Generators should be placed at a distance from homes to keep fumes away.
“You want to put them out far enough that the fumes can’t escape into the house through open doors, windows or crawl spaces,” said Jerry Heil, owner of Heil Brothers Lawn and Garden Equipment in Kettering.
Heil also said people should make sure there’s no gas left in the generator when it’s stored . There’s a danger remaining fumes may mix with the open flame of a water heater or furnace.
Carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that can neither be seen nor smelled, often is called an “invisible killer.” Generators also should never run indoors, or in garages.
In 2011, Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Timothy Hall and his wife, Molly, were found dead in their garage on Preble County Line Road in German Twp. Their home had been without power, and Germantown police said the couple had been running a generator in the garage.
Investigators said there was a problem with the generator. When Timothy Hall checked on it, he was overcome by fumes. His wife then went to went to check on him, and she also was poisoned.
Experts also recommend that children stay away from generators and that the generator has five feet of open space around it at all times.
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