Aussie Dave in PA here Gavin,... I installed the 30 amp & wired it to a 20 amp outlet on the other side of the wall (NOT connected to House Power) just so I can run my Fridge, Chest Freezer & Internet from my Champion 2500 watt Generator ;) Cheap & simple :)
A thing to consider is if you are paying an Electrician to install the circuit, the labor will be a big part of the cost. The labor is the same to install the 50 or the 30. So if you have a big house or are considering adding more loads in the future (pool, room addition, shop, garage, A/C, ..... EV) the small increase in the cost of the hardware up from 30 Amps may well be worth it. You can run a 30 to 50 adapter for your 30-amp generator.
Thank you for the video. I was undecided after buying a Duromax 9000, but 30A it is; the box and cable are cheaper and with 6000W (80% load) I can power the main things I need, just need to be smart about alternating the large draw items.
This video help me completely understand what I needed for my situation I finally figured it out, I was not able to run my 5 horsepower compressor with just my Predator 3500, I also had a predator 2000 so I figured why not try to parallel them together went down to Harbor Freight picked up the Predator parallel kit which technically is only for the 2000 model and can only do 4,000 watts Peak and Link them together and was able to start my compressor with no effort at all unbelievable I'm so happy I went through hell trying to figure this out since I don't have electricity on this part of the farm and $150 ft 10 gauge extension cord was not cutting it. I also noticed the startup watch on the screen said 4700 Watts so obviously the Predator parallel kit is more capable than just 4,000 Peak . I'm so happy with this parallel kit being that it is more capable than they claim I know I can use the firman kit which is probably better but I like the predator parallel kit because it Clips on to the small predator generator so that's a nice feature, your videos are great thank you for your help your channel will definitely grow . And I think I will upload a video on my channel because of this
Good timing on this video. I have our current house wired for 30 amp for our Duromax 9000. We are in the process of building a new house and I'll be putting in a 50 amp plug for when we figure out how to parallel the Duromax generator with a neutral. ;) I just have a 30 to 50 amp adaptor for using the Duromax with the 30 amp plug. Thanks for the great videos Gavin!
I have a 10,000 watt diesel milsurp generator on a trailer, and am wiring the house to accept that 50A setup. It has bare lugs, so we're wiring a 50 and 30 plug receptacles to the generator so we have options (it is mobile, after all). The thing is a beast - weighs 1000 pounds without the trailer. But it's quiet and reliable.
Really helpful. I was wanting to do a 50A inlet "just in case" for my 7500W running generator and I was struggling with the cable issue since I would have to adapt the 4 prong to the 3 prong. You've convinced me to just go with the 30A inlet.
50 amp Generac inlet box, an interlock switch on the main panel and a 12000 Duromax portable generator. Trust me from personal experience, when the power goes out you will NEVER say or think, "Gee, I wish I didn't have this much power."
Love the KISS explanation! I like to add, if the budget allows I would go for the 50 amp inlet. You can always adapt the 50 amp cord down to a smaller generator while leaving room for future expansion. When I installed my generator inlet the Jungle site (Amazon) wasn't a thing back then, you can purchase reasonably price kits nowadays. I just recently installed two 50 amp inlets for a family friend that has the WGen20000 (I can say that generator is a beast). It really worked out well since they have 2 separate 200 amp main service panels in their garage. They're just ecstatic that this year's tropical cyclone season of not having to deal with the spaghetti model of extension cords when the power goes out. I already let them know not to attempt to run any one of their multiple 4 ton HVAC units without a soft start units installed.
I'm using a 30amp box and I bought a UL rated bridged cable to power both sides of my panel for my IQ3500. Love my setup. Don't need to power AC, If I need AC I'll just hook it up to my 30' camper and sleep in there. Love your channel!
Can you explain your set up more in detail please? What do you mean by “to power both sides of my panel with bridge cable” I am only doing 30 Amp as well because we don’t have AC and using Firman 4500 tri-fuel generator. Plus here in Canada interlock kits are not a legal way to do a hook up.
Would also like more info. My 4000w tri fuel is more than enough to power everything I need in my house minus my AC but I can't find anyone that is willing to install an interlock that I can plug my 110v generator into.
@@GeneratorReviews can you help explain this? It seems me and a bunch of other people are in the same boat.... We'd like to use a interlock kit with our 110v generators.
@@GeneratorReviews thank you, I just had a nema 1450 installed in the house next to my electrical panel and electrician supposedly educated me on why I should do 14-50 and do a suicide lead with the generator I bought from Costco a firm man. because supposedly the 14-30 the ones that home depot and lowes sales would not be able to dual parallel feed my main. The electrician said that by by using the 50 amp 240v it will be able to energize both busses (parallel feed) and be able to give electricity to both sides of my panel versus the 10-30 or 30 amp would cause him extra work to work to move breakers in the panel Box so that the gen gives power to the essentials
I haven’t watched the vid but I am in electrician electrical contractor and generac installer so my suggestion is wire for larger and always can make cords to connect smaller
if u wire it carefully u can parallel two 50amp plugs but there are safety concerns it would be really good idea to have an interlock with a 3 phase contactor that only energize when the plug has power input from the generator or else u can have exposed split phase 240v mains to your 2nd plug and that can kill someone. also must be real careful about not crisscrossing legs or that would short the generator.
