The cheap things that decide whether it starts
A generator is the expensive purchase, and then it sits in a garage for a year. What determines whether it runs on the night you need it is mostly a $12 bottle of oil and an $18 bottle of stabiliser. This is a short list — everything here is something the guides on this site already tell you to do.
Every item here exists because a guide on this site already tells you to do the thing — change the oil, stabilise the fuel, fit a CO alarm, use the right gauge cable. Each one says which guide, and why. Prices are typical street prices as of July 2026.
Safety
Not optional. Portable generators produce carbon monoxide in quantities that kill people every storm season.
Plug-in with battery backup and a digital PPM readout.
Every guide on this site warns about carbon monoxide, because portable generators kill people every storm season — usually run in a garage, a porch, or too close to an open window. The battery backup matters more than it sounds: a plug-in-only alarm is dead exactly when you're running a generator. The digital readout tells you a level is climbing before the alarm point, which a simple beeper can't.
Maintenance & consumables
The things a generator actually consumes. Cheap, and the reason a stored generator either starts on the night you need it or doesn't.
Straight-30 detergent oil formulated for air-cooled engines.
Our maintenance guide calls for an oil change early in a generator's life to flush break-in metal, then every 50-100 hours of running. In a long outage that's a change every four or five days, so a spare bottle in the kit is the difference between running and waiting for a shop to open. Air-cooled engines run hotter than a car's, which is why straight 30-weight rather than a multigrade.
Treats 80 gallons; keeps fuel usable for up to 24 months.
Untreated gasoline starts degrading within a month or two, and it's the carburettor's tiny jets that varnish shut, not the tank. A generator that won't start after a year in the garage has usually been killed by its own fuel. Stabilise the tank, then shut the fuel valve and run the carb dry for anything longer than a couple of months.
The stock plug for most Honda GX-series and clone engines.
The single cheapest part that stops a generator dead. A spare costs less than a coffee and fits an enormous range of small engines — Honda GX120 through GX390 and the many clones built around them. Check your manual for the right plug before buying; this is the common one, not a universal one.
Connecting it up
Getting power from the generator to the things that need it, without running an extension cord under a door.
10 ft, 10-gauge, twist-lock, rated to 7,500W. ETL listed.
The cord between a generator and a transfer switch has to carry the whole load, and undersized cable is a fire risk that also sags voltage at the appliance. 10-gauge is the right wire for a 30A circuit at this length. This is the cord for a properly installed transfer switch — it is not a way to backfeed a dryer outlet, which is lethal to line workers and illegal nearly everywhere.
Measuring what you use
You can't cut what you can't see. These turn a guess about standby draw into a number.
Plug-through meter reading down to 0.1W.
The honest way to find standby draw instead of estimating it. Plug it between the wall and a device and it shows real watts, running and idle. It pays for itself the first time it finds something pulling 15-20W around the clock that you then switch off — see our standby-power post for what typically turns up.
Wi-Fi switch that also logs consumption over time.
Does what the plug-in meter does, plus it logs over time and can cut power on a schedule — which is what you want for something that draws intermittently, like a printer waking to check for jobs. Worth noting it draws under a watt itself, so it's a net win only on things pulling meaningfully more than that in standby.
Cutting what you use
Things that lower the bill rather than just measure it. Each one only pays off against a load you actually have — the bill estimator works out which apply to you.
Six switched outlets plus one always-on, with surge protection.
The no-configuration answer to standby draw. Cluster the things you use together — TV, soundbar, streaming box — and switch off the ones you aren't using; anything switched off draws exactly nothing. The always-on outlet is for whatever genuinely needs to stay powered, so you aren't choosing between convenience and a DVR that misses recordings.
3″ fiberglass and foil, fits tanks up to 60 gallons.
The DOE puts an insulating blanket at a 25-45% cut in standby heat loss, worth roughly 7-16% of total water-heating cost, and says it typically pays for itself inside a year. Electric tanks only — on a gas heater the loss goes up the flue and a blanket does nothing. Never cover the thermostat, burner access, or the top of a gas unit.
Learns a schedule and backs off when the house is empty.
ENERGY STAR won't certify a smart thermostat that doesn't demonstrate at least 8% savings on heating and cooling in real field data, and Nest's own figures run 10-12% on heating and around 15% on cooling. It only pays against a real heating or cooling load — if your list is a fridge and some lights, this is the wrong purchase.
Frequently asked questions
How often does a portable generator need an oil change?
Early in its life — 5 to 20 hours per most manuals — to flush break-in metal, then every 50 to 100 hours of running or annually, whichever comes first. During a long outage that can mean a change every four or five days of continuous running, so keep spare oil with the generator rather than planning to buy it mid-outage.
Do I really need fuel stabiliser?
For anything stored longer than a month or two, yes. Untreated gasoline degrades and the varnish it leaves blocks the carburettor's jets — that's the usual reason a generator that ran fine last year won't start this year. Stabilise the tank, then shut the fuel valve and run the carburettor dry for multi-season storage.
Where should a carbon monoxide alarm go if I'm running a generator?
Inside the house, near sleeping areas — the alarm protects the people, not the generator. The generator itself belongs well away from the building with its exhaust pointed away from doors, windows and vents. Never run one in a garage, even with the door open. Choose an alarm with battery backup, since a plug-in-only unit is dead during the outage you bought the generator for.
What gauge extension cord do I need for a generator?
For a 30A circuit at typical lengths, 10-gauge. Undersized cable is both a fire risk and a cause of voltage drop that makes motors struggle at the far end. Cord length matters too — the longer the run, the heavier the wire needs to be for the same load.
Prices are approximate street pricing as of July 2026 — check the retailer for current pricing.