How to generator power pass through to inside the house.

[Diggin It]

I do have 12V LEDs scattered through the house wired to a 35Va battery on a trickle charger, but that won't run the refrigerator, freezer, water heater or furnace.

 

[MF RED in MT]

The 2 hots or phases (call them L1 & L2) in a 120/240V panel aren稚 split onto the left and right side.
L1 will be first row of breakers #1 & #2
L2 will be second row of breaker #3 & #4
L1 will be third row of breakers #5 & #6
L2 will be forth row of breakers #7 & #8
etc...

That痴 why a double pole breaker that痴 on the left or right side of the panel can span poles 1&3, 3&5, 2&4, 4&6, 6&8, etc.. and get 240v from L1 & L2.


You want to balance the load between L1 & L2 , not left and right side of the panels.

Thank you for the lesson CobyRupert!

I guess I am just and old style thinker, left/right, and not an electrician...

KC

 

[Industrial Toys]

Getting your various facilites back in operation is important. But having light really is the first priority. It's why I like a main transfer switch so even with a small generator, you have all your lighting. If I had the time, I would make 12 Volt lighting systems too.

 

[RalphVa]

At our house in Baton Rouge parish, I'd connect the generator through an open window to the clothes drier plug. Turn off the main power switch first.

Here, the previous owner had put in a switch that disconnected the main power breaker while open up to a generator output. Later on, I put in a generator to back feed from our carriage house to that same box that auto disconnected main power and brought the back feed in. Later, we had an electrician install the 12.5kw and an entirely new 200 amp breaker box with the auto switch for the main power/generator and 6 electrical boxes that determined when they could come on from amount of power left in the generator. Works great, and the Isuzu diesel is a gem, only 0.3 gph or less fuel consumption over the last 7 years, and can run one hot water heater and clothes drier in power failures plus upstairs and ductless heat pumps.

Ralph

 

[lennyzx11]

Getting your various facilites back in operation is important. But having light really is the first priority. It's why I like a main transfer switch so even with a small generator, you have all your lighting. If I had the time, I would make 12 Volt lighting systems too.

Though not esthetic, I visited a cabin once that the owner had ran two uninsulated bare wires down the middle of all ceilings with insulated standoffs tied into a big deep cell battery outside connected to one fairly large solar panel. It was all off grid.

The ingenious part was that he had 12 volt light bulbs with sockets with a short length of wire pigtailed to each one for positive and ground. The other end was alligator clips. He could fasten that bulb(s) anywhere along the length he wanted and as many.
Poor mans track lighting.

 

[Toyboy]

LED lights are the way to go with generator use

 

[Travelover]

Though not esthetic, I visited a cabin once that the owner had ran two uninsulated bare wires down the middle of all ceilings with insulated standoffs tied into a big deep cell battery outside connected to one fairly large solar panel. It was all off grid.

The ingenious part was that he had 12 volt light bulbs with sockets with a short length of wire pigtailed to each one for positive and ground. The other end was alligator clips. He could fasten that bulb(s) anywhere along the length he wanted and as many.
Poor mans track lighting.

The earliest wiring was done this way. It is called knob and tube. Knob-and-tube wiring - Wikipedia

 

[lennyzx11]

The earliest wiring was done this way. It is called knob and tube. Knob-and-tube wiring - Wikipedia

Close. But not exactly.
I have a farmhouse built in the late 1700s and am familiar with knob and tube.

The cabin had two uninsulated wires ran down the center of each rooms ceiling for positive and negative.
By alligator clipping on ( or even twisting a wire around each one)
The owner could move and set lights wherever he desired.
The insulators? One inch chunks of PVC or pieces of a broom handle about an inch long.

 

[PILOON]

Gee, I simply drilled a large enough hole thru the concrete for the genny power line to enter the panel area.
Plugged the gaps with putty and clamped the wires.
But then my genny lives in my attached wood shed just outside of ta basement wall.
That leads to my manual transfer panel that isolates the generator circuits from the power company as per code.
My panel is small as it has only 8 possible circuits but that suffices for our needs.

Since I accidently blew my 6.5 genny I upgraded to a 10 Kw so I can also run 3-4 ceramic compact heaters.

LOL, I manually connected my septic pump and accidently clipped onto the wrong side and back fed the hydro system but the genny did not like that and blew hence the upgrade to a 10 Kw genny.
Guarantee U that wont happen again! lesson learned,
(I used alligator clips but attached to the wrong side of the septic disconnect fuse box)
The septic pump is not wired thru the transfer box as it is really not an 'essential' circuit but a good idea to occasionally lower the tank level which is what I was in the process of doing.
LOL, next time I'll simply pull the septic pump breaker as a precaution.
My excuse was that I was tired and not thinking clearly.
Would also help to identify 'in and out'. of that knife switch fuse box.

