Generator Safety (and Whether You Need One)
Generators kill people in two specific ways, and both are entirely avoidable.
The first is carbon monoxide, which has no smell, no colour and no warning, and which accumulates in garages and enclosed spaces even with a door open. The second is backfeeding — plugging a generator into a power point or the switchboard, which sends electricity backwards into the street and can electrocute a lineworker or a neighbour on the same transformer.
Backfeeding is illegal in most of Australia. It is also, unfortunately, the first thing many people try.
The 10-minute version
- Outdoors, always. Well clear of the building and several metres from any window, door or vent. Never in a garage, never on an enclosed balcony, never with the roller door “just open a bit”.
- Never plug a generator into a power point or switchboard. It is illegal and it can kill someone working on the network. Appliances plug into the generator directly, or you have a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician.
- Most households should buy something else. Water, light, a radio, a power bank and food matter more. A generator earns its place mainly when someone depends on mains power for a medical device.
Do you actually need one?
Be honest about the scenario you are solving.
A generator makes sense if:
- Someone in the house depends on mains power for a medical device — CPAP, oxygen concentrator, home dialysis, a feeding pump
- You are regional, on tank water with an electric pump, and outages last days
- You run a business or livestock operation that fails without power
- You have already done water, light, radio, food and communications
A generator does not make sense if:
- The goal is keeping the fridge cold for a six-hour outage. An esky and frozen bottles do that for $60
- It is the first thing you are buying
- You have nowhere outdoors to run it safely — which rules out most apartments
- You will not test it, store fuel safely, or service it
What most households should buy instead: a $30 power bank, a $20 battery radio, a $20 headlamp, an esky, and water. Total under $150, no fuel, no fumes, no maintenance. Detail in Emergency Kits.
The middle option worth knowing about is a battery power station. Silent, indoor-safe, no exhaust, and large models will run a CPAP overnight or a small fridge for hours. More expensive per watt than petrol, and for many households the better answer precisely because it removes the carbon monoxide problem entirely.
Carbon monoxide: the rules
- Outdoors only. Not in a garage, shed, carport, under an eave, or on an enclosed balcony.
- Several metres clear of any opening — windows, doors, vents, and the evaporative cooler intake.
- Never inside with a door open. CO accumulates in enclosed spaces regardless.
- Downwind of the house where you can arrange it.
- A CO alarm indoors is cheap and worth having if you own a generator, a gas heater or a wood fire.
- Symptoms look like a bad day: headache, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion. If more than one person in a house has them at once, get everyone outside and call 000.
Electrical safety: the rules
Never backfeed. Plugging a generator into a power point or wiring it into the switchboard without a transfer switch pushes power back through your wiring and out into the network. It endangers lineworkers and neighbours on the same transformer, and it is illegal in most of Australia.
The two legal ways to use one:
- Plug appliances directly into the generator with heavy-duty extension leads. This is what most households should do.
- Have a licensed electrician install a changeover or transfer switch, which physically isolates your house from the grid before the generator connects. This is the only lawful way to power house circuits.
Other rules:
- Keep extension leads short — under about 20 metres — to limit voltage drop, and use leads rated for the load.
- Use an RCD (safety switch) between generator and appliances.
- Never run leads through water, and do not operate a generator in the rain without a proper cover designed for it.
- Dry hands, dry ground.
- Do not overload it. Add up the running watts of what you are plugging in, and remember motors — fridges, pumps — draw several times their running load at startup.
Sizing, briefly
Work out running watts first, then add headroom for startup surge.
| Load | Rough running watts |
|---|---|
| LED lights, phone chargers, laptop | 100–300 |
| Fridge or freezer | 150–400 running, much higher at startup |
| CPAP | 30–90 |
| Microwave | 800–1,200 |
| Water pump | 500–1,200 running, high surge |
| Kettle, toaster, heater | 1,500–2,400 |
A 2,000 W inverter generator covers lights, phones, a fridge and a CPAP comfortably. Anything with a heating element eats a generator’s entire capacity, so plan to run those one at a time or not at all.
