Generator

[Dusty]

Uh,huh,,right,,we are trying to take money out of electections babies mouth here??!!,,,,,,let people decide,,you don't need no transfer switch,,,I ain't killed myself yet,you are scaring the yuppies only,,thingy

They are just trying to say that you are gambling with others lives, not only your own. I am certain that neither of these electricians are in want of work. Today, any competent electrician has more work than they can handle. Of course we know that you haven't killed yourself... you are still posting. When you are gone, we will nominate you for a Darwin Award. As for scaring the yuppies only, that might be true and good. The rest of the knowledgeable people will realize after reading what has been posted that your method is a dangerous method. How are you going to feel if you are responsible for some electrical worker being killed, or a family member because you were off at the store when the power came back on, and they disconnect the generator incorrectly and get electrocuted? Yeh... I know, you are responsible and never leave that generator unattended, just like all the rest of the people that will use your recommended unsafe method.

 

[higgy]

Sorry guys been gone for awhile.

Listeroid 2 cylnder 12/2st10 which is a 10kv 4 pole head:

engine 1450 pounds
gen head 305 pounds
Base for engine and gen 150 pounds

Fuel effiancey is approximatly 0.125 gal/kwh

These things run a 650 rpm. The flywheels are massive, be very carful when operating one, they can eat your lunch.

the single cylinder 6/1 wieghs in at about 750 lbs.

The nice thing is they are easy to work on can be rebuilt are are VERY reliable.

I have heard of some old lister running for 20 plus years of continious running.

Unless you are compeltly off the grid all the time I would SUGGEST THAT YOU USE A TRANSFER BUS.

Dane

 

[Egon]

Thanks for the information Higgy.

 

[RonMar]

Sorry guys been gone for awhile.

Listeroid 2 cylnder 12/2st10 which is a 10kv 4 pole head:

engine 1450 pounds
gen head 305 pounds
Base for engine and gen 150 pounds

Fuel effiancey is approximatly 0.125 gal/kwh

These things run a 650 rpm. The flywheels are massive, be very carful when operating one, they can eat your lunch.

the single cylinder 6/1 wieghs in at about 750 lbs.

The nice thing is they are easy to work on can be rebuilt are are VERY reliable.

I have heard of some old lister running for 20 plus years of continious running.

Unless you are compeltly off the grid all the time I would SUGGEST THAT YOU USE A TRANSFER BUS.

Dane

Since they are liquid cooled, you can route the coolant to a radiator inside the house to provide heat. I have read that a 6/1 under load will give off about 20,000 BTU/hr thru the cooling system. You also don't hae to worry about someone walking off with it in the middle of the night.

 

[Daryl]

My well is 110 feet down and I am not sure what size pump I have. Looked at the Troy Built 5500 gen at Lowes this weekend. It says it has 8200 surge watts. Will this power my well? I am guessing it does not have over 1/2 hp pump.

 

[BobRip]

My well is 110 feet down and I am not sure what size pump I have. Looked at the Troy Built 5500 gen at Lowes this weekend. It says it has 8200 surge watts. Will this power my well? I am guessing it does not have over 1/2 hp pump.

Your guess of 1/2 hp is about right. If you call up the people who drilled the well they can probably tell you, or any well driller can tell you what size pump they would put in a 110 foot well.

 

[Pilot]

Seems to me there might be a reason it is called a suicide cord...

Anyway, a transfer switch is slick, convenient & not that expensive. Certainly a lot cheaper than the lawsuit that will follow electricuting a lineman.

I keep my battery on my generator charged with a cheapie ($8) Harbor Freight "float charger". Starts up every time, plug into the connector on the transfer switch, start flipping breakers & I am set.

Generator runs the refrigerator, freezer, well, & microwave so we can eat, drink & wash, the furnace fan so the propane powered furnace can keep the house warm and certain lights. When we are through eating, we run an extension cord from the microwave outlet & fire up the TV and kick back appreciating life in the 21st century.

 

[Highbeam]

It seems to me that the best place for a transfer switch is between the meter and the main breaker panel. That way you can run any appliances you want and shut off power to any circuit you want through the standard breaker. These sub planel transfer switches include a lot of hokey wiring above and beyond the normal spaghetti maze. The problem is that the meter backs right up to the breaker panel in many installations including my home leaving nowhere to splipce in a TF.

Am I missing an important point?

I would like to know how to legally and safely power up my house with my big honkin loud 220 generator and since the only big appliance I have is my clothes dryer there is no reason that the generator can't fully replace grid power.

The next question is that my generator is marked as having a "floating" neutral. Are you all tying the generator to ground and using all 4 wires of the typical generator 4 prong twistlok? Or just using the two hots, the white neutral and no generator ground?

 

[texasjohn]

Well, I guess I just don't know what to look for or where... everybody says a transfer switch is cheap and easy to find... all I have located are $500 or way more... more than I spent for the generator.

Could somebody point me to the right source for a transfer switch...My needs are:

I live in the country at the end of the electric line, literally. I need to plug in my generator and power just enough to get by.. as all have said, water, microwave, referigerator. I have propane stove, hot water.

I'm just looking for a simple manual switch. As I understand it, The power will normally flow thru the switch to the house, well, etc. This means about 200 amps capacity, I think, since the Air conditioner is in the normal circuit. However, when I manually pull the switch (to be done when the power is out), then the electric company is cut completely away from the house power and the existing house wiring is powered by the generator which is connected to the other side of transfer switch.

Thus, I think I need a 3 pole double pole manual switch rated for 200 amps and outdoor installation.

Generator is a pull start gasoline coleman 5500 watts, 6250 surge if I recall correctly. It has 20 Amp circuit breakers on the 110 and 220 circuit. There is a 4 wire twist-lock plug on the side of the generator and I understand that a plug connection (about 8 gauge) between the generator and the transfer switch is needed and it is best not to have male connectors on both ends of this connection. I know that this wattage is very small for running a whole house... but I intend to have ONLY the minimum on at one time and can cut out the water well circuit breakers if need be.

At Square D I found this page of switches. General Duty Safety Switches - Light Duty Class 3130 .. and figure I need their non fused 3-way 200 amp manual DU324 switch for $589.

I am sure I'm missing something simple... will accept ideas pointing to my error and a proper and cheaper solution.

 

[shvl73]

Mine is similar to the attached picture.
It was around $200.00 at an electrical supply house.