Last Tuesday my neighborhood power went out for 14 hours, saw how much people rely on gas generators

We had a storm knock out the grid around 6am. By noon like half the block had their gas generators running. The noise was insane, plus you could smell the fumes everywhere. It got me thinking - we talk a lot about solar and batteries but most folks here don't have any backup except burning gas. Has anyone else noticed how loud and dirty these things are when you're stuck near them for hours?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_wells871mo ago

Did you catch that news piece about the guy who left his generator running in his garage and barely made it out alive? I heard it on a podcast a few weeks back, and it stuck with me because people don't realize carbon monoxide just sneaks up on you... especially when it's quiet outside and all the windows are shut. And yeah, the noise is brutal, our neighbor's one sounded like a lawnmower having a bad day, and the smell hung around for days after.

alice_palmer201mo ago

Wow, I totally used to think generators were no big deal as long as you vented them a bit. But that story really opened my eyes, especially since CO is completely odorless and you wouldn't even know it's filling up the garage. Have you double-checked your own smoke detectors lately, or got a separate CO alarm for peace of mind?

johnson.daniel2d ago

Yeah, quiet killers are the worst kind.