Wiring Suggestions Needed

[Half Dog]

I was at work and got a text from my wife saying the power was out but it should be back on in a few hours. Long story short; when I got home that evening the power was still out and the anticipated time to have the power restored was the next day. We went to Costco and got a generator, this wasn’t the first time we had power outages. The cheapest generator was a Firman T07573 so it came home with us and it worked great. It seems to offer more power than I used so now I’m wondering what all I can run with it.

Is there a way to connect the generator to the house wiring and possibly eliminate some extension cords?

Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

[redneck1]

If it outputs 220v and you first disconnect the main breaker you can back feed into any 220v outlet ( stove , dryer ) to power the house .

Be sure to turn off high use items like a well pump , hot water heater etc etc

[Bobbers]

Working in an electrical department in a big box store. I have seen a lot of people hookup power to their house in unsafe and dangerous way. I usual suggest a Generator transfer switch, I have installed them on my last 4 houses. They make several different models depending on wattage.

[Hossfly]

Most power cos. Offer a safe way to attach a gen to meter weather it be auto or manual that will not back feed into the grid. I would call them and maybe save a life.

[elmacgyver0]

Yes, there is, you can do it with a transfer switch (the right way) or you could feed it into a dryer, or welder outlet.
If you go the cheap way, be sure you disconnect the fuse that supplies power to your house.
The reason is if you hook to an outlet without disconnecting the mains you have a god chance of killing the poor lineman that is trying to restore power to your home.
Since you are asking this question, I assume your knowledge of electrical wiring is limited.
My recommendation would be to hire a qualified electrician to install a transfer switch for you.
The peace of mind knowing the job was done right is well worth the added expense you will pay to have the job done right.

[Pipefitter]

First of all, this solution does not meet electrical codes, that being said, here is what I do for my generator/power outage problems. I bought a generator inlet plug, (a male plug in a lockable box) and wired it to a spare 220V breaker in the house electrical panel. When the power is interrupted the first thing you do is switch off the main breaker so that you don't backfeed the power lines, You dont want to be providing power to your neighbors, and providing a dangerous situation to the guys working on "dead" power lines. Also, when the power does come back online the difference in the waveform from the electric company and the output of your generator will burn out the coil on your generator.
once you are positive your main breaker is in the OFF position you can start your generator and switch the spare breaker to the ON position. When you notice that your neighbor's lights are back on, switch the spare breaker to the OFF position and disconnect the generator from the inlet box before turning the main breaker to the ON position.

The way to meet electrical codes is to have a licensed electrician to install a switch panel that allows the generator to run certain circuits in the breaker panel when the power goes out, and will cut the generator from the panel when the power comes back on.

[XDROB]

I had to get a new breaker box due to kitchen upgrade. At that point I had the electrician put Ina box that had room to put a power transfer breaker in. So I can switch it over to generator power. Then ran a wire to the outside so I could run my generator. I have natural gas for heat and stove. My lights are either led or florescent so a low draw electricly house. I don't have to be selective on what I turn on. But I also don't go around and turn everything on.

I think in most states it's Illegal to back feed into the main lines. You could kill the guy trying to restore power and get yourself into some big legal problems. Be safe pay an expert to hook it up.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Winger Ed.]

It's doable, but kind of expensive to have done properly.

No more than our power goes out and we have to run a generator-
I got the recommended heavy duty extension cords and live with them to run the refrigerators, window unit AC, and a few lights.

[dverna]

I did for years and it is safe to do if you do it right. But I would not trust my fiancé to do it right.


Now, I have a whole house generator.

[ascast]

Sometimes the home brew solution is illegal as well as unsafe, non-code, blah, blah. But really you don't want to kill somebody or hurt them. Thast said, oddly my house has a 220 outlet for my welder near the garage door. And I have a lead that fits my generaTOR THAT FIT THAT WELDER PLUG. ( SRY i AIINT REKEYING) Keep in mind your frig/freezer need about an hour a day run time. Maybe an hour every twelve hours. Water pump as needed to flush toilets wash up a bit. It's not so bad running a couple cords and switching as needed. Running an electric dryer or stove or other heating device is not a good idea. I have a small propane cook stove for that, and wood stove. It's all part of life in the boonies.

[elmacgyver0]

I did for years and it is safe to do if you do it right. But I would not trust my fiancé to do it right.


Now, I have a whole house generator.

Smart man.
I would like a whole house generator but so far, I have resisted.

