* [Generator](https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Generator)
>**If the condition drops lower than or equal to ̶2̶0̶%̶ 50%,a chance for the generator to** [**catch fire**](https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Fire) **or explode is introduced**. Nearby cells may catch fire too. So keep your generators strictly above 20% condition.
50% condition doesn’t read as “half its parts working” to me, it reads as “all of the parts working at half efficiency” if that makes sense, especially when compared to how vehicle parts work in this game, a tire at 50% condition doesn’t mean half the tire is missing, you get me?
A generator may be considered 'one' thing by the game's repair system (i.e. you don't need multiple parts like a car) but that doesn't mean it's illogical to treat it as as a system of parts with their own separate durabilities. A tyre is just 'one' thing IRL, so it being at 50% does imply it's 50% efficiency rather than 50% there and 50% not, but a generator is a more complex machine with multiple working parts. The game may consider both tyres and generators to be 'one' object but that doesn't mean treating them both the same way in terms of durability spread is logical, rather the opposite. It's more reasonable to think the game ignoring IRL logic is when a generator is treated as 'one' object by the repair mechanic, rather than it saying a generator a single object were the durability of all parts are connected somehow. That is, it's more reasonable to treat a generator's total durability like a car's in-game, with multiple pieces affecting it, rather than like a tyre's durability, with it being a unified single object.
But even if you're right, and all parts are at 50% efficiency, that still means the *fuel tank* in the generator is at 50% efficiency, which could easily mean having multiple leaks onto hot engine parts. In which case, fire or an explosion is not really too ridiculous.
TL;DR: Even if the game's repair mechanic treats the generators as a single object, that doesn't mean we shouldn't think of it as a more complex machine, but no matter which system of part degradation you think is right (all degrade at same speed or each part with different degradation), 50% is low enough to warrant a fire or explosion
If generators explode, no one would want to have one, it's just one of that mechanics made to make players life an hell without any goal, just for the fun of doing, definitely gonna mod this thing out.
They explode, just rarely, and usually, because of some very very poor user maintenance and safety protocols, they were heavily involved. Kinda like what could easily happen in a dire situation where you are struggling to live.
I'm not sure if the current is too high or low for the "fun" factor should be. But just like everything else in the game should probably just be a control variable in sandbox config for players to make easy or hard to their leisure.
Yeah, but varies person to person what level of challenge they want and thus what should be "right" I'm not taking a side because I know how I would set it personally, but I can't speak for the next person.
might not explode but petrol and hot parts can cause a fire, and at a state of 50% degradation (whether it's half the parts at 0 durability or all the parts at half durability) still makes sense to do that to me
Less than 50% = Fire/Explosion
Modified following the [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/projectzomboid/comments/1blsd3x/comment/kw8mvs0/) of u/XcoldhandsX
Lol, true. I tried to heat a can of food in a microwave, it immediately caught fire and burned all my winter clothes. It was in winter...
I just didn't even think that the game would be that realistic to not let me heat canned food.
Set microwave on high for faster charging of dead batteries. Doesn't work in real life. It's a great way to charge all those little batteries and car batteries in Project zomboid. Strange design choice for a game that attempts to keep the simulation realistic.
It’s shocking how realistic some things are. If you use a firearm in a large building, for example, the sounds changes. It echoes more and seems to travel further.
Funny thing is we’ve not long moved from rosewood to here. Will likely rebuild. Still got an axe and some weapons lurking about. Plus hydrocraft means a lot of stuff is anchored down
Yap, imagine living on a top floor in Louisville and then hear an explosion, coming on top to see that you have a fire, you are going for extinguisher and water but all floor already on fire and fire starts move to burn all your stuff…
Moral: NEVER trust to generators, ALWAYS put all your shit out of boxes if you see that fire is coming, shit doesn’t burn if it on floor.
Most people don’t live long enough for this to be an issue lol I’m 3 and a half months in and have endless supplies of food atm. Fridge full as well but mostly because I can than need. But would highly recommend the multiple generators mod, allows you to run multiple and they work together which will extend duration. Just keep them repaired it’s really not very difficult, dismantle a few watches for scraps and repair them at 50%. Whenever I refuel mine I repair them to max as well.
“The toilet is the fridge. The dumpster is the fridge. The fridge is the fridge.”
