ANOTHER ELECTRICAL QUESTION

[TBone]

Your cheapest way is with extension cords to your existing generators. Fool proof (well, fool resistant at least ), with no chance of backfeeding another circuit by accident.

That may very well be what I do. Go to Costco and load my buggy down with extension cords. Then bring them home and listen to the fussing.

 

[MossRoad]

Sure. Seen it too. But all the machines, even if they would be in place forever, are deemed NOT part of the building.

It's still legal. And residential generator use code for temporary power is very lenient compared to commercial.

 

[MossRoad]

That may very well be what I do. Go to Costco and load my buggy down with extension cords. Then bring them home and listen to the fussing.

Someone won't be fussing when they can flush the toilet or take a shower when all the other neighbors are sitting stinking in the dark.... :laughing:

We had a power outage the morning before that big wind that wiped out much of the midwest last week. I had the generator up and running within 10 minutes so my wife could take a shower and go to work, because she couldn't work from home because we had no internet for her. Hubby to the rescue.

 

[TBone]

It's been 15 years since I've had a lengthy power outage but it was not fun. At my age I may never see another one but I would like to be prepared just in case. The essential things I want to provide power to add up to way less than half the capacity of my two 3400 watt generators. As a matter of fact the essentials would run on ONE of my 3400 generators. It would be nice if I could run an extension cord (of the proper size) to these essentials but they are scattered all over the house and garage. I could probably get my "essentials" down to a 120v circuit of less than 15 amps if I really was stingy with the things I use. Surely there is a way to power this tiny load with the generators I have and not endanger my home or outside people in the process. I understand completely about back feeding current to the power company's service. I am not one of these folks that would back feed power through my dryer outlet. I WILL NOT do this, no matter what. I thought I had made that clear. Apparently I didn't.

 

[TBone]

Someone won't be fussing when they can flush the toilet or take a shower when all the other neighbors are sitting stinking in the dark.... :laughing:

We had a power outage the morning before that big wind that wiped out much of the midwest last week. I had the generator up and running within 10 minutes so my wife could take a shower and go to work, because she couldn't work from home because we had no internet for her. Hubby to the rescue.

I can buy enough extension cords to power my freezer, refrigerator and window ac I use in an outage, no problem. The lights are all fed from my sub-panel. Without powering that my wife will still be pooping in the dark. Personally I like to poop in the dark. My wife, not so much.

 

[LouNY]

We have been missing the easiest and one of the nicer ways to do this,
do you need all twelve circuits?
A 10 circuit transfer switch is a lot less money and much easier to find then a 12-16 circuit unit.
Manual Transfer Switches - Electric Generators Direct
There are several 10 circuit manual transfer switches available from a multitude of vendors.
The 10 and 12 circuit units can handle the power from your paralleled system and would do away with all the safety issues.
Or get real fancy and install two six or eight circuit units and run each generator to it's own.

Good luck

 

[Industrial Toys]

Pooping in the dark is fun. Cleaning yourself not so much.

Makita could learn a thing or two about cab-tire I think. My favourite grinder had such a nice cord over my other Chinesium units. Their cords are still as stiff and ugly as new though. Happened when not that old. I have nice flexible cab-tire as old as me!




So I hve a circuit leaving my elecrical panel that I wish to have on a UPS. How to do that by code? Remove Romex from panel, intall in a junction box. Run cab tire out of junction box to UPS outlet. I don't think that's to code?

 

[Topzide]

The picture I posted shows that its just a 120 circuit. Just because there's 2 120v slots on the plug makes it no different than having 10 receptacles in a room and thinking you have 100 amps of power! The 120v leg is being divided into 2. Trying to cobble this setup to a sub panel isn't worth all the hassles and potential for a fire or mishap to take place! Get a generator that provides 240v and generator sub panel or transfer switch. It'll be safer and what if someone else has to hook it up due to you being out of commission!

 

[aczlan]

Someone won't be fussing when they can flush the toilet or take a shower when all the other neighbors are sitting stinking in the dark.... :laughing:

We had a power outage the morning before that big wind that wiped out much of the midwest last week. I had the generator up and running within 10 minutes so my wife could take a shower and go to work, because she couldn't work from home because we had no internet for her. Hubby to the rescue.

Setup the little generator during a power outage the other day, ran a fan and a window AC and made the wife happy. Something about no power when its 85 with 90% humidity...

The picture I posted shows that its just a 120 circuit. Just because there's 2 120v slots on the plug makes it no different than having 10 receptacles in a room and thinking you have 100 amps of power! The 120v leg is being divided into 2. Trying to cobble this setup to a sub panel isn't worth all the hassles and potential for a fire or mishap to take place! Get a generator that provides 240v and generator sub panel or transfer switch. It'll be safer and what if someone else has to hook it up due to you being out of commission!

No, 2 28.8 amp 120v legs (3400W/120V=28.888888A) are being combined into 1, run through a 50 amp breaker, then its being made available to both legs of the plug.
Cant pull more than 50 amps at 120V or it will trip the breaker.
Set the panel up like I said and there wont be a risk of a fire or other catastrophe and the OP will be ready for a larger generator down the road if needed.

Aaron Z

 

[3Ts]

That generator link device putting the same 120 volt phase on both hot legs worries me. I know it will work for what the OP has described, but it will be a hazzard on a multi wire circuit since the neutral will be carrying the sum of the 2 hot wires. And multi wire circuits are not obvious when you look in the breaker panel.