CO safety shutoff
A CO safety shutoff is a built-in carbon monoxide sensor that stops the generator’s engine automatically when CO accumulates around the unit — sold under names like CO-MINDER, CO Shield, CO Guard, and CO Sense. It is a backstop, not a license to run a generator near the house.
Generator engines produce enough carbon monoxide to be lethal in minutes in an enclosed space, and CO poisoning kills dozens of people in the US in a typical year, mostly after storms. Sensors that shut the engine down when concentrations rise appeared across the industry after 2018 CPSC and ANSI/PGMA G300 safety pushes.
The rule the sensor backs up: run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from windows and doors — never in a garage, even with the door open.