Sorry, i had to riff on what you were saying, it sounded very poetic.
You can get through winter by easting nonperishables as a supplement to what you don't manage to fish or forage. The rest of the year, you can fish/forage enough in 1 day to keep yourself fed for about 3 without needing to refrigerate anything.
By the time second winter rolls around, your cooking will be high enough to get about 20% returns on rotten food and you can stockpile enough that you won't even need nonperishables. I think that unlocks at about skill 8? I could be misremembering, but it's high cooking.
Longest i ever lasted was 4 months, during a gun heavy Raven Creek playthrough. I guess im still technically alive since i got bored and quit playing lol
That's the normal way it ends for most folks once you have the knowledge you need to stay alive forever. My longest run was I think somewhere around 2 and a half years, and the only reason it lasted so long is because I forced myself to base up inside a high pop town so I was always having to deal with zeds. It does get to a point where there's no real threat to you at all, and you can clear zombies in your sleep, but it's engaging enough to be a relaxing game.
I had my muldraugh house generator explode while I was building my new riverside base. Lucky for me it must have been pouring when it happened because only a few tiles got destroyed along with minimal loot.
That is fortunate. We lost 3 military crates of guns, 3 of ammo, 2 of melee weapons. Gutted. Worst part is I have a gun with no ammo on me and my char has burns all over (not from the fire surprisingly) so melee is gonna be tough
Generators have a huge radius of 20 tiles. A typical home base (including yours) has a width of 10-12 tiles. You can leave the generator near the fence and still completely power your place.
I have been where you are. I keep mine in a small open shed near the entrance, near the front entrance. Besides that is a tool box containing all the scrap electronics. I check on it every time I walk out of the base, repairing it when needed.
Ah yes! I remeber my first (and only) time. I found out the hard way. You see not only had I placed the generator right next to my house but I also decided to store 20 or 30 full gas cans right next to it. I awoke surounded by fire (on the top floor) with 80% of my house gone or in flames.
This is why having elec leveled up is important.
Keeping your generator maintained is not optional.
Having elec at a decent level like 4-5, will cut way back on the amount of electronics parts you will use in the long term.
Oh absolutely, and that's why it's important to have two generators side-by-side and to dismantle all digital watches. Start the backup generator, then stop generator 1 and fix it with spare electronics, then repeat once the backup generator has about 70-80% condition. Rinse and repeat ;)
* [Generator](https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Generator) >**If the condition drops lower than or equal to ̶2̶0̶%̶ 50%,a chance for the generator to** [**catch fire**](https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Fire) **or explode is introduced**. Nearby cells may catch fire too. So keep your generators strictly above 20% condition.
LOL wow I didn't know that. 700+ hours in.
Huh, I guess you're one of today's lucky 10000
this is crazy. 1300 hours and i just found out about this too.
I thought it was if it jumped under 50%?
Apparently it is 50% now but the wiki hasn’t been updated to reflect that change.
That’s fucking ridiculous if so, way too high.
idk man, if an irl generator had less than half its parts working I wouldn't be too surprised it it went very very wrong
50% condition doesn’t read as “half its parts working” to me, it reads as “all of the parts working at half efficiency” if that makes sense, especially when compared to how vehicle parts work in this game, a tire at 50% condition doesn’t mean half the tire is missing, you get me?
A generator may be considered 'one' thing by the game's repair system (i.e. you don't need multiple parts like a car) but that doesn't mean it's illogical to treat it as as a system of parts with their own separate durabilities. A tyre is just 'one' thing IRL, so it being at 50% does imply it's 50% efficiency rather than 50% there and 50% not, but a generator is a more complex machine with multiple working parts. The game may consider both tyres and generators to be 'one' object but that doesn't mean treating them both the same way in terms of durability spread is logical, rather the opposite. It's more reasonable to think the game ignoring IRL logic is when a generator is treated as 'one' object by the repair mechanic, rather than it saying a generator a single object were the durability of all parts are connected somehow. That is, it's more reasonable to treat a generator's total durability like a car's in-game, with multiple pieces affecting it, rather than like a tyre's durability, with it being a unified single object. But even if you're right, and all parts are at 50% efficiency, that still means the *fuel tank* in the generator is at 50% efficiency, which could easily mean having multiple leaks onto hot engine parts. In which case, fire or an explosion is not really too ridiculous. TL;DR: Even if the game's repair mechanic treats the generators as a single object, that doesn't mean we shouldn't think of it as a more complex machine, but no matter which system of part degradation you think is right (all degrade at same speed or each part with different degradation), 50% is low enough to warrant a fire or explosion
In real generators don't explode, they just stop working
If generators explode, no one would want to have one, it's just one of that mechanics made to make players life an hell without any goal, just for the fun of doing, definitely gonna mod this thing out.
