How to use your portable generator in a poweroutage?
The portable generator must be positioned outside. Make sure the generator has gas in it. Start the generator. Take the “house to generator cord” and plug it into the house and generator. Go to your electrical panel. Make sure the next steps are exactly in this order. Turn off the Main breaker in your electrical panel that disconnects you from the utility power line. Turn off the “branch circuit breakers”. Now that the Main breaker is OFF and the branch circuit breakers are OFF,, turn the generator breaker ON. You can now start turning the individual “branch circuit” breakers back on, one at a time. This will start adding your home onto your generator. If there are any large breakers that you do not need to power off the generator, just leave them OFF. Keep an eye on the fuel evel of your generator. They only run for 6-8 hours on a full tank.
Power is back on. How do I shut down my generator?
So the power is now back on in your neighborhood and you want to turn off your generator power. Make sure the next steps are exactly in this order. Turn OFF the generator. Unplug the “house to generator cord”. Go to your electrical panel. Turn the generator breaker OFF. Turn ON the Main breaker to allow the utility line power to come into your home. Turn ON all circuit breakers that are normally ON. Your home should be operating as normal now. You can put your generator away.
Generator Care
Always take great care of your portable generator. It could be used a lot or very little so always treat it like it would be a while before you need it again. You can shut the fuel valve off and let the engine run out of fuel. This technique keeps fuel from going bad sitting in the carburetor. It will spit and sputter but eventually turn off. Keep a fuel stabilizer in the fuel. It will keep the gas in the tank good to go for the next time you use the generator. Keep the wheels and handles in working order so it is easy to pull outside. Change the oil after you use it for a power outage so next time it is ready to roll. Make sure to keep the generator and “house to generator” cord together. You will always need both at the same time. If you suspect the generator is running bad, then please before the next power outage get it serviced.
Any questions?
We know time can be the difference between feeling like a pro or a rookie at hooking up your portable generator setup. We are able to help over the phone to clear up any confusion about how to use it, anytime. We hope this instruction will serve you well