Power outage for 6 1/2 hours

[Labman]

All it takes is a little attention to detail and some common sense. A simple thrown breaker to isolate the circuit avoids the problem you outline. Naturally, you could easily kill someone, burn your house down, overload your generator or all three at once if you don't.

Ian

Common sense doesn't meet code. Yes, throwing the main breaker eliminates the problem. but the electric company isn't going to trust you with the lives of their workers. Actually if you did power up the incoming line, the most likely result would be kicking out the overloads on your generator as you tried to power up the whole neighborhood.

Labman,thank you for the link to the disconnects. Only thing is the simple bracket setup costs as much as a true generator panel once you buy the end plug for $200.I have wired in 5K gen panels for my family that you can get on sale for 200-300 tops,and you get watt meters on most of them to help you balance the gen loads for the average homeowner,it is great,as they would not know how to use an amp clamp or balance the panel otherwise safely. I do like the disconnect/backfeed better for my purposes,I like having power to everything,and shutting down what i want,so my little 10K can run my whole house ex dryer,A/C and welder. BTW i ran my house for 4 days on a 4400 watt Honda 8hp Chicago Pnematic long run generator after hurricane floyd.My well pump is 3/4 hp,and as long as I didnt have any other big loads on it started and ran it easily for 4 days.Everyone was at my house taking showers,as no one else had power or enough fuel to run there gens more than a day or 2 if they even had one.

$200 for a cord end?????? I think I paid $30.

Interlock $150
Breaker 8
NMB 10-3 20
Cord end 30
Cord 10
_____________
total $218

The ammeters would be nice, but likely I could pick them up at RS for $20

One of the first times we had to use the generator, our daughter's family was here. Suddenly we needed power to another bedroom and bath. Like I say, we can run anything, but not everything at once.

We would run out of circuits fast even with the $300 transfer panels, furnace, 240 volt well, freezer, fridge, and then a few lights.

I have a nice, code compliant system for about what a bottom end transfer panel alone would cost. I only had to install the plate, one double pole breaker and wire it to a generator plug.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Don't complain too much about your CF cordarrow!...I've seen a lot worse. I'm still looking at manual transfer switches/panels, the interlock thing is rather pricey, compared to the cost of a panel itself. NEC is a little confusing as to how to handle the generator neutral situation. One of my buildings that I run here has TWO 1.5 mw gens, Detroit powered!

 

[Jon E]

I have the same essential setup as cordarrow. I have a 100 amp breaker from the main panel, and an interlock throw switch on a 30-amp breaker to power up critical circuits in the subpanel. I set up the subpanel when the house was built, intending to install a full-blown standby generator package, but so far, cost and need have dictated that this was the better solution. I have not lost power here yet for more than a few minutes. I have my OWB, my well pump, freezer, refrigerator, circulator pumps and a couple minor light circuits in the subpanel.

 

[rx7145]

Power outages don't bother me too much.

Is that a China Diesel? I have a 15kw that works good so far....

 

[Jkebxjunke]

not too concerned with power outages... 125KW perkins, 600 amp auto x-fer switch... 550 gal of diesel...

 

[DonB]

Is that a China Diesel? I have a 15kw that works good so far....

It is a chinese diesel but it's a Youngheng. I've had it in service since 2004 with no difficulties beyond sorting out the typical chinese workmanship issues. The only thing I really don't like about it is the AVR instrumentation so I use "Kill-A-Watt" meters to monitor generator performance. I use one in the generator shed and another inside the house.

 

[beerman6]

Neutral is tied to your ground rod, water main, ground ring, etc. Also grounded at the transformer feeding your house. Any worries about the neutral could be nullified by pulling the meter. But, the average homeowner shouldn't really do that.

So by pulling the meter it seperates the neutral?

 

[Jkebxjunke]

So by pulling the meter it seperates the neutral?

not on mine...

 

[beerman6]

not on any I've ever installed...

 

[John D]

Neutral on any ive seen is tied to the grounding bus bar,and grounding rod,and panel ground,any water lines,etc....The meter only disconnects/measures amperage on the incoming power legs.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

I do know my meter cannot be 'pulled' it is bolted in....

 

[Labman]

I haven't paid much attention, but it seems to me like meters have 3 lugs that connect the 2 hots and the neutrals.

Meters are easy to pull. Firemen do it before squirting any water. The big thing is the seal. Break the seal, and be prepared to give the power company a good reason.

