An emergency generator can be useful during a power outage. It can also be dangerous! If not properly installed, an emergency generator may feed power back into utility lines connected to your home, farm or business. This can be very dangerous, or even fatal, to service crews working on those lines.
If you use a generator during an outage, carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions. To keep your family safe, if your generator is to be hooked directly into your home's electrical system, be sure to use a licensed electrician to do the work. The electrician knows how to connect the generator to your wiring system to meet electrical code and safety requirements. If you use an emergency generator, be sure to call GUC at 252-551-1582 with its location and use.
Customers using generators should make sure their wiring system is disconnected from Greenville Utilities' system before operating the generator. When using a portable generator, make sure the main circuit breaker in your electric service panel box is in the OFF position. If you have a fuse box instead of breakers, pull out the main block, remove the fuses and reinsert the empty block. This is necessary to prevent your generator's electricity from going back into GUC's system, which could endanger the lives of line crews and your neighbors. It's also required by the National Electrical Code.
Generator exhaust is deadly, so be sure the area is properly ventilated.
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