57 guides
Portable generators
A generator covers days, as long as you have fuel. It runs outdoors, and it reaches the house through a transfer switch or an interlock.
An inverter generator makes clean power for electronics and suits a fridge, lights and the network. A larger open-frame unit or a standby system covers more of the house.
Transfer gear is how a generator reaches a furnace or a well pump, so those guides sit here too.
Generator safety: carbon monoxide and backfeed
Carbon monoxide: never run a generator indoors, in a garage, basement or crawlspace, or near windows, doors or vents. Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes. Use battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms in the home. CPSC Safety Alert 5123
Backfeed: never plug a generator into a wall outlet or a dryer outlet. That is extremely dangerous: it can energize utility lines and injure line workers and people in the home. Use a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician. CPSC Safety Alert 5123 (PDF)
Best picks and comparisons
Best picks
Best inverter generator for a home outage
Three inverter generators for a house, ranked by the job: the light one, the dual-fuel one you can carry, and the one with the most watts.
Start here
Generator
Standby vs portable generators for home backup
How each connects to the house, what it needs installed, and the safety rules.
Generator
Inverter Generator vs Conventional Portable Generator for Home Backup
Inverter or conventional portable generator? How to choose by load, noise, fuel use, and power quality, and how to connect either one to your home safely.
Generator
How much gasoline to store for a portable generator, and how to keep it fresh
Work out how much gasoline your generator needs for an outage, store it safely, and rotate it before it goes stale.
Transfer switch
Never Backfeed Your Generator: Use a Transfer Switch Instead
Backfeeding a generator through a dryer outlet can hurt line workers and start fires. Here is why, and what a transfer switch does instead.
Every guide in this class
Generators46
Generator
Standby vs portable generators for home backup
How each connects to the house, what it needs installed, and the safety rules.
Generator
Can a Portable Generator Run an Electric Water Heater?
Read your water heater's data plate, then match a generator's running watts and voltage. How to size it, connect it safely, and run it in shifts.
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What Size Portable Generator Runs an Electric Stove or Range?
Size a portable generator for an electric range: read the nameplate, confirm 240-volt output, add your other loads, and connect through a transfer switch.
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Can a Portable Generator Run an Electric Clothes Dryer?
Size a portable generator for your electric dryer: check the model's required voltage, running and starting demand, and a safe connection with your electrician.
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How Much Gas Does a Portable Generator Use in a Day?
Work out your generator's daily gas use from its runtime chart, your real load, and the hours you run it. Simple math, no guesswork.
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Portable Generator Outlets Explained: What Each Plug Is For
Learn what each generator outlet does, from 5-20 household receptacles to L14-30, L5-30, and TT-30 locking and RV plugs, and what to check before you buy.
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How to Size a Whole-House Standby Generator
Size a whole-house standby generator from your own loads: running and starting watts, whole-house vs essentials, fuel type, and a load calculation.
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How Much Fuel a Home Standby Generator Burns per Hour
How to find a standby generator's real fuel burn per hour at your load, on natural gas or propane, and size your tank or gas supply to match.
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Is Your Gas Meter Big Enough for a Natural Gas Standby Generator?
Before you buy a natural gas standby generator, confirm your gas meter, pressure, and piping can carry it plus every other gas appliance at once.
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How loud is a standby generator, and will the neighbors hear it?
How loud a home standby generator is, how to read its decibel rating, and where to place it so neighbors are less likely to be bothered.
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Portable Generator for Central Air: Soft Starters, Sizing, and Safe Hookup
How to tell if a portable generator can start and run your central air conditioner, what a soft starter changes, and what to check before you buy.
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Running a Furnace Blower on a Portable Generator
How to size and connect a portable generator to run a gas furnace blower during a winter outage, plus the wiring and carbon monoxide rules that apply.
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What Size Portable Generator Do You Need to Run a 240V Well Pump?
Size a portable generator for a 240V well pump: read the pump nameplate, cover the starting surge, and plan a safe transfer switch hookup.