As for the neutral, it should be so well tied to ground, that it never, never ever, becomes hot. No reason to break it when connecting a generator.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

well they cant pull mine... like i said its bolted.. then if they do cut the power.. then the generator starts... and under load in 11 sec. now there is a fused 600 amp disconnect ant then on the the gen building 200' ft away

 

[Slvrmple72]

Okay, so I bought a 13hp Honda Gen this year after the remnants of Ike blew through and like the idea of the quick connect setup and transfer switch. Who sells a good setup for this and does it matter what brand service panel I currently have? When we bought our house back in 99 the HO had put in grounded plugs but they were connected to old duplex wiring, nothing was grounded. I rewired the whole house so that everything was grounded and the load was balanced and learned to hate fishtape! Really glad I didn't blow insulation into the walls till after I had rewired everything!

 

[mtfallsmikey]

DonB....where can you buy parts for those chinese generators?..There is a local selling those, but when asked about parts....:jester:

 

[Labman]

Okay, so I bought a 13hp Honda Gen this year after the remnants of Ike blew through and like the idea of the quick connect setup and transfer switch. Who sells a good setup for this and does it matter what brand service panel I currently have? When we bought our house back in 99 the HO had put in grounded plugs but they were connected to old duplex wiring, nothing was grounded. I rewired the whole house so that everything was grounded and the load was balanced and learned to hate fishtape! Really glad I didn't blow insulation into the walls till after I had rewired everything!

Here is a summary I posted to another board before I found an off the shelf interlock would work on my old GE box.

''Two recent extended power outages reminded me I still don't have a connection for my generator. Yeah, I managed the fridge, freezer, coffee maker, etc on some extension cords, but the pump would be nice too, and maybe next time the furnace too. So I got a 6250 watt generator for $371. I would hate to spend more than that to connect it to the house wiring legally.

Anything new or I missed? Suicide cords are out.

These are popular, in stock at Lowes, but $250 plus a bunch of wiring for a handful of circuits? http://www.gen-tran.com/eshop/10Browse.asp?Category=MTS6-10

While I dithered, these seem to have gone up to $70. Biggest problem they won't fit my box as is. Once I cut the notches in the plate to make it fit, it would no longer be the device that UL approved. http://ecatalog.squared.com/pubs/Ele...1100HO0701.pdf

Even at $150 bucks, I am not sure any of their models would fit. Last year they did offer to make one that would for $250 http://www.interlockkit.com/intro2.htm

Well past the point I should instal and $130. Amazon.com: Reliance Controls 60-100 Amp Utility Switch for up to 15,000-Watt Generators #TCA1006D: Home Improvement http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Cont...15-1706043?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1188233360&sr=1-4

Whoa, quite slick, but $700? GenerLink.com - About GenerLink - The easy way to connect a home generator''

Anything but the interlocks will work with any box. They are available for many newer boxes. They are the least amount of work if you have a couple of extra slots and allow you to use any circuit in the house. You are only limited by your generator output. The only wiring is instaling one double pole breaker and wiring it to a plug.

 

[DonB]

DonB....where can you buy parts for those chinese generators?..There is a local selling those, but when asked about parts....:jester:

I don't know of anyplace where I can just go to the store and pick up parts other than filters and generic electrical stuff. I don't worry too much about it. These things are dirt simple and fairly well bulletproof. Mine came with a small crate of engine and generator parts. I don't remember exactly what all is in there but I have a complete engine rebuild kit among other things.

There are a few companies in the US that stock parts for chinese diesels. If I had to chase down an oddball part, my first choice would probably be Diamond Northern up in Ohio. Just about any of the various chinese tractor dealers will have parts availability. If all else fails, anything can be ordered in by part number from China and shipped by UPS or FedEx. If I needed actual generator parts like bearings, I'd use domestic substitutions. George at utterpower.com is a good source of info on things like this

 

[Jkebxjunke]

I hear those china diesels are pretty tough.... are they?

 

[DonB]

I hear those china diesels are pretty tough.... are they?

IMO, all that commie junk is tough as nails. It's nothing fancy and has no bells and whistles but it keeps on working when you want it to and it's very hard to kill.

I bought a well-worn Belarus (Russky) tractor in 1995. It came with a complete array of implements and cost $2500. I beat the crap outta it. Since that time, all I've had to do that was the fault of the machine is grease it, change the oil/gear lube, replace the battery, rebuild the starter, air up the tires every year and add fuel.

I've also had to repair the damage I've inflicted upon it while working in the woods. Weld up stump holes in the oil pan (twice), replace a rod bearing after punching one of those holes, weld the muffler after an altercation with a tree, convert to an automotive alternator to replace the original that I knocked off and ran over with the bush hog, weld the clutch linkage I broke off in a pile of slash, repair/brace one of the lift arms I bent when pulling stumps, replace a dipstick that got lost when I was mowing brush and replace the speedo/tach cable (another brush victim).