Thinking Of A Way To Hook Up My Generator

[cord arrow]

Bringing Common Sense to the Common Man

You gotta' be kidding me...chits like you are a dime a dozen...

 

[Labman]

What are you talking about...I have the distinct feeling we are not on the same page...

Very simple. I count 6 slots in that panel in the next post. Hummmmmm. One each for the furnace, freezer, fridge, and 2 for the pump. That leaves one for lights, cooking, etc. Yeah, you will survive that way, but not much else. So no big deal to run a double male cord from a hot circuit to one still connected to the grid and fry a lineman.

With the interlock, my whole panel can either be connected to the grid or the generator. It is fool resistant, you can't have both the back feed breaker and main both on at once. Those transfer panels are expensive and very limited.

I was sure glad I had the interlock last year after Christmas when our power went off. Our daughter and her husband and son were here. In addition to the essentials, we had light in the bedroom and bath they were using and could cook on the microwave and the coffee maker worked. Except for the throbbing generator outside, we could just go on with life.

 

[046]

bottom line is don't half-ass an electrical connection from your genset.
simply not worth the risk of getting a lineman killed.

there's absolutely nothing wrong with running a heavy extension cord into house, then run a feeder to what ever appliances you want to run.

thanks for the link to Generator Interlock kit... any device that makes it impossible to feed both systems at the same time should be fine.

unfortunately my electrical breaker box is too old for an interlock kit to be offered for it.

was planning on wiring in a switcher box, until I found out our neighborhood will be going underground wiring within 1-2 years.

most areas in town with underground wiring almost never get power outages. unless a major substation gets nailed. during the last ice storm that happened... but that's not a common thing.

 

[Labman]

I looked at these too, http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Cont...15-1706043?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1188233360&sr=1-4

They would work for any 100 amp service but mean moving the incoming service.

 

[046]

very unusual that my house is wired for 3 phase power.
one of the very area in town with residential 3 phase.

reason is to run the water tower with fairly large semi-hermetic compressor.

my disconnect will not be a simple one... interconnect solution would have been the best as it uses the existing panel. with addition of lockout.

 

[chowdozer]

I've done it many times when the power has gone out. In fact had the generator running when they were working on fixing a broken line on my property. When they left there were no dead guys left behind.

Maybe linemen are like the military and loggers - they don't leave the dead behind.

Then again I don't cut with chaps either.

Anyway most people are smart enough to turn the main breakers on and off properly. The only problem comes from morons or when someone is messing with someone elses jerry rigging.

I have a 200 amp main shutoff right under the meter. Then from a welding outlet in my garage or shed I can backfeed the house, garage and woodshop simultaneously. Its nice to have lights in all you buildings when the power is out after dark.

The worst part with this method is not knowing when the power comes back on unless you can see your neighbors lights come back on since you are disconnected. I am going to wire up a low wattage light on the meter side of the shutoff so when the power is on it will be easy to tell. I also have one of those new fangled meters with the digital display so the display may tell me when the power is on and I won't ned a light.

All it takes is once. What's the guy's life worth that you kill? Probably your house and every possesion you own after you get done with the lawsuit. Your insurance company is going to leave you standing on that one.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

IF anyone tends/wants to do an install "on the fly" or on the cheep...be prepared to pay the consequences...you should have some type of "procedure" on your panel box to change over to gen power at the least...:deadhorse:

I'm a licensed electrician too, but Cord/Lab have said it all.

 

[treeslayer]

IF anyone tends/wants to do an install "on the fly" or on the cheep...be prepared to pay the consequences...you should have some type of "procedure" on your panel box to change over to gen power at the least...:deadhorse:

I'm a licensed electrician too, but Cord/Lab have said it all.

well said.
120 volts back thru the transformer up to the line is lethal high voltage. separation of line and load is critical. I've seen a lineman hit by a 35kv voltage created by a 9 volt battery in a fluke meter. he was pissed, and lucky.
Having it written down step by step is priceless. and posted clearly.

here's me (middle) turning over the pentagon generator system with the 75 page method of procedure.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

not too far from there...

Having pics taken with badges on is sooo wrong!...PM me, and I'll tell you why!

