Renting a generator for a power shutoff

Book early

Planned shutoffs come with a warning, and that warning goes to everyone on the same circuits at once. The hours after it are the hardest time to find a unit. If you live in a high-fire-risk area — canyons, foothills, back country — reserve before the season or as soon as the first watch is announced.

What size for a house

• 20 kW: fridge, freezer, a well pump, lights, internet, a window AC or a gas furnace. Most houses.
• 36 kW: the same plus central air, or a house and a detached shop or ADU.

Send us a photo of your main panel and a list of what must run. Or add it up yourself →

The connection: an electrician and a transfer switch

This is the part that cannot be skipped. A towable generator connects to the house through a transfer switch, or a breaker interlock with a generator inlet, installed by a licensed electrician. Either one makes it impossible for the generator to send power back into the utility line, which can injure line workers and damage the generator when the power returns.

• If your house already has an inlet or a transfer switch, the electrician connects the cable and you are running in minutes.
• If it has neither, the electrician installs one — usually a half-day job. Do it before the season.
• Never "backfeed" through a dryer outlet with a double-ended cord. It is illegal and dangerous.

For a fridge and a few lamps only, extension cords from the generator's own outlets work without any wiring.

Fuel for a multi-day outage

An outage generator runs day and night. A 20 kW unit at a typical house load uses roughly 25 to 35 gallons of diesel a day; its tank lasts about two days. For anything longer we plan a refill. Fuel use by size →

Placement and noise

Driveway or side yard, level, a few feet clear on every side, exhaust away from your windows and your neighbor's. Rental units are sound-attenuated — about as loud as a conversation at 20 feet — but at night it helps to point the exhaust side away from bedrooms.

Questions