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Teach me about these 2 generators


Bad324

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One of these 2 generators may be coming available to me very shortly. I don't do track days, I don't really camp so the only use they'd likely see is power back up for my house. Thing is, I have no idea how any of that works or where I would set it up to run or how I can connect it to the house so I'm a complete noob.

What I need to know is which of the 2 should I go for? I'm guessing it'll be the bigger one because it can handle more but also a PITA to move

And what would I need to do to be able to use it as back up power for my house

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Edited by Bad324
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If you don't want to wire your house you can get a cord, cut the female end off and add a male end. When power goes out make sure your breaker is turned off, fire generator and plug male end into generator and male end into normal 110 plug in your house. This will back feed power into your house and run everything that is on that circuit.

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What do you need to power?  A sump pump and a refridgerator?  Either would work, bigger is better.

 No sump pump at my house but I have 2 fridges I'd want to run

 

I have the 5500 one. It's never let me down. It's wired to the house as my back up power

So do you just leave it inside in the basement running then? Yes, this is how clueless I am :lol:

 

 

If you don't want to wire your house you can get a cord, cut the female end off and add a male end. When power goes out make sure your breaker is turned off, fire generator and plug male end into generator and male end into normal 110 plug in your house. This will back feed power into your house and run everything that is on that circuit.

 

well better yet, I found a couple of those types of male/male cords on the shelf above where this is stored

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wiring it to your house is the way to go if you intend to remain there for the foreseeable future, otherwise, I think it's a lot easier to just run the cord through a window.

 

where to keep a big noisy generator while it's running is the bigger question, IMHO.  I keep mine on the back porch during the day, and would intend to move it into the garage over night.  I need to rig an exhaust extension though, so that I can route the fumes through a flexible gas line, and out the door.

 

Either of those would power a couple of fridges.  The 5500 would do almost everything (essential) in the house.

 

 

 

I like the idea of having a second breaker-box with a throw-out switch between them.  1 is your regular breaker box, and the second is not connected to utilities.  That second one only has essential lighting and outlets in your home.  that's the generator box.

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No, I leave it in the garage. The way rig it up Bowdog mentioned is fine if you only intend to run 110 and limited stuff. A hard wired plug for the genny lets you run 220 and the entire house. Costs about $30-40 in parts and an hour tops in labor. I work for pasta.

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If you can get  bigger, that's always better. Better to have more power than you need than not enough and have to rotate more things on and off the the power. 

 

This calculator will give you a ballpark on your needs. 

http://www.generatorsales.com/wattage-calculator.asp

 

Really you should go to each thing you want to run and see specifically what power needs you have. 

 

I also recommend having an extra spark plug or too, pull cord, etc so that if power goes out and something happens, you can fix it right away. Oh and remember the thing won't run without fuel so having filled fuel cans is always a good idea.

 

If you get it, do a tune up on it. Run fresh gas, clean carb, plug, air filter. Run it, hook stuff up to it,  before you need to so you know it operates properly.

 

If you run it outside, chain the hell out of it because its common for them to be stolen in an emergency. If you can secure it in a garage or basement, make sure it's exhausted properly or you'll die from carbon monoxide.

 

I rent so hooking it up to the house isn't an option. Mine has a corded remote that I can bring inside and plug into as well as start/shut off the unit. 

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we have a 15000 Watt generac, Has been great for us. the bigger one will be easier to move because of the wheels.. and its more power. i would find a way to plug the generator into the house that way when you want to move it for some other use its easy to unplug. 

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Go with the bigger one for household support.  Do the calculator so see how much power you will need to run on each item connected.  You probably will have to wire in a 220 plug into the panel box with some help from someone who is good at that.  Depending on what items are running and how much power each item needs to run at the same time, you might have to ration which things are running at the same time.  Manually switching breakers in the panel is easy to do during the outage.  Shut the main breaker off while using it so you don't backfeed the neighborhood is a must unless you wire in a transfer switch.  Exhaust fumes to the outside with good ventilation b/c of the carbon dioxide.

 

I just bought an 8 KW this spring and haven't gotten it wired yet or set up to use just yet.  Wanted the reassurance for the sump, freezer and fridge and the well pump if needed along with some lights, tv, etc.  Can't count on Edison if a major outage occurs these days.

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my $.02:

 

POINT 1:

having worked for a electric supplier, I can tell you that a lineguy's worst fear during last mile power restoration is a back fed generator...

While it will technically work... alot of the line guys will skip over a last mile restoration issue where the house is being powered by generators, unless they can see that a proper transfer switch, and proper generator installation was performed.

 

In some areas, a back fed generator (plugging a male-to-maile extension cord into the house electric wiring) is considered a code violation, and believe me, when a lineguys life is on the line... many are not afraid to report the violation...

 

Should you still choose to back feed the generator, the process should be something like this:

 

Step 1 after power goes out:

TURN OFF MAIN BREAKER(S)

 

Step 2 after power goes out:

Think about where your generator is right now, then TURN OFF MAIN BREAKERS

 

Step 3: Look at the generator, but don't touch it, no GO TURN OFF THE MAIN BREAKERS

 

You get the point... Don't even think about turning on the generator, or plugging the house into the generator via a back feed cable without turning off the main breaker(S)

 

 

POINT 2:

Back feeding your generator takes a lot more thought than simply making or purchasing a male to male cable and plugging it in. Circuit breakers are not isolation devices, in the case of a back feed... this means that you may be able to power more outlets in the home than what is on that circuit breaker... it all depends on the neutral bond that was made at the electric panel. 

Because of this, you need to ensure that your back feed extension wiring can handle the back feed amperage, that your house wiring can handle the amperage, etc... 

 

I have referred people to this site before as a good resource for back-feeding the home, should an emergency arise and you so desire:

http://www.tcscooters.com/backfeed.htm

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I will also add:

 

Because of the way the electric distribution system is built... a backfeed can go much further up the line than just your house, thus, endangering a lineguys life 2, 3 or more houses up the road.

 

Considering the transfer switch, like what GUMP linked, only costs $230... can you truly say not spending $230 is worth potentially killing someone?

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I will also add:

 

Because of the way the electric distribution system is built... a backfeed can go much further up the line than just your house, thus, endangering a lineguys life 2, 3 or more houses up the road.

 

Considering the transfer switch, like what GUMP linked, only costs $230... can you truly say not spending $230 is worth potentially killing someone?

This is the route I'll be taking once the new toy hauler is here and the genny from my old rig is at the house and not in the genny.  From the sounds of OP he should definitely pay to have a transfer put in, because if you forget to turn that main in breaker off, you can kill the power guy, yourself, etc.  And it can cost a ton of cash if you back feed to their lines and get fined, or ruin stuff.  They don't like that :)

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Interesting stuff guys! Thanks for all the info. At the current time I only plan on staying in this house a few more years but would likely take up ol MT on his offer since I buy bulk pasta

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