![]() It also provided no tally of reported injuries or death, no estimate of when and how many products had been sold, and no remedy for consumers other than to stop using and discard the cords. Unlike those more common announcements, this bulletin named no manufacturers. Any generator not connected through a transfer switch should be placed at least 20 feet outside the house, with extension cords running into the house to power appliances. Prices with installation can run from $500 to $900. These safely connect a home standby or portable generator to a circuit panel via one cable. Instead of purchasing a male-to-male plug, homeowners should purchase and install transfer switches for their generators. CR recommends a portable generator only if it passes our newly expanded CO safety technology test.Įven if your generator has this potentially lifesaving feature, CR still advises that you follow our longstanding safety guidelines: Always operate a generator a minimum of 20 feet from your house, with the exhaust directed away from any windows, doors, air conditioners, and other structures. When placed inside or too close to a house, they can asphyxiate people and animals. Generators emit odorless carbon monoxide (CO) exhaust. ![]() “The CPSC also highlights that most of the sold cords were fairly short, meaning if one did use them, chances are the generator would be far too close to your home, potentially even inside.” “These are very dangerous, even to people who think they know what they are doing,” he says. Misha Kollontai, an engineer who tests generators for Consumer Reports, underlined the importance of avoiding male-to-male extension cords when hooking up a generator to a home. The ASIN can also be found in the product details section of the listing on Amazon under “Additional Information.” Consumers can find those numbers in the product’s URL bar (typically after the product name and “dp”). The CPSC lists nine of the known Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs) in its warning. The CPSC said the cords were sold in multiple colors and lengths and under various brand names. “Furthermore, these cords do not comply with applicable national safety codes.” In addition, the flow of electric power in the direction reverse to that of the typical flow of power circumvents safety features of a home’s electrical system and can result in a fire.Īnd last, “the short length of some of these cords also encourages the use of a generator near the home, which could create a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning,” the CPSC said. When plugged in on one end, the opposite end has live electricity, which poses a serious risk of shock or electrocution, the CPSC said. The extension cords have three-pronged plugs on each end and are generally used to “back-feed” electricity to a residence during an outage by connecting a portable gas-powered generator to an outlet in the home.
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