Best Way to Secure a Portable Generator
Possessing a generator gets you prepared for eventualities. A power outage may happen at any time and the generator can act as an alternative source of electricity to power your various home appliances.
It is one thing to possess a generator and another thing to get it adequately secure so that it will not be stolen or vandalized. Therefore, you want to do your best to secure your generator from thieves.
In the remaining part of this write-up, we will show you some of the many things you can do to prevent the vandalism or theft of your portable generator.
Use short generator cable
You should avoid using an excessively long generator cable to keep your generator safe. When the cable is too long, it makes things very easy for generator thieves to operate while the generator is working.
If the cable is long, the generator thief could have moved a very long distance away before the generator cable gets disconnected.
This means the thief might have gone out of sight before you are able to come out of the house to check what is going on.
It is, therefore, better to keep the generator short so that you can easily detect disconnection fast enough before the thief escapes with your precious generator.
Spread dried leaves around the generator
One other way to prevent the theft of your portable generator is to spread dried leaves around it. Dried leaves make some noise when anybody steps on them.
The noise can alert you if anyone goes too close to your generator. Make sure the leaves are completely dry and also make sure you pour a lot of them around the generator so that they can create adequate sound to alert you of the presence of an intruder, which may be a generator thief.
Properly secure your premises
One other way to forestall the activities of generator thieves is to get your premises well secured. If you have a tall perimeter fence around the place, for example, it can discourage potential generator thieves from accessing your premises.
Even if the thief scales the fence, it will not be easy for him to lift the generator over the fence.
You can successfully discourage a generator thief with the tall perimeter fence. Check around once in a while to know if there are breaches in the fences. You should also repair the fences fast in case they get damaged.
Security cameras can help
One other way to secure your portable generator from a potential generator thief is to install security cameras around your premises.
Make sure also that the security cameras feature an alarm so that you can be alerted if anyone comes too close.
Not all security cameras work with an alarm system; you should bear this in mind when picking the right one to install.
The alarm will send you an alert if there is movement detection around the generator.
The alarm will also not wait until the generator is stolen. The Sounding of the alarm will send the generator thief or vandal to take off, leaving the generator untouched. If the security cameras are installed where they can be seen easily, generator thieves will not even want to operate around there for the fear of being seen.
Some experts think it is better to install the security cameras in a hidden place so that the potential generator thief does not desire the cameras in an attempt to make this operation go undetected.
Keep the generator after use
You should not leave your generator outdoors after use. Once it cools down a bit after you have used it, you should not hesitate to store it in a safe place.
Leaving the generator outdoors when you finish using it can make it a perfect target for potential generator thieves.
Some are even of the opinion that you should not allow it to cool before you put it in a safe place for storage until it is needed another time.
Remove all the wheels
If your generator comes with wheels, you should consider removing the wheels when you want to use them outdoors.
This will make it difficult for a generator thief to move the generator from the spot where it is being used.
If you leave the wheels on, on the other hand, you are only making the job of the generator thief to be very easy.
After removing the wheels, you should place them somewhere safe and far away from the generator.
If you drop the disconnected wheels close to the generator, nothing stops the generator thief from installing the wheels again and rolls the generator away.
Create a shed for the generator
You can even build a house for the generator to keep it secure at all times. When you do this, it is synonymous with creating a permanent spot for the generator.
You can only do this if you are the owner of the property. You can either build the generator house using concrete or metal
When building a house, it is better to use very strong steel rods. This will be very difficult for the potential generator thief to access the generator.
After building the generator house, apply a lock and key to keep it further secure. While building the generator house, you should always make provision for ventilation.
This way, you can switch on the generator without having to remove it from the generator house.
Attach a GPS tracker
One other way to keep your generator permanently secure is to connect a GPS tracker to it. This way, you can monitor the generator anywhere it goes.
Even if the generator thief succeeds in taking away the product, you will be able to easily locate it wherever it is taken. This way, it will be very easy for you to get your generator back after it has been stolen.
All you have to do is to locate it using the tracker. Many of the trackers being made out there today can even be operated using your mobile device.
Trackers have their limits and may not be able to track the generator again if it goes outside that limit. So, you should consider purchasing a GPS tracker with a wide range.
You can rest assured, however, that most generator thieves operate within the neighborhood and can, therefore, be captured by the tracker.
