ROCK, W. Va. -With the recent weather events, some people are turning to generators to keep the lights on. But be careful; Lee Lewis, the chief operating officer for Mister Sparky says he sees people making the same dangerous and potentially deadly mistakes with generators.
One of the biggest deadly mistakes he’s seen: keeping generators inside or in a poorly ventilated space like a garage which could result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
If used properly, a generator shouldn’t sound like a struggling car and should last you through many power outages.
“It’s all dependent upon the maintenance. If you take care of a generator, if you maintenance it properly, then the generator should last a very long time. We see generators that are thirty years old, but they’ve been maintenanced properly,” says Lewis
To maintain your generator, make sure you change oil, air filters, and spark plugs as needed. If you know how, you can do those things yourself, or you can get someone else to do them.
However, anything beyond that should be done by a professional, including setting up the generator to begin with. Ignoring that advice may cost you more in the long run and could even cost your life.
“One of the main side effects and potential hazards, because it’s not just a side effect, it is truly a hazard to their home, is if you connect it improperly, then you could burn up any equipment: TVS, any electrical equipment inside your home, you could potentially burn those up, and, not only is it expensive to replace those, but it could be a safety hazard while that’s happening,” says Lewis.
Lewis says they are very busy during this winter weather, but they have the staff to help those who have questions or need help with their generators day or night.
Mister Sparky employees are available twenty-four hours a day for those needing their generators set up. Lewis encourages people in need of assistance to give them a call.
Copyright 2025 WVVA. All rights reserved.