Home » Blog » Troubleshooting Generator Tripping Last Updated February 23, 2024 The storm is coming, and this time you’re prepared. You’ve got your stockpile of food and water, a portable generator and a supply of fuel to get you through a week with no power. You start up your generator, plug in your refrigerator and … the generator trips. You turn off your generator and reset the “breaker”, restart and five minutes later the power is out again. This is an especially frustrating scenario for homeowners who are depending on a portable generator as back-up power in an emergency. There are a couple common causes for portable generator tripping, and the solution could be ensuring the power cord is sized correctly for the amperage of the device. What’s Tripping? GFCI vs. Circuit Breaker 101 A GFCI outlet In general, there are two devices that can “trip” (shut off power) on a portable generator – the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacles and the circuit breaker. Both are protec...
