Generator Power to Hunting Cabin

[lakngulf]

Recently, I purchased this old used office trailer and moved it on site to become a make-shift hunting cabin. My grandson helped me give it a coating of green paint and that helped a lot.



The trailer is fully wired with nice breaker box, but I do not have power to the hunting land. I would like to rig it up to run off a generator that I will bring to the site as needed (can't leave it there as the neighborhood thieves now have more of the items I have had there than I do....but I hope to take care of that later with some bait and catch). The breaker box MAIN is wired with four large black wires, two to breaker, one to white and one to ground. These four wires are threaded thru conduit and stick out the bottom of the trailer, but with only about six inches of lead.

What is my best approach to wire the trailer to run off a generator? Is it necessary to have the huge black wire to the box? I only plan to run lights, coffee pot, toaster, and occasionally extension cord for drill, saw, etc. I know generators large enough to run it have a major three prong receptacle. Is there a wire I can purchase that has that plug on one end, and is open on the other end such that I can hook it to the breaker?

Thanks for your help.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I would put in a ground rod or two.

Then install a box like this one on the outside of the trailer to connect a 4 wire generator extension cable between the generator and that new box.


RELIANCE CONTROLS PB30 30A Power Inlet Box, Nema 3R - E lights Direct

Then run heavy cable from the panel in the trailer and the new box. Disconnect the existing cable that runs out the floor of the trailer.

My generator came with the 4 wire cable. You plug the cable into the 230 volt outlet of the generator. This energizes both legs on the distribution panel in the trailer.

 

[GPintheMitten]

The existing cable that exits the trailer floor may be long enough to route to the generator plug in box.

You need to know which wires go to which terminals in the plug in box. There will be a neutral, a ground and two hot leads. The plug in box should have instructions.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Here's an example of a generator extension cable with a 4 prong L14-30 ends.
Generac 6327 - 30-Amp 4-Prong 10-Foot Generator Power Cord

Here's a wiring diagram.
http://www.generatorsforhomeuse.us/wp-content/uploads/4-prong-l14-30r.gif

 

[lakngulf]

The existing cable that exits the trailer floor may be long enough to route to the generator plug in box.

You need to know which wires go to which terminals in the plug in box. There will be a neutral, a ground and two hot leads. The plug in box should have instructions.

Thanks a bunch for the good info, with pictures. Helps a lot. The existing wire dropping out of the conduit is not long enough, and probably not even enough if splicing was an option.

So the very heavy four strand wire is needed? To connect the Reliance Controls box to the trailer Breaker Box?

And ground rod would have wire to connect to a spot in the breaker box?

 

[GPintheMitten]

If the existing wires are not stapled inside the wall, you may be able to pull them back out of the floor hole and drill a hole through the wall and feed them through the wall to the Reliance Controls box, somewhere between the panel and the floor.

If you have to rewire, it depends on how many amps the main breaker is.

Oddly enough my extension cable from the generator to my house is only 10 guage. This surprised me.
.

 

[GPintheMitten]

The heavy wire I was talking about was from the Reliance Controls box to the distribution panel main lugs.

I was purposely vague because I don't know what size main breaker you have nor your load or a load that might get put on it on the future.

And I'm not an electrician but I have done similar work under a permit with inspections.

I'm not telling you what I advise as to wire size.

But if it were my trailer hunting lodge, if it were 60 amp I would put in 6 guage for the 2 hots and neutral and 8 or 10 guage for the ground. After all, it's a short run so it won't cost much. If it is 100 amp, I would go heavier.

You also need to consider how you are going to route the wire between the two and whether to use conduit or cable.

 

[bucktaker]

For the load you are talking about a 50 ft12 ext cord would get the generator a good distance away for noise and fumes
I would re wire the main incoming for 120 vac and be done with it

 

[JerryK]

I'd start with what size generator you were going to use... and work backwards. Don't need very big wire for a 4000 watt generator, which would run the krap out of a hunting shack.

 

[Texas Dawg]

I have that same Reliance Controls power inlet box on my daughters playhouse. I use a HF 3200/4000 generator (under $300) to run a small window unit AC, a ceiling fan, several lights, and a few assorted electronics she uses while playing. I run it through a breaker box like you described and have only 120v outlets but it allows me to use both sides of the bus bar for breakers. That is large enough to run all of this w/o any hiccups. For what you want something along those lines should handle it.