Generator/electrical question

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
So I have been toying with a generator for my house for sometime. I wanted a fancy dancy whole house unit, but the cost was just crazy and the wife slammed the door on that project. So now I am going to downsize and go with a portable generator and run a couple extension cords into the house to mainly run some electronics and maybe a fan.

So my question is, how do you run the extension cord into the house without having to crack open a door or window? In my head a I envision a box on the outside of the house to plug the female end of the extension cord to, and then on the inside of the house plug a male end of an extension cord. Basically I am envisioning a male/female plug going through the wall with two different extension cords (one on the outside, one on the inside). I am not talking about a double ended male cord as I know the dangers of that.

Give me your thoughts or what has worked for you. Oh and paging @Ron :D
 
Well the shortest answer is. You dont. You either run the cord through a cracked door or window or through a garage etc.

I can not discourage you enough from what you are contemplating doing. If you do it anyway, make 100% certain you know exactly what you are doing. We just had a lineman killed in SC 2 weeks ago by a portable generator and a drop cord. Resi transformers dont have diodes in them. If you export 120V it becomes 12,000 (or 4,160 or 23,000) when it hits that transformer.

Your box outside would have exposed male pins as well. So no safer than a double male cord.

look I know plenty of folks use portable gens to power their house. I have myself in the past. But you HAVE to make sure you 100% know wtf you are doing to get away with it and realize everytime you do it one error in sequence of operations and you may likely kill an innocent person.
 
Do it right and get a panel that goes beside your current panel it keeps from back feeding onto the grid. Then just turn on the breaker you wanna use. My dad has a smallish generator. It's on wheels takes two guys to carry it. And it will run several small things and a couple lights at once

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Why go through all that work? Just run an extension cord in the house and close the door. The weatherstripping on the bottom of the door should have plenty of room to close the door without damage to either.
 
They make a generator transfer plate that installes in your existing panel. when this is installed it won't allow you to have your main breaker and your generator breaker going to your generator reciptical on at the same time. it turns your existing panel in to a "transfer switch". the next step is to label your breakers according to load. this way you can turn stuff on in groups so you don't overload your generator.
 
peewee said:
They make a generator transfer plate that installes in your existing panel. when this is installed it won't allow you to have your main breaker and your generator breaker going to your generator reciptical on at the same time. it turns your existing panel in to a "transfer switch". the next step is to label your breakers according to load. this way you can turn stuff on in groups so you don't overload your generator.
Click to expand...

You have to replace the main panel to go this route. The feeder plates in a panel run continuously from top to bottom.

You either need a proper transfer switch, or you run extension cords out under the door weatherstripping and direct to appliances.
 
shawn said:
You have to replace the main panel to go this route. The feeder plates in a panel run continuously from top to bottom.

You either need a proper transfer switch, or you run extension cords out under the door weatherstripping and direct to appliances.
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Not necessarily.
An interlock kit basically is just a plate that forces the main switch to be OFF when a particular circuit is turned ON. You then put the generator on that circuit.
It's hacky but certainly safer than just relying on flipping switches.
Manual Transfer Switch Kits | Generator Interlock Kit
 
RatLabGuy said:
Not necessarily.
An interlock kit basically is just a plate that forces the main switch to be OFF when a particular circuit is turned ON. You then put the generator on that circuit.
It's hacky but certainly safer than just relying on flipping switches.
Manual Transfer Switch Kits | Generator Interlock Kit
Click to expand...


So you pay $150 for a metal plate, 4 screws, and 4 stickers? Sign me up.

You still have to flip switches and lock it out to keep from backfeeding.
 
Your going to have to flip switches no matter what. Unless you buy a huge generator and a automatic transfer switch, which I and most people are not willing to do. this does let you manually load shed your system and selectively energize all of your circuits not just a select few. I'm on a well so having water is a big deal. I can turn on the water heater for 30 min. then turn it off and turn the well back on and take a hot shower. all setups are going to have pluses and minuses I guess it's all what your wanting the end goal to be and how much $ you want to invest.
 
rockcity said:
So you pay $150 for a metal plate, 4 screws, and 4 stickers? Sign me up.

You still have to flip switches and lock it out to keep from backfeeding.
Click to expand...
I never said it was a good deal :D
 
I have the manual interlock in my main panel. It turns main breaker off and a separate generator breaker on. Plug generator in on the outside of the house.
 
shawn said:
That won't work in a main panel.
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Yeah it will .
They make them for top mount mains, and bottom and in column.

We call them Keith Keys...Keith is Kirks redneck cousin.
 
Ok sorry to hijack but are you guys saying if i flip my main breaker off and back feed through my welder plug i will still be letting power back into the lines ? Sorry new be question and not a electrical but don't see how thats possible other then human error

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No.
If you do it right you will not be back feeding. but if you crank the general up and then kill the main...even oh shit I ididnt mean to...then yes
 
I agree just wanted to make sure i had my head wrapped around it another way i see mistakes happening is when you check to see if the power came back on because your neighbor has it

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The other challege with the cheapo interlock backfeed approach is tbat you need to come up w some way to know when tbe line going back into tbe main is hot again so you can go switch it back If you have neighbors wo a genny, or a street light just outside your house then you can kinda guess, but really what you need is a light or otber indicator between the line and yoyr main... e.g.outside the panel...
 
RatLabGuy said:
The other challege with the cheapo interlock backfeed approach is tbat you need to come up w some way to know when tbe line going back into tbe main is hot again so you can go switch it back If you have neighbors wo a genny, or a street light just outside your house then you can kinda guess, but really what you need is a light or otber indicator between the line and yoyr main... e.g.outside the panel...
Click to expand...


Nah duke calls you now as soon as they restore your power
 
Ron said:
Nah duke calls you now as soon as they restore your power
Click to expand...

The hell they do.

They call a dozen fucking times to tell you that your power is now on, even though it isn't.

Then when the power comes back on, they don't call.
 
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