How Close Can a Generator Be to Your House?
Manuals say at least 1 to 1.8 metres, and well clear of windows and doors. So how close can a generator be to your house? Australian regulators we checked don't set a number, so here's who says what.
Minimum Distances in Generator Manuals
The closest figures you'll find are in the owner's manuals. They don't agree, so here's the spread across brands we stock.
| Manual | Minimum distance | Measured from |
|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse iGen, Australian manual | 1.8 m | Any building, other equipment or combustible material, and not near windows, doors or vents |
| Briggs & Stratton P2200, Australian manual | 1.5 m | Any structure, overhang, tree, window, door, wall opening, or shrub or plant over 30.5 cm tall |
| Champion 2500W, US manual (model 201490) | 1.5 m | Combustible materials and all objects, with 91.4 cm clear on every side for cooling |
| Welling & Crossley WC-P3200Si manual | 1 m | All sides, and any combustible material |
Why the Manual Numbers Are a Floor
Those distances are mostly about heat. Champion's manual says heat from the muffler and exhaust gas can ignite combustible objects. Briggs & Stratton says exhaust heat and gases could ignite combustibles or structures.
Carbon monoxide is a separate problem, and the manuals treat it that way. Westinghouse, Briggs & Stratton, Champion and Welling & Crossley all say use the generator outside and far away from windows, doors and vents. None of them puts a number on far away.
Clearance All the Way Around
The distance to your house is one side of it. The generator also needs air on every side and nothing overhanging it. We cover that in how much space you need around a generator.
What Australian Regulators Say About Distance
Windows, Doors and Vents
Ausgrid says operate your generator outside only, in a well-ventilated area, and keep it away from doors, windows and vents. Victoria's health department says generators must only be operated in a well-ventilated outdoor area away from open windows and vents.
Energy Safe Victoria adds the direction. Make sure the exhaust isn't blowing back into the house.
Your Neighbours' Windows
Energex says position your generator away from open windows, including those of your neighbours. On a suburban block, the bedroom window next door can be closer to your generator than any of yours.
Noise carries over the fence too. Inverter listings usually quote noise at 7 metres, and our Champion 2.5kVA is rated 53 dBA at seven metres. That gives you a feel for what next door hears at that distance.
The US 6 Metre Guideline
The only public health figure we found is American. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says use generators outside, more than 20 feet (about 6 metres) from your home, doors and windows. It's the same 20 feet that turns up in the 20-20-20 rule for generators.
It isn't Australian guidance, but it's a sensible target when your block has the room.
Placing a Generator at Home
Suburban Backyard in a Blackout
Say the power's out and you're running the fridge and a few lights. Put the generator down the yard on firm, level ground (see what a generator should sit on), with the exhaust pointing away from the house. Briggs & Stratton's manual says place it downwind and point the exhaust away from occupied spaces.
Then check the windows. If the generator has ended up near yours or the neighbour's, move it.
Narrow Side Passage
The side path between the house and the fence is sheltered and out of sight, which is why generators end up there. If the gap is narrower than your manual's minimum, it's no place for a generator. A bathroom window or eave vent along that wall rules it out anyway.
Running Leads Into the House
The lead is often what drags a generator closer. Briggs & Stratton's Australian manual warns that extension cords running directly into the home increase your risk of carbon monoxide poisoning through openings. The door or window you leave ajar for the lead is one of those openings.
Use a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated lead long enough to keep the distance. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office says the lead should be rated in watts or amps at least equal to the connected appliance loads. Don't give up distance to suit a short lead.
So how close can a generator be to your house? No closer than your manual's minimum, which runs from 1 m to 1.8 m across the brands above, and far enough that exhaust can't reach a window, door or vent, yours or the neighbours'. If the block allows, aim for the US 6 metres, and put a battery carbon monoxide alarm inside, as Energex recommends.
Never bring it into a garage with the door open, and if rain's the worry, see can I put a tarp over my generator.
If you're choosing a generator for home backup, the generator finder narrows it down. Or talk it through with us on 03 7056 6732, or SMS 0476 330 590.