[gc45]

If you want to tell me to shut up go ahead, heard it before, but my job is partly keeping people safe..
Being a certified licensed electrician first, then back to school for my professional engineering degree, let me say this:

People should not suggest back feeding from a generator, period. Yes there are some with proper knowledge of doing this but most everyone will not know how to keep themselves out of trouble so please do not suggest to an uninformed homeowner your idea or give encouragement least he or her get injured, or someone kids, god forbid.
Do you want that on your conscience? The world if full of barnyard repair, some works fine, some is darn dangerous and having seen several fires from them, be ware!

Now, to be safe rather than sorry, have your power panel looked at by an expert, it won't cost much if anything to have an electrical company or contractor come out and give you an estimate to change over your panel to allow for safe generator connections; and there are several ways it can be done cost wise to both be safe and allow power to the home.. Just remember those store generators will not run everything and to buy one that will is very costly and expensive to put in..The proper contractor can discuss all this with you, make suggestions and give you costs for every possibility that fits your needs..
good luck and please be safe! your kids will love you for it!

[Ickisrulz]

We have a 5500 watt generator and a transfer switch. Works great for what we need since our power doesn't go out often. We are able to run the well pump and several circuits.

I installed the transfer switch myself, it wasn't too hard and not too expensive (hardest part was drilling a big hole through brick). It is safe and easy to use.

Forget the suicide cord.

[fc60]

Greetings,

I learned this the hard way.

When power is restored, disconnect the cables from the generator, close the fuel feed, and let it run the fuel out until the motor dies.

This prevents the carburettor from gumming up.

Also, spend the extra money for NON ALCOHOL GAS and add some preservative.

Last, run the genset once a month for an hour connected to the house circuits.

Have you noticed the genset only fails when the power goes out and it is cold?

Cheers,

Dave

[NyFirefighter357]

I ran a 30amp generator for years through my dryer outlet, shutting off the main breaker first & major appliances like a/c's, stove & well. Allowing me to selectively use them. I recently purchased a 50 amp generator and decided I would set it up correctly so it would be easier for my wife, kids of neighbor to get power if I wasn't home. I purchased a 50amp inlet box, the breaker interlock, a 50 amp 220V breaker, 6ft of 6/4 wire by the foot at HD & a 25ft cord. When connecting to the whole house you need to remove the bond on the generator between the neutral & ground in doing so though You may loose the use of GFI outlets on a generator. I needed to wire the 50amp breaker to the 1-3 position in my panel so the interlock would work. The interlock prevents the generator inlet breaker from being in the on position when the main breaker(s) are on. The inlet box I got has an LED light that lights up if there is power. The one I chose is a twist lock with a secondary collar lock like an RV inlet, I chose the cord accordingly to match. I had to move some breakers to get the new 50 amp breaker into position. I spent about $250 in materials and wired it in about 2 hours. The interlock mounts to the breaker panel cover between the main breaker & generator breaker. The generator & interlock come with stickers to place on the breaker panel. The only thing I haven't done is relabel my breakers. When I do I will indicate by color what breakers to leave off. I have some breakers that I keep normally off like an extra 220V stove we don't use & dedicated breaker for the electric heater in my garage. At some point I am also going to install a couple of emergency lights, one facing my breaker panel, one to lite up the garage where the panel is and one to lite where the generator is stored.

[MrWolf]

Be smart and get the transfer switch. As others stated, very easy to kill a lineman or someone. I got tired of the cords and went with a whole house generator. Love it (except when the stink/asian lady bugs shorted out my transfer switch and fried my furnace for almost four weeks this past winter - not fun).

[Plate plinker]

Just curious what a whole house generator has cost those who have them? Still using a portable unit that really is inadequate.

[Winger Ed.]

Just curious what a whole house generator has cost those who have them? Still using a portable unit that really is inadequate.

It depends on how big it is, but $3-4,ooo is about where they start, plus the install.
Then the bigger they are, the more expensive they are to feed.

[Noah Zark]

If it outputs 220v and you first disconnect the main breaker you can back feed into any 220v outlet ( stove , dryer ) to power the house .

Be sure to turn off high use items like a well pump , hot water heater etc etc

Not necessarily. Many 220v generators do not have a neutral, which is needed to provide 110v in house circuitry if "backfeeding a 220v outlet." A house dryer or range circuit has the two 110v legs and a neutral, which provides the 110v for control power to the appliance. With most 220v generator outlets there are the two 110v legs and a ground, which is not the same as a neutral.

For this and other reasons it is best to get a professional electrician involved.

Noah

[redneck1]

Well don't tell my house that it won't work , it hasn't figured that out yet and I'd hate to over educate it and cause it to start voting democrat