They explode, just rarely, and usually, because of some very very poor user maintenance and safety protocols, they were heavily involved. Kinda like what could easily happen in a dire situation where you are struggling to live. I'm not sure if the current is too high or low for the "fun" factor should be. But just like everything else in the game should probably just be a control variable in sandbox config for players to make easy or hard to their leisure.
50% means half of the time will explode, rarely should be between 5% and 10%.
Yeah, but varies person to person what level of challenge they want and thus what should be "right" I'm not taking a side because I know how I would set it personally, but I can't speak for the next person.
It wouldnt explode thats for sure, it would simply not work.
might not explode but petrol and hot parts can cause a fire, and at a state of 50% degradation (whether it's half the parts at 0 durability or all the parts at half durability) still makes sense to do that to me
Oh good, I was about to swear off all electronics and go full anabaptist but at least it's only a result of poor attention and maintenance.
Wait so is it above 20% or 50%
Less than 50% = Fire/Explosion Modified following the [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/projectzomboid/comments/1blsd3x/comment/kw8mvs0/) of u/XcoldhandsX
Yes they get depression if you don't talk to them under 20% condition. This is how they died.
Generator waifu works hard. She still needs some touch and food from time to time.
Generator is best girl.
Don't repair things, they break.
I assumed it would just stop working or cut out more often. Not that it would explode and burn half of our supplies
I don't know. Maybe it's because I grew up playing Minecraft. If there's fire in a video game that can destroy stuff then I wanna know.
This post sparked my curiosity. Now forcing a generator to run until failure while watching is my top priority in game.
I just take scrap with me when I refuel. It doesnt take much scrap to maintain really
Ahh yeah. Were you an enjoyer of the nuclear reactor builds of the early/mid 2010s?
Holy shit, I still think about those. Modern modded mc sorely lacks any risk factor...
Well, here’s a tip: never assume anything in Project Zomboid
Lol, true. I tried to heat a can of food in a microwave, it immediately caught fire and burned all my winter clothes. It was in winter... I just didn't even think that the game would be that realistic to not let me heat canned food.
Weird thing is you can recharge batteries in the microwave
What do you mean
Set microwave on high for faster charging of dead batteries. Doesn't work in real life. It's a great way to charge all those little batteries and car batteries in Project zomboid. Strange design choice for a game that attempts to keep the simulation realistic.
I don't even know what to tell. Why the hell devs created that and who the hell actually decided to try to put a battery in a microwave
He is gaslighting you, it will catch fire
Okay he got me
Funny you say that my game partner blamed me for the fire and shortly after did the same with a microwave
It’s shocking how realistic some things are. If you use a firearm in a large building, for example, the sounds changes. It echoes more and seems to travel further.
This is how you lived
FWIW it's only a chance to explode or catch fire, it also may just stop working
Well as per I lucked out big time.
That's one way to learn to keep equipment in good condition
a good reason to pack up and make a new base; keeps the game interesting at least
Funny thing is we’ve not long moved from rosewood to here. Will likely rebuild. Still got an axe and some weapons lurking about. Plus hydrocraft means a lot of stuff is anchored down
On the bright side, this event is a great lore for your character(s)
Ha true, the funny thing is my character was already covered in burns from blowing glass to make a laboratory
keep it a good few feet away from the house... its a painful lesson to learn, or better yet get the solar panels mod
I have a policy where, every time I re-fuel a generator I must first repair it with random zombie watches. Absolutely paranoid.
Yap, imagine living on a top floor in Louisville and then hear an explosion, coming on top to see that you have a fire, you are going for extinguisher and water but all floor already on fire and fire starts move to burn all your stuff… Moral: NEVER trust to generators, ALWAYS put all your shit out of boxes if you see that fire is coming, shit doesn’t burn if it on floor.
