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H61-07 · Module 7 of 7 · Pages: 20 · Worksheets: 6
Generators and backup power
Choose a generator and battery backup to match what must keep running, connect them safely, store fuel properly and have a plan for power cuts
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In short
- Generator outdoors only, at least 6 m (20 ft) from windows, doors and vents, exhaust pointing away from the house. Never in a garage, cellar, shed or barn. A battery-powered CO alarm in the house.
- Never into a socket. A generator is connected to the house wiring only through a changeover or transfer switch fitted by a qualified electrician.
- Size it for the essential loads (H61-01) plus starting the biggest motor (pump, fridge: 3–5 times their power).
- Inverter generator for electronics, boilers and shorter cuts; open-frame or diesel for pumps, tools and long cuts.
- Petrol (gasoline) without stabiliser lasts roughly 2–3 months; rotate your stock and keep it out of the house.
What's inside
Chapters
- How often and how long the power goes off
- What must keep running
- Types of generator
- How big a generator
- Carbon monoxide: generators outdoors only
- Connecting to the house: changeover switch, never a socket
- Fuel: how much and how to store it
- Battery backup: UPS, portable power station and car
- Power-cut plan
- Generator maintenance
- Common mistakes
- Printable checklist
Worksheets
- Power and fuel
- Battery backup
- Power-cut plan
- Generator log
- Fuel labels and rotation
- Backup power calendar
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