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How often to change portable generator oil during a long outage
In an outage, a generator hits its oil interval in run hours long before the calendar limit. How to track hours, check the level, and change oil safely.
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A Quiet 2200-Watt Inverter Generator for Home Backup
How to size, place, and run a 2200-watt inverter generator during an outage, plus the outlet and runtime checks to make before you buy.
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Dual Fuel Portable Generator: Propane or Gasoline in an Outage
How to choose a dual fuel portable generator for outages, and when to run propane instead of gasoline. Runtime, wattage, and safety checks explained.
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How to Choose Extension Cord Gauge for a Portable Generator
How to pick an extension cord gauge for a portable generator: match the cord's amp rating to your load and length, and use outdoor-rated, grounded cords.
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Running Two Inverter Generators in Parallel: How a Parallel Kit Works
How a parallel kit links two inverter generators, when two small units beat one big one, and what to check before you buy.
Generator
Inverter Generator vs Conventional Portable Generator for Home Backup
Inverter or conventional portable generator? How to choose by load, noise, fuel use, and power quality, and how to connect either one to your home safely.
Generator
New Generator Break-In: First Start and First Oil Change
Break in a new portable generator the right way: add oil, start it outdoors, run a light load, and do the early first oil change your manual calls for.
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Portable Generator Carbon Monoxide Safety: Distance, Placement, and Alarms
Where to place a portable generator, why 20 feet is the floor, and the CO alarms and shutoff features to check before the next outage.
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How to Clean a Portable Generator Carburetor After It Sits Unused
Generator won't start after sitting? Clean the carburetor safely, step by step, and learn the storage habits that keep old fuel from gumming it up again.
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How to Run a Portable Generator in Freezing Weather
Cold-weather generator tips: oil, fuel, starting, snow, and carbon monoxide safety, plus what to check before a winter outage.
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Generator Sizing for Electric Baseboard Heaters
Size a portable generator for electric baseboard heaters: add up heater labels, check running watts and voltage, and plan a safe home connection.
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Can a Portable Generator Run a Heat Pump in a Winter Outage?
How to tell if a portable generator can run your heat pump: read the nameplate, compare starting and running watts, and plan a safe connection.
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What Size Portable Generator Runs a Washing Machine?
How to size a portable generator for a washing machine: find your washer's running and starting watts, add other loads, and connect it safely.
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Portable Generator GFCI Keeps Tripping: How to Find the Cause and Fix It
Why a portable generator's GFCI outlet keeps tripping, how to find the cause step by step, and what to check before you buy a generator.
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Does a Portable Generator Need a Ground Rod?
Most portable generators feeding cords from their own outlets need no ground rod. Learn when one may be needed and what to check in your manual.
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Portable Generator at High Altitude: How Much Power You Lose and How to Adjust
A portable generator makes less power as you go higher. Learn how to find your derate, resize your load, and set up the engine for elevation.
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Running a Portable Generator in the Rain: Shelter, Placement, and Safety
Yes, with the right shelter. How to keep a portable generator dry, where to place it outdoors, and how to avoid shock and carbon monoxide risks.
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How to Check and Replace a Portable Generator Spark Plug
Step-by-step help to check, read, and replace a portable generator spark plug safely, plus what to look for in a generator that is easy to service.
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How to Store and Maintain a Portable Generator Between Outages
Store a portable generator so it starts at the next outage: stabilize or drain the fuel, change the oil, exercise it on a schedule, and keep it dry.
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Can a Portable Generator Run a Tankless Gas Water Heater?
Most tankless gas water heaters need electricity only for controls, igniter, and fan. Here is how to size a generator and connect it safely.
Generator
How to Lock Down a Portable Generator So It Isn't Stolen
Chain it to a ground anchor, lock the fuel, light the area, and record the serial number. Keep a portable generator safe and running outdoors during an outage.
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Portable Generator Won't Start: A Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide
Generator won't start after storage? Work through fuel, oil, choke, spark plug, and battery checks in order, and learn how to store it so it starts next time.
