Generator wiring options

[Jordan]

I am picking up a 5000w cont. / 6500w surge generator which should be more than enough for my needs. I want to keep the refrigerator, 240v water pump, the oil boiler circualtors, and a few lights at at time running. Practically the whole house has the CF lights so my lighting is about 1/4 normal. My max surge is 4000w and running is 2400w.

My home's 100A power panel is spread out pretty well where each room has its own 15A breaker which makes my transfer switch wiring a problem. Most of the switches seem to come with one 240 breaker (for my well) and 4 - 15A circuits (1 for Kitchen for fridge and 1 for heating). This leaves 2 rooms for lighting which is the most miniscule part of my needs.

Rather than wiring up individual circuits is it possible to get a transfer switch that transfers the entire power to the generator line?

[Stormin Mormon]

Years ago, I studied the various catalogs, and did some division on their numbers. I came up with a galon of gas provides 4,000 watts for one hour. Think that's what I ended up.

As such, plan to feed your generator a galon an hour.

[Jim Elbrecht]

In real life you don't run things at full load. My 5500watts Briggs and Stratton with a 7 gallon lasts 13 hours at 1/2 load. [and in practice that seems to be about what it gets.]

The Honda should do better as it regulates engine speed.

Jim

[HeyBub]

Certainly. Chances are, if a lineman IS killed, you didn't know him. So, ask yourself the next time you're standing in the long line at the movie or restaurant....

[Gary H]

[snip]

Of course, perfection isn't...

[Jim Grollmuss]

This web page is by far the best I've seen online for home transfer panel information.

[Caesar Romano]

On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:31:31 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote Re Re: Generator wiring options:

I like the way you think.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm sure that will be a great comfort to the widows, and attorneys for the power company.

[Stormin Mormon]

I was helping a freind of mine do some wiring in his trailer. We were about to cut a branch circuit in the bedroom. I suggested turning off the power. He thought he had. Turns out the panel didn't have main breaker, and he'd only turned off the power to the water heater.

Plumber came to do some work on my water heater, in a rented shop. I suggested we turn off the power. He looked surprised. He had flipped a switch next the the WH. The only thing he did was turn off the heat tape for the pipes over head. I know, I'm the guy who put that switch on.

Hey, do what you want with the transfer swich. The two stories above are real life, I was there and saw both of them happen. Are you 100 % sure that you, relatives, and anyone using your equipment will open the main? Do they know which one is the main?

[Van Chocstraw]

If they are that stupid what are they doing screwing with it.

[HeyBub]

I am unexcelled at "comforting" widows.

As for the attorneys, can you say "contributory negligence?"

[HeyBub]

If the two chaps you chronicled are not snappy enough to actually TEST for voltage before they lay hands on the wire, they are, perhaps, candidates for a lineman's job that so many worry about.

As for the odd person knowing which circuit breaker is which, they're labeled. And not with some strange acronym like "WH" that stands for "Heat Tape." That said, and as you so ably point out, absolute reliance on a properly-labeled circuit breaker is also a source of disaster.

[Stormin Mormon]

"It's dark in here. And cold. I saw him do it once. Here, it's like this.... bring that candle closer so I can see to fill the gasoline.......I know the gascan and generator are in the cellar here some where."

Shall I give you some more narrative?

[George]

Do you really have no disregard for human life?

My guess is that you are a bored housewife who posts lots of nonsense looking for attention...

[George]

Unfortunately not everyone leads *your* life. They may live with others, children may be involved, visitors may be involved, there can be emergency situations, people get sick or tired or even incapacitated etc. Thats why standard safety practices were devised.

[bob haller]

Linemen work 16 - 18 hurs for many days when storms strike, often in nasty weather.

give them a break and do the job RIGHT, its not that expensive and a positive at home resale time

[Caesar Romano]

Question:

Let's say a person tries to backfeed a generator into a home (without the proper xfer switch) that has *not* been isolated from the grid by tripping the Main breaker of the home. The generator is now feeding back into the grid to all the rest of the homes on the grid and trying to power all of their electrical loads.

What happens to that 5 or 6 kW generator? How soon will it happen?

[Stormin Mormon]

Wish he wouldn't use the top 8 inches or so of web page to complain about bad hookups. Just tell the right way, and explain why each part of the right way is right.

[Stormin Mormon]

In theory, a breaker trips on the generator. How fast? Well, depends if it's a Federal Pacific Electric breaker on the generator.

[Caesar Romano]

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:59:28 -0400, "Stormin Mormon" wrote Re Re: Generator wiring options:

Ball park? < 1sec?, < 1min?,