a starting wattage of around 6000 to 7000 watts. Although that might not be enough wattage for most modern households, so a minimum of at least 9000 running watts might be a better choice.

Of course, you need to determine the starting and running power requirements of all the household items you want to use and see how many watts you might actually need to power your house.

What size generator for an RV?

The most power hungry appliance in a recreational vehicle is usually the air conditioner. The portable generator size is determined by how many watts is needed to start the air conditioner. It needs fewer watts to run once it has been started, although the air conditioner might switch on and off to keep the temperature constant inside the RV.

A 13500 BTU air conditioner needs about 3000 watts to start up and 2000 watts to keep running. The fridge might need around 600 watts, the microwave around 1000 watts and the counter top stove between 1500 and 2000 watts.

Buy a portable generator that is big enough to run the air conditioner, the lights as well as a few kitchen and entertainment appliances. You therefore need at least a 3000 to 6000 watt generator size to run the basic things in your recreational vehicle.

Which portable generators are the quietest?

Portable inverter generators tend to be the quietest, with a noise level of between 50 and 60 decibels. This is supposed to be close to normal speech levels, but comparing generator engine noise and human speech is like comparing apples and oranges. Most portable generators operate at noise levels of around 60 to 80 decibels. A vacuum cleaner is noisy at around 70 decibels, while a hair dryer is twice as loud at about 80 decibels.

Conclusion

The power generator questions I addressed earlier are just a few of the commonly asked ones. Having a home generator is essential for being prepared in case of a power outage caused by a storm or any other emergency. Not only can a portable generator be used for household appliances, but it can also come in handy for various recreational activities like camping, DIY projects, outdoor parties, and tailgating events.

While many portable generators are fueled by gasoline, there are also dual-fuel models that can run on propane (LPG) and tri-fuel models that can utilize natural gas. On the other hand, a permanently installed home standby generator can automatically supply electricity to your entire home during an unexpected power failure, even though the installation costs can be very high.

For the most part, whether you opt for a home standby generator or a portable power generator, you’ll have enough power to operate most of your home appliances during a blackout.

Photo by Nejc Soklic on Unsplash.