Generator Safety*

Do not connect your generator directly to your home's wiring.
Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly. A generator that is directly connected to your home's wiring can "backfeed" into the power lines connected to your home.

Utility transformers can then increase this lower electrical voltage to thousands of volts. That is more than enough to kill a utility lineman making outage repairs many miles away. You could also cause expensive damage to utility equipment and your generator.

If you want to hard-wire a generator in your home, it should be installed by a licensed electrician with an approved cut-off switch that will automatically disconnect the home from the power grid when the generator is being used. Please check with LJEC before installing a hard-wired generator.

Do not plug a portable generator into an electrical outlet in your home or garage.
If a generator is plugged into your home's electrical circuits, it can still "backfeed" power into the utility company lines, which can injure or kill utility workers fixing downed power lines.

The correct way to use a generator is to connect a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated power cord to the generator. Appliances then can be connected to the power cord.

Make sure that the outdoor-rated power cord has a sufficient wire gauge to hand the electrical load.

By following the above generator safety tips, you help to keep your family and our workers safe.

*Information courtest of www.consumerenergycenter.org