wdchyd
Elite Member
Yes, that has happened many times, they get to hook up......I'm ready for zombie apocalypse..:drink:
Gas Generator to House AC connection???
- Thread starter Beltzington
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Yes, that has happened many times, they get to hook up......I'm ready for zombie apocalypse..:drink:
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
no, we had a good laugh about it later on.
I recently went two weeks without power due to Hurricane Sandy and a follow-on Nor'easter. I have the following comments...
1) Everything looks easy in the daylight and when you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. A couple of days into a stressful event you are going to find yourself physically tired and mentally fatigued. I didn't have issues with my own property other than downed trees, but my mom's flooded basement and damaged house was enough work and concern that 4 or 5 days after the storm I was silly tired. I knew enough by then, for example, that I should not be working with the chainsaw on downed trees with anything less than 106% attention and my chaps on. For this reason I suggest that things that can kill you, like exposed conductors due to a suicide cord, be minimized. Again, everything looks easy when the power is on and you are sharp. Days later when you are tired, especially in winter with the limited daylight, those "easy" things are more problematic.
2) You should account for the fact that you may be injured/sick and your spouse/children/etc may have to configure your backup power setup. Is the configuration thereof so foolproof that you would 100% trust that other individuals could do it safely, and with a flashlight?
3) One inadvertent flip of the service panel mains switch while the generator is connected with a suicide cord and you will have irreparably damaged your generator. Your investment in power backup will be forfeited and you'll have lost far, far more money than a setup which deterministically isolates the two power sources would have cost in the first place. Here's words you may hear someday: "Honey, while you were at the store the neighbor came by and he said the power is back on, so I flipped the main breaker back on and then our generator started on fire!!!". Derp.
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For the reasons enumerated above, a transfer switch or mechanical interlock is the way to go. The marginal cost of the mechanical interlock, for example, is so low that it is hard for me to understand anyone's justification for using a suicide cord. I just installed a new Square-D service panel in my mom's previously flooded basement, and the optional OEM Square-D generator interlock plate was an additional US$79. To round out the connectivity for a generator, you need a $20 dual-pole breaker, a couple of feet of #10 THHN/THWN wire, and the appropriate generator inlet receptacle. For US$150 or less you have a code-compliant, foolproof method of not only protecting people from shock hazards but also your property from potential damage.
In summary, I don't see any "savings" whatsoever in *not* using an appropriate isolation method such as a transfer switch or interlock plate. The additional risks far outweigh the minimal outlay required to do it right.
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grsthegreat
Super Star Member
BIG DOOLEY
Platinum Member
Decaf anyone?
wdchyd
Elite Member
Mine was an easy install....IIRC $279 from Home Depot
everything came as a kit, prewired (in the transfer panel) with a power cord.......easy/peasy.......That was easy - YouTube
everything came as a kit, prewired (in the transfer panel) with a power cord.......easy/peasy.......That was easy - YouTube
wdchyd
Elite Member
A friend that owns a generator repair & sales shop told me recently, other than engine problems (mostly fuel/carb related) the most common way to cook your generator is to back feed and have too much left on, then the generator guts go "BYE-BYE".....:thumbdown:
Then he gets to sell a brand new generator and the electrician gets his share of the money for transfer switch hook-up.....:2cents::2cents::2cents:......:cool2:
Then he gets to sell a brand new generator and the electrician gets his share of the money for transfer switch hook-up.....:2cents::2cents::2cents:......:cool2:
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
yup. i just got a call last week from someone that was having generator issues with his setup. he installed a home depot 50 amp male plug next to his garage mounted panel. and he forgot to turn off the 2 pole circuits (hot tub, stove and oven) when he engaged the generator. he was wondering why his generator was stalling. luckily he didnt damage the 7,500 watt generator.
im bidding on installing a small 50 amp generator panel next to the main panel that will handle what the generator can output.
he really wants the setup so his wife could use it if he was out of town. has to be fool proof... or "idiot proof" as he called it.
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
this setup will only power a certain amount of circuits..... 6 - 8 depending on unit selected.
work great with 5 - 7.5 kw generators as they dont have the power to supply a whole house anyways. each circuit has a separate utility - off - generator switch above the regular breakers. these are the interlocks
