{"id":37531,"date":"2022-04-08T12:36:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T16:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/?page_id=37531"},"modified":"2022-07-01T10:08:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T14:08:05","slug":"generator-safety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/outages-safety\/generator-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Generator Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>During an outage, many individuals sometimes use a backup generator for electricity. While this standby power option is a handy one, an improperly-installed generator can be both destructive and dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>The 2 most important steps to follow when using a generator are to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Install it with a proper regulator so that it doesn&#8217;t overpower or damage your appliances<\/li>\n<li>Isolate it so that it can&#8217;t feed electricity back into power lines causing serious harm or death to a line crew working to get the power back on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Purchasing the Appropriate Generator<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Never use a gas-powered generator inside your house or garage due to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning<\/li>\n<li>The generator\u2019s output is rated in Watts\n<ul>\n<li>To determine the size you\u2019ll need, start by totaling the wattage of the lights and appliances you\u2019d like to power<\/li>\n<li>Check the labels or owner\u2019s manuals for each appliance\u2019s rating<\/li>\n<li>Then, add about 20% as a reserve to handle the increased start-up power requirements<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example:<\/strong> if you want to power at least 2 fixtures on a general-lighting circuit (240 watts, when used sparingly), a sump pump (1500 watts), and a refrigerator (600 watts), you\u2019ll need a generator that can handle 2340 watts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Installing a Regulator<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Installing a regulator will control the charging rate<\/li>\n<li>If you plan on operating sensitive equipment like televisions and computers from the generator, also use a surge protector<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Isolating Your Generator<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>To isolate your generator, plug the appliances you want to power directly into the generator with the appropriate-sized cords<\/li>\n<li>Install a double-throw switch that disconnects your home from the Co-op\u2019s system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Always follow the manufacturer\u2019s recommendations on how to use your generator<\/p>\n<h2>Generator Safety Diagram<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/generatorsafety.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Generator Safety Diagram (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Generator Safety Video<\/h2>\n<div style=\"width: 1020px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-37531-1\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Generator-Safety.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Generator-Safety.mp4\">https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Generator-Safety.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During an outage, many individuals sometimes use a backup generator for electricity. While this standby power option is a handy one, an improperly-installed generator can be both destructive and dangerous. The 2 most important steps to follow when using a generator are to: Install it with a proper regulator so that it doesn&#8217;t overpower or [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":37498,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37531"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38056,"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37531\/revisions\/38056"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fourcty.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}