Generator Problems

In anticipation of the winter season with the occasional power outages here on the island,we purchased a generator. This looked like a simple proposition. We got a bid from the local Home Depot to install a standby generator with a direct connection to our natural gas line. The estimate was $10,000!!! We decided to pass and purchased instead a portable generator for about $800 which would run off of gasoline. This is the most economical way to go and seems prudent given that power outages rarely last more than a day, although Oak Harbor was 3 days without power last year due to an unprecedent storm event.
Well, the generator arrived and looked pretty good. I was anxious to give it a go, especially since the house is prewired to run a portable generator. Theoretically, we just needed to start the engine, plug it in and turn on the lights. So, Saturday was experiment day. I asked our home teacher to come over and walk us through the process. He is an electrical engineer and has considerable experience. We got everything set up and I turned on the machine. First, we didn't have any power although the generator was running nicely. We noticed we had forgotten to turn on a switch for the circuit breaker. When we flipped that switch, electricity started to flow...but only in fits and starts. The lights flickered and many bulbs went out. We could smell ozone in the bedroom and the refrigerator never went on although it was supposed to be online. Well, the result of this test was disasterous. We fried

15 flourescent light bulbs
3 portable stereos
5 phones
1 DVD/VHS player
1 brand new inkjet printer (a week old)

Ouch!

Fortunately, no damage was done to any of the three computers in the house. The inkjet printer was on a surge protector, but that didn't seem to matter. This whole incident was a bit scary and reminded me of Anna's mishap with the garage-sale lamp. As a precaution, Mom and I will be putting new surge protectors on virtually every socket. And, we have decided we will only use the generator with extension cords so we won't put the whole house at risk when we use it.