 

[ssupercoolss]

i think what most people fail to understand is that they need to completly disconnect their house from the rest of the world when backfeeding or even going through a transfer switch. simply shutting off your main does not completly disconnect you. the main only disconnects the hot side of your panel. neutral stays connected. if you have some type of issue in your system, you still can end up sending electricity out of your home and down the wires. i am not the electricity angel here....i will do whatever it takes to keep my sump pump running or the circulator on my boiler. running things from extension cords to your generator outside of your house is really the safest solution. i know it is cool to be the only house on the block with electric when the power is out though.

 

[Labman]

No I did quite a bit of checking including with a master electrician. You must have a system where the hots from the generator are never able to be connected to the power lines. The neutral and ground should be.

There would have to a more than one problem for a generator to energize the neutral or ground. It should have a fat ground cable at the meter. Same thing at the pole where transformer is and any other meters connected to it have their own ground rod.

Extension cords are a nuisance for the fridge and refrigerator, The furnace and pump usually are hard wire in. You could convert them to plugs, but that would get messy.

 

[coppermouse]

I have a twist connector at my ac compressor and a switch to disconnect the compressore. Then I feed through the 22 volt line from the compressor to the main panel. I just cut the main breaker so it won't backfeed and I have power to the house

 

[ssupercoolss]

if anyone needs a generator hooked up to your house, please call Labman's master electrician. make sure you have his number handy for when the lights in your house start to pulse.

 

[Labman]

I have a twist connector at my ac compressor and a switch to disconnect the compressore. Then I feed through the 22 volt line from the compressor to the main panel. I just cut the main breaker so it won't backfeed and I have power to the house

The law assumes some people don't have the good sense to shut the breaker off, and applies to those that do too. If you get caught even with the breaker off, trouble. I spent a ton of time looking at legal ways to do it, and I think the interlock I have is the cheapest, easiest, and best.

 

[coppermouse]

Yeah I have been thinking about getting a transfer switch, I think they are about $130.00, it's one of those things you don't think about till the power goes out.
I also want to get a propane conversion kit for my generator, and then I can run it off my 1000 gallon tank

 

[Rookie1]

My BIL has mchanics truck with welder/generator on it. He went to electric supply and bought manual transfer switch. Put large 220 plug on house. Now when power is out he has to manually switch transfer plug in welder and fire up. Low tech but it works and safe.

 

[Edmccabe]

My motorhome's 7.5KW diesel generator serves as the backup and will power my whole house. I simply wired in a simple transfer switch to route the generator output through the shore power cord back to the outlet on the side of my house where it is normally connected.

In the event of a power failure, before starting the Gen and closing the transfer switch, I open the main breakers in the house's service entry - thus isolating the panel from the grid . I then fire up the generator and close the transfer switch - which powers my whole house.

Ed

 

[Wirenut2266]

Lab: I still think your missing my point. Let's assume your home has this interlock you showed in a post. Did you install this and test, or a electrical contractor? Was it inspected by local authority having jurisdiction? Be honest now? I'm saying your setup is a safe one. but will be hell on your Gen_set and home electronics and appliances. Your Gen. has no way enough power when everything in home when it needs it. I install prolly 1 Gen-Set panel every six to eight weeks, then tested and inspected. Just hate to see burnt home elctronics and appliances over a simple fix.

 

[cord arrow]

I had mine inspected for insurance reasons...other than a couple small issues that were resolved...and at least one he let me slide with (sneaked one 110 feed though the 2AWG feed conduit...not allowed & I knew it)...up to code.

 

[cord arrow]

I'm still at a bit of a loss here...enlighten me...

Yeah, you will survive that way, but not much else.

Well.........I've got the well pump, the oil fired hot water tank, the oil fired furnace, refrigerator, bathroom lights, kitchen lights and my office with computers on a battery back up.

The stove, clothes dryer, AC were left off by design...only so much the ES6500 can handle.

OK...the powers out...the switch is thrown...at what point does anyone feel the need to circumvent the system...let's see...everyone is warm, clean, and surfing the net.

"Dammit Dad... I'm gonna find a cord and I'm gonna compromise the entire system 'cause I need the only pair of jeans that fit CLEAN!!!"

Dunno who wears the pants in your house Lab...but in mine it's pretty cut & dried....