Due to the ice storms (followed by sub zero temps) I’ve been without power since Friday afternoon. I scored a 5700 watt generator yesterday morning and I’m running a 1500 watt space heater and the computer. Also heating with a kerosene heater. Everything else I’m using is battery power.
My brother in law assures me that the way it’s done is:
A. Turn off main circuit breaker in house.
B. Make a grounded extension cord with male connections at each end.
C. Plug it into an electrical outlet. Powers all outlets in house.
D. Don’t exceed wattage of generator, use bare minimum of lights etc.
The owners manual specifically says not to do this so I’m currently (heh) following the manual to the letter but BIL’s suggestion would be easier.
Wiring a gen set into a house like that is proably a little dicey. Linemen hate it as they can get electrocuted while trying to get your line power back on.
By far the best way, particularly if you live in an area prone to outages, is to have your generator (and if it’s 5,700 watts, you’ve got enough power for practically anything) wired into your house using what’s called a ‘transfer switch’. These can be picked up at the electrical section of your local hardware store. It will take a pro electrician to install it, but when it’s done you have the capacity to power your entire house with the generator, and with no danger to any electrician working on your lines.
I’ve had this setup for 15 years, using only a 3,300 watt generator, and let me tell you, when the power goes off I’m a real hero to my wife.
I’m not going to advise on wiring but you have a problem off the bat because your box is fed with 220 which is actually 2 banks of 110. one plug would not feed the whole house because of the 2 banks of wiring. Also, the most you could feed would be 20 amps on a 20 amp circuit since that’s what is what the wiring is rated at. So 110V X 20 amps = 2200 watts.
Its probably a lot safer for everyone if you just invest in some heavy duty extension cords and heavy duty power strips. Also some flourescent lights, as you’ll get 3 to 4 times as much light per watt out them as a regular bulb.
Also be real careful about the fire hazards from BOTH the heater, the generator, and the stored (hopefully properly) fuels for both. Then there is the threat of carbon monoxide poisioning, often fatal, from both of these devices. So invest in a few smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors as well.
Then make sure to check your generator oil levels quite regularly, like every few hours. Run the oil low and that sucker will be ruined in a heartbeat.
Thanks. I’ve been using kero and electric space heaters for years but the generator is a new thing for me. Actually, I shut the electric heater off, it went from -4 degrees yesterday to above freezing tonight. And it’s raining again.
The ideal way to connect a generator to a house is the use a transfer box and set a separate breaker box that would contain the essential items that would need power when the utility fails you. Most home wiring manuals will cover this set up. Calling an electrician to do it is always better.
For an emergency set up, I wire the generator in at the main panel. Shut off the main breaker and wire the generator in back feed through a 2 pole breaker(assuming the generator does 220)
And here I was only considering drilling a hole in a wall and putting a receptacle I can plug the generator to on the outside (one of the receptacles with the cover) and a normal receptacle on the inside to plug into.
“IF” you remember to turn off the main breaker, the linemen are OK. However, this isn’t a fail safe method - and someone can be fried if you forget. A transfer switch eliminates all the uncertainty and danger. And you can leave your generator permanantly connected to the house without the mess of extension cords, etc. Another thing, if the genset has a 220 outlet this can be used for the house connection. This is considerably more efficient than the 120 Volt connections.
Hooking up the transfer switch is a simple job for an electrician - but not for an amateur. I took one look at all the wires inside and instantly called for help. Don’t remember the exact cost, but it wasn’t excessive, particularly considering the convenience and security that ensued.
Remember, just because something is easier does not mean it is better. Your BIL’s suggestion can cause serious damage to your house wiring. The appropriate way to tie a generator into your house’s wiring is the transfer panel that has been mentioned previously. Make sure you have a licensed electrician do it in accordance with the electrical codes for your area.
Most transfer panels cannot power your entire house as the demand of your house system will almost always be greater than the electricity the generator can supply. You will need to identify a set of circuits that you would like to have powered by the generator (fridge, furnace, several outlets) so that those can be connected through the transfer panel.
If you look at the line coming into your house it consists of (2) 110 power leads and if you pulled your breaker box cover off you’d see they power 2 banks of circuits. Any appliance (such as an electric dryer) that uses 220 is actually tapping into both of these circuits. That’s how you get 220. The rest of your 110 volt circuits are connected with one of the (2) banks of 110. by default, you can’t cover your entire house by plugging into to one of these circuits.
If I had a big generator then I would have an electrician wire it with the switch described above. I’ve been taught basic wiring and have wired into my main box before but I’m not confident about it and I’ve been on the receiving end of other people’s mistakes.
easier is not a valid consideration in this case. Way too many things can go wrong. The only safe way to do this is with a transfer switch. Plugging the generator 220 into the dryer outlet is the only alternative and it isn’t within code. But if something goes wrong and you start a fire or worse hurt someone, you are entirely liable. Stay within code. that way if something goes wrong, you have a hope of mitigating the lawsuits.
Hey, has anyone mentioned a transfer switch? I hear they’re the cats pajamas for what you want to do…
I just popped in to reaffirm that electricity is not a do-it-yourself project in most cases. I’m an insurance adjuster who is just now handling a claim where the homeowner wired his new room addition improperly and caused $159,000 in fire damage. Everything he owns is destroyed because he make a mistake.
Another claim I just got today was a woman who hooked up a portable gas heater to her gas dryer service and it caught on fire. I haven’t seen it yet but she claims the heater can be used with either natural gas or propane. I’m guessing she didn’t read the directions correctly because the two types of fuel use different regulators.
We’ve had people without power since Friday and the estimate for restoration is now for the Saturday after Christmas at 6pm. Ugh.
One of the issues is this: should the connector at the house have *male *pins, and the mating cable connector (the inline connector on the end of the cable going to the generator) have *female *sockets? Or should it be the other way around??
If the connector on the end of the generator cable has *male *pins, then it would be dangerous if you started the generator and this connector wasn’t plugged into the house. (The pins in this connector would be exposed!) So the obvious arrangement is to use a cable connector with female sockets and use a connector with male pins for the house. But what happens if you’re not using the generator? Are the pins on the house connector going to be hot via the 240 V at the breaker panel? Yes, unless you use a transfer switch, and the transfer switch is flipped to the right position.
So as you can see, there’s a lot to think about when using a connector to connect a generator into your house.
But it is possible to make it safe. (This is basically what is done on military aircraft when they’re in the hanger.) But you have to be careful how you do it. When they plug a generator into a military plane, two of the pins on the aircraft’s connector are shorted together. These pins “tell” the generator to kick on. And the connectors are designed to ensure that this circuit is connected *after *the power circuit is connected (to ensure there is not spark at the connector pins). I suppose a similar arrangement could be made for a generator and house. A much simpler arrangement, though, is to use a transfer switch.