Anyhow with the newer 10 Kw I will be able to eliminate feeding the fireplace and run 3 ceramic heaters instead.
(I know what it is like to 'survive' a 3 day cold winter power outage.)
On the sofa all bundled up feeding a fireplace is no fun.

 

[MoMower]

I recently moved into a new house with the pictured breaker box and outside generator connection.

I'm interested in running only the fridge, gas stove, propane heat control and well pump, plus a couple of LED light bulbs.

I understand the switching at the breaker box, and will disconnect at the meter (just as a fail-safe). But I haven't purchase a generator yet and I'm looking for advice as to what type and capacity I need. View attachment 629096View attachment 629097

I have pretty much the same set up. A harbor freight 9000/8750 runs out whole house with the exception of the water heater, oven, ac, and electric baseboard. I can run one circuit of electric baseboard at a time.

The harbor freight gent lives in this:

 

[Oldoak]

Close. But not exactly.
I have a farmhouse built in the late 1700s and am familiar with knob and tube.

The cabin had two uninsulated wires ran down the center of each rooms ceiling for positive and negative.
By alligator clipping on ( or even twisting a wire around each one)
The owner could move and set lights wherever he desired.
The insulators? One inch chunks of PVC or pieces of a broom handle about an inch long.

They had PVC back then? I don't think so.

 

[bigtiller]

The harbor freight gent lives in this:

View attachment 630829

Where did the genny house come from?

 

[aczlan]

They had PVC back then? I don't think so.

As I read it, lennyzx11 was talking about two different buildings, a 1700s farmhouse and a cabin that a friend had setup a lot voltage knob and tube system in.

Aaron Z

 

[LouNY]

Close. But not exactly.
I have a farmhouse built in the late 1700s and am familiar with knob and tube.

The cabin had two uninsulated wires ran down the center of each rooms ceiling for positive and negative.
By alligator clipping on ( or even twisting a wire around each one)
The owner could move and set lights wherever he desired.
The insulators? One inch chunks of PVC or pieces of a broom handle about an inch long.

One tidbit of information concerning the old knob and tube wiring which doesn't seem to be common knowledge is that a great deal
of the knob and tube found in old barns and farm houses was installed prior to commercial power.
It was run when the upscale farm would have a Delco Power Plant usually running off a hit and miss engine to provide DC power for the farm.
It continued to be used after commercial AC power arrived.

 

[Imold]

Here is what I run my generator into for my home, had it added to my service back in 98 after a 4 day power out in the winter, would be nice if it had a auto switch but it works for us for what use it gets. I have a 40ft cable that is plugged into the bottom of the 200 amp box and then the cable runs down to my basement door, just have to start the gen and plug it in after I move the switch. When I see the power back on around us I go and shut the gen down, unplug it and go to the pole and move the switch to is proper spot.

 

[Imold]

Here is what I run my generator into for my home, had it added to my service back in 98 after a 4 day power out in the winter, would be nice if it had a auto switch but it works for us for what use it gets. I have a 40ft cable that is plugged into the bottom of the 200 amp box and then the cable runs down to my basement door, just have to start the gen and plug it in after I move the switch. When I see the power back on around us I go and shut the gen down, unplug it and go to the pole and move the switch to is proper spot. Up is on Grid power and Down is for off Grid power.

View attachment 630862

 

[gshellen]

I struggled with transfer switch’s and interlock kits in my last few houses. Adding a transfer switch is expensive and limiting in the number of circuits you can move over. Interlock switches work well, if your code and existing panel support them. My current house has 400 amp service, so getting all my critical circuits under generator power wasn’t possible without serious rewiring ($$$$). Here is an easier way. GenerLink switch. Comes in 30 and 40 amp versions. Simple and safe. Best of all, you can take it with you when you move. I can’t post a link as I’m still under the min post count. Home Depot sells them. The 30 amp runs $650.

 

[snymat68]

I struggled with transfer switch’s and interlock kits in my last few houses. Adding a transfer switch is expensive and limiting in the number of circuits you can move over. Interlock switches work well, if your code and existing panel support them. My current house has 400 amp service, so getting all my critical circuits under generator power wasn’t possible without serious rewiring ($$$$). Here is an easier way. GenerLink switch. Comes in 30 and 40 amp versions. Simple and safe. Best of all, you can take it with you when you move. I can’t post a link as I’m still under the min post count. Home Depot sells them. The 30 amp runs $650.

That's a clean (although expensive) approach I hadn't heard of before. Pretty neat.

 

[Travelover]

That's a clean (although expensive) approach I hadn't heard of before. Pretty neat.

I agre it is a simple solution , though it is $650 for $25 worth of parts.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I agre it is a simple solution , though it is $650 for $25 worth of parts.

I'm thinking by the time you have a transfer switch bought and installed the price will be close to the same.