When making a high dollar investment, especially one that is going to sit outdoors like a generator, one of the concerns is how susceptible it is to theft.

Now if you have a portable generator, it is going to be a bit easier for a thief to take. If the generator is running, however, the thief is most likely going to get caught before they get away with it. If it is sitting outside and is not running, then they could make a clean getaway.

A permanent standby generator, however, is too large for someone to take off with. It is a permanently mounted unit with the components secured within a casing. It is large like an air conditioning unit, so it is not as appealing to thieves.

While it is possible for a thief with the right tools to remove a panel and take a component of the unit, it’s a type of theft that takes some time. If you have neighbors or you are home, a thief is about as likely to take something from your generator as they are to take something from your central air conditioning unit. As you may know, a thief stealing a part from your A/C unit is not very likely.

In fact, you can go online and look up “generator theft” on Google and find that the most common type of generator theft is the theft of portable units. Any sort of theft involving a permanent standby unit is very far and in between in the news reports and that’s very good. That means you can remain confident that your unit is going to be untouched. If you have your property secured in some way, such as fencing, then the security is even greater.

If you don’t have a fence around your property, some individuals have had chain link fencing installed around their generators to protect them from any sort of vandalism. If you want that additional security, chain link fencing is ideal for the fact that the intake isn’t blocked and the generator can properly emit exhaust.

All in all, how secure or not secure you want your generator to be is entirely up to you. While stealing parts from or vandalizing permanently mounted generators is rare, it is up to you how secure you want it to be because it is your investment. Plus, you know what it is like in your neighborhood. If theft or vandalism is prevalent in your neighborhood, yet you don’t want that to interfere with you having the convenience of a standby generator, looking into additional security options could benefit you.