An electrician can help make this determination or you can check the manufacturer information for each appliance. Homes in climates that have freezing temperatures need to protect against frozen pipes and the furnace will need to be on emergency power. To save the food in the freezer, the refrigerator will need to be on the system as well as any stand-alone freezer. Homes with well-water will need to have the well pump on the generator system if toilets are to be flushed. It is recommended a qualified electrician install a generator to a home electrical system.
Generators can also cause personal injury.
For example, if a power company employee is working on an electrical line thinking it is not energized and electrical current created by the generator is in the line, shock or electrocution may occur. The key to better safeguards against these dangers is professional installation by a qualified electrician and the installation of a generator transfer switch. Some transfer switches automatically trip to generator power if there is a power failure while others must be switched manually. A transfer switch works by isolating a few of the electrical circuits in the home from the incoming electrical service. If the generator is running and power is restored, the power company's electricity cannot get to those isolated circuits until the generator is turned off and the transfer switch is reset to the non-backup position.