Is It Okay to Leave a Generator Running All Night?
Not while you're asleep and nobody's watching it. Energex says to turn your generator off at night, and carbon monoxide gives no warning. If you must leave a generator running all night, here's how to do it properly.
What Australian Regulators Say
Energex on Running Overnight
Energex's generator safety advice is blunt. Never leave your generator unattended while it's running, and turn it off at night and when you're away from home. It lists both as ways to cut the risk of fire.
It also says refrigerators may need to run for only a few hours a day to preserve food. So a good run before bed and another first thing in the morning is often enough.
Carbon Monoxide While You Sleep
Petrol and diesel generators give off carbon monoxide. Product Safety Australia says human senses cannot detect it, and early symptoms like headaches, tiredness and dizziness can be mistaken for fatigue or a cold. Asleep, you're even less likely to notice.
It records a Queensland man who died in January 2011 from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generator fumes, while sheltering from Cyclone Yasi.
Energy Safe Victoria says portable generators should never be used indoors or in enclosed areas, because the gas may cause poisoning and asphyxiation very quickly, and death. Product Safety Australia names garages, sheds, tents and caravans among the places not to run one. Our guide to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators goes further.
Noise Curfews and Neighbours
Residential Noise Rules
A generator droning past bedtime can break the rules as well as the peace. In Victoria, the EPA sets prohibited times for residential noise. Equipment with an internal combustion engine shouldn't be heard in a neighbour's home before 7am or after 8pm on weekdays, or before 9am or after 8pm on weekends and public holidays.
The EPA says those times don't apply when you need to use equipment in an emergency. Other states and councils set their own rules, so check yours before a long outage. Energex's advice holds anywhere: generators can be loud, so put yours where it disturbs people least.
National Parks and Campgrounds
Parks are stricter again. Queensland's parks service says generators are not permitted in most parks or forests, and where they are, each camping area has its own noise limits and hours of use.
NSW National Parks allows generators with restrictions in some designated campgrounds, with one generator per group, set closer to your camp than your neighbours'. It notes that some parks have noise curfews that apply to generator use, so check the signage or ask the NPWS office.
Fuel and Refuelling After Dark
Overnight Run Time on One Tank
A small inverter on a light load gets through a night. The Westinghouse iGen2250 runs 11.3 hours at quarter load from 4.7 litres, and the Champion 2.5kVA 11.5 hours at 25% from 4 litres. Push either harder and you'll be up for fuel. Our generator fuel consumption guide has burn rates for bigger units.
Refuelling a Hot Generator
If it does run dry at 2am, don't refuel it hot. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office says to turn it off and let it cool down before refuelling, because fuel spilt on hot engine parts could ignite. Energy Safe Victoria adds that the hot exhaust can ignite spilt fuel, and to put out any naked flames first.
Set out a head torch and a full jerry can before bed, and you won't be fumbling in the dark. For runs that go past one night, see can a portable generator run 24 hours a day.
If It Has to Run All Night
Placement and a Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Sometimes it has to run, like a freezer full of meat in a long outage. Set it up properly first.
Energex says to run your generator outside only, position it away from open windows, including your neighbours', and use a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm that will alert you if levels become dangerously high. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office also says to install one.
For distance, Westinghouse's iGen3750s manual asks for at least 1.8 metres from any building, other equipment or anything combustible, and not near windows, doors or vents. Keep it out of sheds, garages, tents and caravans altogether. Our guide on whether generators can be used indoors explains why.
Quieter Generators and Batteries
A quieter generator makes the night easier on everyone. Westinghouse rates the iGen2250 at 53 dB(A) at quarter load from 7 metres. The Briggs & Stratton P2500 adds CO Guard, which our listing describes as a sensor that cuts the engine before carbon monoxide builds to dangerous levels. It doesn't make indoor use safe. Our roundup of quiet generators compares more.
Or skip the overnight run. Charge a battery or power station while the generator runs in the evening, and let that carry the fridge and lights until morning.
So is it okay to leave a generator running all night? Not unattended. Turn it off at bedtime if you can. If it must run, set it up outside with a carbon monoxide alarm, mind the curfew and refuel it cold.
Want a quieter unit or a battery setup for nights? Ring 03 7056 6732, SMS 0476 330 590, or use the generator finder.