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Air-cooled vs liquid-cooled standby generator: which one fits your house
Air-cooled standby generators suit many homes; liquid-cooled ones handle larger loads and long runs. Decide from your load, fuel, and site.
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Home standby generator did not start in an outage: what to check
Your home standby generator stayed silent when the power went out. Check the controller, battery, fuel, breakers, and transfer switch, in that order.
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Standby Generator Placement: How Far From Windows, Doors, and Walls
How far a home standby generator must sit from windows, doors, vents, and walls, where the real numbers come from, and what to check before you pour a pad.
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Standby Generator Exercise Cycle: How Often a Home Standby Generator Should Run
How often a home standby generator should exercise, why the regular test run matters, and what to check after each cycle so it starts in an outage.
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What Size Portable Generator Do You Need to Run a Refrigerator?
Size a portable generator for your refrigerator using its label, its startup surge, and everything else you plan to run. Plus safe setup steps.
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What Size Generator Runs a Sump Pump: A Portable Generator Sizing Guide
How to size a portable generator for a sump pump: find your pump's starting and running watts, add headroom, and run it safely outdoors during an outage.
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How to Size a Portable Generator for Your House
Add up running watts, add the biggest starting surge, and leave headroom. A plain guide to sizing a portable generator for home essentials.
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What Size Propane Tank Does a Generator Need?
How to size a propane tank for a standby or dual-fuel generator: read the fuel chart, count usable gallons, and work out how many days you get.
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How much gasoline to store for a portable generator, and how to keep it fresh
Work out how much gasoline your generator needs for an outage, store it safely, and rotate it before it goes stale.
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Should you add a propane conversion kit to a portable generator?
When a propane conversion kit makes sense for your portable generator, when a factory dual fuel model is simpler, and what to check before you buy.
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How to refuel a portable generator safely
Shut it off, let it cool, refuel outdoors where it runs. Here is how to refuel a portable generator safely and plan fuel so you refuel less often.
Transfer gear and accessories11
Transfer switch
Floating vs Bonded Neutral: Matching a Transfer Switch to Your Portable Generator
Find out whether your portable generator needs a floating or bonded neutral for your transfer switch, and what to confirm with your electrician.
Transfer switch
How to Balance Portable Generator Loads Across Transfer Switch Circuits
Split your generator's watts evenly across both legs of a manual transfer switch. Map circuits, add up loads, and switch them over in the right order.
Transfer switch
Generator Interlock Kit vs Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator
Interlock kit or manual transfer switch for your portable generator? Compare circuit choice, panel fit, and install work before you call an electrician.
Transfer switch
Manual vs Automatic Transfer Switch: Which Fits Your Home Generator?
Manual or automatic transfer switch? How each works, which generator it suits, and what to check before an electrician installs one.
Transfer switch
Never Backfeed Your Generator: Use a Transfer Switch Instead
Backfeeding a generator through a dryer outlet can hurt line workers and start fires. Here is why, and what a transfer switch does instead.
Transfer switch
Transfer switch switchover steps: to generator power and back to the grid
The safe order for moving circuits from the grid to a generator through a manual transfer switch, and back again when utility power returns.
Transfer switch
Load Shedding Modules for an Automatic Transfer Switch: Do You Need Them?
What load shedding modules do on an automatic transfer switch, when you need them, when you can skip them, and what to check before buying.
Transfer switch
Transfer Switch Permits: Do You Need One and an Electrician?
Installing a generator transfer switch usually means a permit and a licensed electrician. Here is what to check before you buy a switch kit.
Transfer switch
How to read transfer switch wattmeters without overloading a generator
Learn to read the wattmeters on a manual transfer switch, balance both legs, and keep your generator under its running rating during an outage.
Transfer switch
Choosing a 10-Circuit Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator
How to choose a 10-circuit, 30 amp manual transfer switch for a portable generator: circuit count, amp rating, outlet match, and professional installation.
Transfer switch
Generator Power Inlet Box and Transfer Switch: How They Connect
An inlet box is the outdoor connection point for generator power. See how it feeds a transfer switch and what to check first.
Newsletter
Get a reminder to check your backup gear before storm season.