Inverter generators are quieter, more fuel-efficient at low load, and produce cleaner power — which matters for laptops, CPAPs and anything with electronics.
Fuel and storage
- Store fuel in approved containers, outside the house, away from ignition sources, and never in the car cabin.
- Petrol ages. Six months is a reasonable rotation, or use a stabiliser.
- Store the generator with fuel considerations in mind — either drained, or with fresh stabilised fuel and the tap off.
- Start it every three months and run it under load for ten minutes. A generator that has sat for two years usually will not start on the night you need it.
- Keep a funnel, spare oil, and a spark plug spanner with it, plus the manual.
What actually goes wrong
It runs in the garage. The single most lethal mistake, and people do it because of rain or noise.
It gets plugged into a power point. Illegal, and dangerous to people you will never meet.
It has never been started. Two years in a shed, and then it will not go.
It is undersized, so it trips constantly, or oversized, so it burns fuel to power three LED bulbs.
No fuel stored, and the servo has no power either.
Leads are too long or too light, causing voltage drop and heat.
It is left running unattended overnight near an open window.
It is stolen. They are attractive, portable and often left running in the open. Chain it.
Thresholds
| Situation | The rule |
|---|---|
| Location | Outdoors, several metres from any window, door or vent. Never a garage |
| Connecting to the house | Only via a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician |
| Appliances | Plugged directly into the generator, through an RCD |
| Extension leads | Rated for the load, under about 20 metres |
| Sizing | Sum running watts, then allow for startup surge on motors |
| Maintenance | Start and run under load every three months |
| Fuel | Approved containers, stored outside, rotated every six months |
| Anyone with CO symptoms | Everyone outside, call 000 |
| Rain | Only under a cover designed for the unit |
What it costs
| Tier | Spend | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Instead of a generator | ~$150 | Power bank, headlamp, battery radio, esky and frozen bottles, water. Covers most household outages |
| Battery power station | ~$600–2,500 | Silent, indoor-safe, runs a CPAP overnight or a fridge for hours. The right answer for most power-dependent households |
| Portable inverter generator, 2 kW | ~$700–1,500 | Plus leads, an RCD, fuel containers and a cover. Outdoor use only |
| Transfer switch installation | ~$800–2,500 | The only lawful way to power house circuits. Licensed electrician, permanent |
| Larger standby generator | $5,000+ | Farms, businesses, and homes where days-long outages are routine |
The drill: the three-monthly ten minutes
If you own one:
- Check the oil, then start it.
- Run it under load for ten minutes — plug in a kettle or a heat gun, something real.
- Confirm the RCD trips when tested.
- Check the fuel date. Rotate anything older than six months.
- Walk out the safe position — where exactly it goes, how far from which window, and where the lead runs. Show someone else in the household.
- Read the CO rules out loud to whoever else might set it up. That person is the one who will do it while you are at work.
Frequently asked questions
Can I plug a generator into a power point to run my house?
No. Backfeeding through a power point or switchboard is illegal in most of Australia and can electrocute lineworkers and neighbours on the same transformer. Plug appliances directly into the generator, or have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch.
Is it safe to run a generator in the garage with the door open?
No. Carbon monoxide accumulates in garages and enclosed spaces even with the door open, and it gives no warning. Generators run outdoors only, several metres clear of any window, door or vent.
What size generator do I need?
Add up the running watts of what you actually need and allow for startup surge on anything with a motor. A 2,000 W inverter generator handles lights, phones, a fridge and a CPAP; anything with a heating element consumes most of a small generator on its own.
Do most households need a generator?
No. Water, light, a radio, a power bank and food cover most outages for under $150. A generator earns its place mainly when someone depends on mains power for a medical device, or in regional areas with long outages.
Is a battery power station better than a generator?
For most households, yes. It is silent, safe to use indoors, needs no fuel and has no exhaust — which removes the carbon monoxide risk entirely. It costs more per watt and will not run heating elements for long.
How often should I start my generator?
Every three months, under real load, for about ten minutes. Generators that sit unused for years routinely fail to start on the night they are needed.