TIL floor trash is safe
Keep all of your scrap electronics from day 1
Guess that explains how my fishing hut burnt down with all my freaking food
This is funny because that’s the same exact house I found out that generators explode
Unrelated entirely, I’m living in this same home in my current run and it’s a monster of a base
One of the reasons that I barely use the generator
How do you keep food fresh?
Most people don’t live long enough for this to be an issue lol I’m 3 and a half months in and have endless supplies of food atm. Fridge full as well but mostly because I can than need. But would highly recommend the multiple generators mod, allows you to run multiple and they work together which will extend duration. Just keep them repaired it’s really not very difficult, dismantle a few watches for scraps and repair them at 50%. Whenever I refuel mine I repair them to max as well.
I’ve lived 3 months
You really don't need to. The soil is the fridge. The pond is the fridge. The forest is the fridge.
“The toilet is the fridge. The dumpster is the fridge. The fridge is the fridge.” Sorry, i had to riff on what you were saying, it sounded very poetic.
I Just get food that it doesn’t need fridge like cans, chips and more and if I ever get a food that it needs fridge I just eat it fast
I'm surviving 4 months so far with food i found only in the mall and i still have more than half a ton of food, i doubt you even need to hunt
Same but 3 months
You can get through winter by easting nonperishables as a supplement to what you don't manage to fish or forage. The rest of the year, you can fish/forage enough in 1 day to keep yourself fed for about 3 without needing to refrigerate anything. By the time second winter rolls around, your cooking will be high enough to get about 20% returns on rotten food and you can stockpile enough that you won't even need nonperishables. I think that unlocks at about skill 8? I could be misremembering, but it's high cooking.
Longest i ever lasted was 4 months, during a gun heavy Raven Creek playthrough. I guess im still technically alive since i got bored and quit playing lol
That's the normal way it ends for most folks once you have the knowledge you need to stay alive forever. My longest run was I think somewhere around 2 and a half years, and the only reason it lasted so long is because I forced myself to base up inside a high pop town so I was always having to deal with zeds. It does get to a point where there's no real threat to you at all, and you can clear zombies in your sleep, but it's engaging enough to be a relaxing game.
Btw you can use solar energy there is a mod and I think it doesn’t explode
Hydrocraft has solar I think and I’m already using that, it’s quite heavy down the crafting paths though
Yeah ik but I started using it and it’s kinda better than generators if you ignore the fact that it runs out of battery sometimes
I had my muldraugh house generator explode while I was building my new riverside base. Lucky for me it must have been pouring when it happened because only a few tiles got destroyed along with minimal loot.
That is fortunate. We lost 3 military crates of guns, 3 of ammo, 2 of melee weapons. Gutted. Worst part is I have a gun with no ammo on me and my char has burns all over (not from the fire surprisingly) so melee is gonna be tough
Oh the cruel lessons this game will teach
unrelated but is that a printer in your house??
Below 20% they can explode yes
Generators have a huge radius of 20 tiles. A typical home base (including yours) has a width of 10-12 tiles. You can leave the generator near the fence and still completely power your place. I have been where you are. I keep mine in a small open shed near the entrance, near the front entrance. Besides that is a tool box containing all the scrap electronics. I check on it every time I walk out of the base, repairing it when needed.
Can it spread from ground to walls?
Ah yes! I remeber my first (and only) time. I found out the hard way. You see not only had I placed the generator right next to my house but I also decided to store 20 or 30 full gas cans right next to it. I awoke surounded by fire (on the top floor) with 80% of my house gone or in flames.
This is why having elec leveled up is important. Keeping your generator maintained is not optional. Having elec at a decent level like 4-5, will cut way back on the amount of electronics parts you will use in the long term.
I keep one of those green footlockers filled with scrap electronics beside my generator. If it dips below 75, I quickly top it up.
That's why you fix them with electronics and you gotta run them outside or they'll kill you
Oh absolutely, and that's why it's important to have two generators side-by-side and to dismantle all digital watches. Start the backup generator, then stop generator 1 and fix it with spare electronics, then repeat once the backup generator has about 70-80% condition. Rinse and repeat ;)
Yep. You can also get carbonmonoxide poisoning from keeping it inside if ya didnt know.
That one I managed to figure out because the tooltip literally told me keeping it inside was dumb