Backup generator checklists
Four checklists cover a generator project: pre-purchase (load list and sizing), hiring (license, permits, written scope), safety (20-foot placement, CO alarms, never backfeed), and maintenance (oil at about 100 hours, filters and plugs at a year or 100 hours, professional service every two years or 200 hours).
Before you buy: list every circuit that must stay live. Add the running watts, add the single largest starting surge, and target a unit that will sit at no more than about 90 percent of capacity. Get quotes for both an essentials system and whole-home so you can see the price of the upgrade.
Before you hire: confirm the license, confirm the contractor pulls both the electrical and gas permits in their name, and get a written scope naming the exact model, the transfer switch, the pad, the covered circuits and who handles the utility meter question. Permits typically run $50-$200 each and should be itemized.
Before you run a portable: outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages. Working CO alarms with battery backup on every level. Heavy-duty cords. Engine cool before refueling. Never into a wall outlet.
On a schedule: oil roughly every 100 hours, air filter and spark plug at about a year or 100 hours, professional service every two years or 200 hours, weekly exercise cycle confirmed, battery load-tested.
Choosing backup generators checklists
The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.
- Do the load list before you talk to anyone Walking into a sales conversation with a circuit list is the single best defense against being upsold two size classes.
- Verify the license on the state board, not a photo Search the license number yourself and check the name matches the company on your invoice.
- Make the permit list part of the contract Electrical permit, gas permit, inspections scheduled, all in the contractor's name. Two permits at $50-$200 each is the norm.
- Buy the CO alarms in the same order as the generator Ready.gov recommends detectors with battery backup on every level of the home. Don't let this be a follow-up purchase.
- Log every service visit Hour meter reading, date, work done. It's what makes a warranty claim straightforward instead of a fight.
All backup generators checklists
Backup Generators Pre-Project Checklist
Backup Generators Hiring Checklist
Backup Generators Maintenance Checklist
Backup Generators Safety Checklist
Where these figures come from
Sources last checked
- Bob Vila - How Big of a Generator Do I Need? · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Bob Vila - Generator Maintenance · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Bob Vila - Whole-House Generator Cost · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Ready.gov - Power Outages: Generator Safety · retrieved 2026-07-26
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