Hi I have a 5K generator that I want to connect to my house through the main circuit box in my house.. A friend of mine says there is somekind of on/off box that you connect to open the power coming in then another circuit of some kind the plugs into the generator.. has anybody heard of this? I want this hooked up in case of a power outage and instead of running extension cords through the house I can connect the gen. at the main power box and use the outlets in the house.. makes sense right.. so how do I do it? Thanks Jess

After I lucked into getting a nice Coleman 6250 watt generator for less than $400, I discovered it would cost more than that to connect it in legally. You must have something in the way of a double throw switch positively isolating the generator and the power company's lines. Everybody is looking for a good way, see
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electr...tch-38571.html

Yes to legally connect to your homes electric, you will have to have a secure box that guarntees no power can go out into the line while the generator is on ( the electric company says this is for the protection and safety of the line men working on the lines) and of course to stop the electric from going back into your generator when the power comes back on.

So you have a box that your generator will plug into, that has a switch, when you move the level, it allows your generator to flow into your electricial pannel. Yes as above I believe the box itself costs more than 300.00 and has to be installed by code, normally meaning a permit and inspection by the city code people. ( so it means normally a licensed electrician)

Also you understand a 5K generator will not run a lot of things in your home anyway.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

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also you understand a 5K generator will not run alot of things in your home anyway.

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I wouldn't let that bother me. As I said, I am studying the same problem. I just figured it up. To run my refrigerator, freezer, pump, and furnace all at once would only to 4056 watts. And they seldom would all running at once leaving me plenty for lights and maybe even short runs of the microwave.

As I said, check out the other thread.

The wrong way and most used is called back feeding. This is where you would make a double male 240-V cord. Plug one end into your dryer outlet first and the other end into the generator. The problem with this is that when you don't throw the main shutoff in your power panel (and you will forget. How many times have you lost your keys?) you will send power out to the lines and through a transformer. The best thing that could hapen when this happens is the power comes on and fries your generator. The worst thing is you kill a lineman. This method is used as a quick way to send power to your circuits and is HIGHLY dangerous.

Backfeeding/ double male plugs are a sure way to electrocute yourself or some one else. PLEASE DO NOT USE THAT METHOD.

Well, depending on how you use electricity in your home a 5kw generator should do the job. If you want to get around the electric company, you will have to totally disconnect from their grid by requesting them to shut down your power. Once that is done you can now use your generator as a permanent power source by actually feeding the 220vac power cord to the main circuit breaker on your panel box(SEE NOTE BLEOW). Though now days gas prices are through the roof. PPS Generators is now doing research on a new type of generator that uses stored power and will not require the use of gas. Now, if you still want the electric company as your power source there is a switch that gives the electric company full control of your generator; allowing them to remotely disconnect you from the grid. There is also a program where you could feed back into the grid and get a discount on your next electric bill, they don't pay you for the power given but will pro-rate the amount of power you use by the power you give. If you want to get paid by feeding back into the grid then become a business and sell the power to the electric company; same thing the wind farms, hydroplants, and other power source business' do. (NOTE: YOUR ELECTRIC COMPANY NEEDS TO REMOVE THE CABLES FROM YOUR MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER ONCE THE POWER HAS BEEN REMOVED, I RECOMMEND A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN TO CONNECT THE GENERATOR 220VAC POWER CORD TO YOUR MAIN BREAKER. ALSO MAKE SURE EVERY BREAKER IN THE BOX IS OFF BEFORE POWERING UP YOUR GENERATOR DUE TO A POWER SURGE ON STARTUP OF BOTH YOUR HOUSE APPLIANCES AND THE GENERATOR). This thread is probably outdated and the question has been answered by now but just wanted to send anyway just in case it hasn't.

(THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN JUST PLUGGING IN, BUT IF I WROTE A BOOK ON IT, I WOULD BORE YOU TO DEATH. UNLESS YOU ARE Truly INTERESTED) :-)

Hey all. It is may of 2011. You can get what is called a generlink. It is a big and ugly addition to your electric meter. The utilities would have to come and pull the meter for you and they or an electrician would put this base to your meter that has a generator plug on it, and the meter would connect back to that. At least here in northern ontario the generlink is around $800. It works great! Is safe and when power comes back on there is electrical components on it that does NOT allow for reverse feed back to your generator. vice versa with the gen on it cannot feed the rest of the grid. By the way it makes your meter stick out about 14" from the meter base but for what it does and how it works it is all worth it. And yes as its been said, before you turn gen on, you have to turn breakers off. Then turn on one at a time only what circuits you need to have and what your gen capabilities could handle. All stuff you should know ahead of time before purchasing a generator.

Jesse... it's really quite simple. There is a small device which allows you to choose 6 circuits to run with your generator. There are 6 switches which when wired into your electrical panel allow you to choose between the generator and the utility. It's design won't allow you to backfeed the panel or create any problems when the power returns. It's usually about $250. And needs to be permananently installed. The good thing is if you ever get a larger generator it will still work just fine. It's a multi-circuit transfer switch.

Missouri. Check the date of Jesse's post. ;)

Crap... didn't see that.

Lol

But that is OK because people are still curious... no matter what year it is. Thanks for the info Missouri~!

You can use a transfer switch or a specially designed sub panel but I found a company on line (google interlock kit) that sells a kit that mounts on the front of your electric panel. It keeps the main breaker off while you turn on a generator breaker on and it feeds power to the whole panel. You have lights in all the rooms. You turn off the breakers to things like big air conditioners but leave the other on, they don't use power unless you turn the light on. This lets you run things like furnaces or refrigerators with out pulling them out from the wall. The interlock kit costs about $150 and you need about another $150 for the outlet cord and stuff but you can install it in about 1 hour. My friend and I did it and we are not really handy.

Even though that was some out dated answers I found that very helpful thanks guys I was looking for a solution in getting a generator or solar panels I just want something else instead of using the power company they are outrageous