SETX Seniors regularly features Southeast Texas senior safety tips from your friends and neighbors at Entergy Texas.

Today’s SETX Senior Safety tip covers portable generators.

Southeast Texas seniors have weathered a number of deadly hurricanes. Carla, Rita, Ike, and more. There have also been horrible winter ice storms, Spring tornadoes, and other dangerous weather events.

Many of these storms have caused wide spread power outages.

For Southeast Texas seniors, a portable generator can be a life saver- or a killer.

Generators can be a life saver – or a killer. Be safe when using a portable generator.

If you haven’t used a portable generator before, please do consider consulting a local Southeast Texas electrician to make sure everything is hooked up properly to ensure your safety and the safety of your home.

Generators bring power where you need it.

Portable, gasoline-driven generators can be used to bring electricity to construction sites, recreational areas, and other remote locations.

Small appliances, lights, and pumps can be plugged directly into outlets on portable generators.

For Southeast Texas seniors, a portable generator can help run a window unit, your CPAP machine, or keep your frozen food from spoiling.

Transfer switches are essential for backup generators.

In the event of an outage, the only safe way to run electricity through your home wiring with a generator is to use a manual or automatic transfer switch. This switch will isolate your home wiring from power lines so the electricity runs through your home but does not get sent back out onto the lines.

If you do not use a transfer switch, the generator will send electricity back onto power lines. This could suddenly result in a very dangerous situation: a downed line in an area of an outage could become “live” with electricity from the generator, or utility workers who expect certain power lines to be dead due to outage might suddenly find them energized.

Use extension cords safely.

Use only UL-listed, three-prong extension cords with generators. Plug the appliance into the extension cord first, and then plug the extension cord into the generator outlet.

If you use a generator for backup power, make sure it has a transfer switch to disconnect it from power lines. Units without these switches can endanger utility workers.

Entergy Texas is dedicated to Southeast Texas senior safety.

Click here for more tips on Southeast Texas portable generator safety.

If you aren’t sure how to SAFELY install your generator get help from a local electrician.