Everyone watching reading comments needs to think with electricity there is the 80 percent rule. 80 percent running load and leave an extra 20 percent for start up like motors and compressors. So on a 7500 watt gen, that is max wattage on start up. Then it drops down to a running wattage around 6000 more or less but never 7200 watts why?. Amps times volts 30 x 240 is 7200 watts and then the generator's breaker will trip after the 120 percent overload protection. That's is why gens with 7500 watt or less prob has 30 amp plug. So yes you can install a 50 amp receptacle on your house but then again think 80 percent load and a new factor. Distance between the 50 amp receptacle to the breaker location, voltage drop. Wire size must follow NEC temp in wire/ breaker chart and voltage drop from the distance. But there is some variance in the code depending on your AHJ. But to be safe 8 awg under 25 feet, under 100 feet 6 awg and over 100 feet 4 awg size conductor. Anything breaker sizing times your amps by 1.25. So 50 amps receptacle times 1.25 is 62.5. So 60 amp breaker is fine but your wire conductor must follow the NEC chart. And 50 amp breaker on 8 awg is okay under 25 feet, but I never go over 10 feet. What I typed are examples. You need to do your own math with what you got and figure out what is best. It's your property don't be cheap and think 80 percent.
Great video! But you’re talking about 7500w max for the 30A inlet. That’s correct if you run only 240v things in your house. If like me you have some power hungry stuff running on 120v (120v mini split 15-16A , microwaves, 3 freezer, laundry machine, coffee machine, etc … dont forget that those kind of things pull Power only from one leg. Be sure your 120v stuff are balance on both legs or go 50A to be sure. In my case, i was reading 28A on 1 phase and only 10A on the other one. I was maxing my 30A cable with only 4500W. I changed my cable for a #6 and a new Inlet / breaker combo to use my 8000w generator at full power ;)
7500w is 7500w no matter how you slice it or how you load it. To understand a 240 volt circuit better.....30 x 240 is total wattage which is 7500w approx. the breaker on your gen is likely going to be a 30A 2 pole breaker. each "leg" of that 30A 240V circuit will also only carry 30A. So the max load you'll ever have on one leg is 30A x 120V which is about 3600w. 50A literally serves zero purpose on a 7500w gen. I see so many folks that aren't doing the math right and always recommending people upsize to a 50A when there's no point.
@@andrewb3313 You’re right but my 8000W generator has a 50a plug with a 50a breaker. I’m able to pull 38A and 25A on each leg with no problem. 38 x 120 + 25 x 120v = 7500W. I was not able to run my Generator with this load on the 14-30r plug with a 10awg wire. The #10 wire cannot support more than 30A on any wire in the cable.
This is the best explanation so far. I have the Predator 7600W Gen. So would I need a a 30A double pole breaker or should I get a 50A double pole breaker?
I was hoping this may help but it didnt. Generac GP8000E 8000 watts with up to 10,000 (starting). Unit uses a L14-30 4 prong outlet. So it is a "sustained" 8000, but its own outlet is a 30amp 4 prong? What say you on this? (PS it appears to have a 10 gauge male to female cord sold with it)? I just put in a Connecticut Electric (7500 watt rated) receptacle, 10 gauge). Which I ran to my panel with 8 gauge Southwire) to a 30amp breaker.
My electrician installed a 50amp inlet box for my generator. For some reason the receptacle doesn't have the hole in the middle to fit the center guidance pin of the female plug. I had to pull the pin out. Almost all boxes I've seen online have the center hole. I'm wondering why mine doesn't have the hole.
First, I just want to Thank You for all the information you provide and the time and effort you put in to make these instructional videos! Now, my question is, am I understanding you right... the only way to get 240V out the Genmax 9000 is to parallel two together? I think you described this in another video, if so, can you link that video? Keep up the Great Work!
First thank you so much for watching but the GENMax 9000 is a 240 V generator. I think I said the only way you gonna get 12,500 W is to parallel the two generators together to use the 50 amp interlock kit
@@GeneratorReviews But for the Westinghouse 28000 you cold use both 50 amp 240v for parallel input to the house as both generator plugs come off the same windings within the generator. That would give you 24,000 watts (peak) into the house. A T Burke.
Remember folks that the 50 AMP plug must have a 6 AWG running to the panel and the 30 AMP plug a 10 AWG. The quickest way to burn down your house is not to have the rated wiring respective to the plug and generator your using and of course not to have too many circuits powered(load). AMP=WATTAGE/VOLTAGE.
Great video. Thank you. So you need to run an 8 gauge wire from the inlet box all the way to the breaker box (assuming an interlock kit)? That’s big bucks if it’s far away.
@@GeneratorReviews thanks for answering. I did it many years ago with 10g and a 30a inlet. Unfortunately my breaker box is in the far end of my basement at least 50 feet from where I run the Generator. DOH!
Hello Gavin, I really enjoy all of your reviews on generators. I am looking for a whole house generator and was thinking about the Winco HPS12000HE, mainly for the Honda engine and tri fuel options. I don’t think you have reviewed this one. Any thoughts on this? Would you personally recommend an option? My must haves; tri fuel, low THD, and 50 amp. I have two 3-1/2 ton a/c, electric dryer, 3 refrigerators and large deep freezer. Thank you Keep up with the great videos. Karl
I have this generator it is a beast but you lose a lot of power using NG or Propane, I ran this generator for 2 weeks stright during Sandy when we lost the grid in NJ and it never had a hick-up the Honda motor is excellent and runs and runs just changed the oil every 100 hours and kept putting gas in it.
I’ve always looked longingly at that winco. I run propane with an inexpensive 7500 Westinghouse. It runs two large subzeros, my wine cooler, ice maker, heat, well pump and anything else in the house at the same time. Hooked up to my 500g buried propane tank I use for my pool, so it’s operating way below 7500. The only thing you would have to give up using a much cheaper option is the central air. We’ve lost power for 6 days straight and the generator had buzzed along 24/7 without any issue at all. But if we lose power in the dead of summer we’re using the ceiling fans and suffering. If you have the cash, you won’t go wrong with that Winco. Just know it already had a floating neutral from the factory.
My 4 ton central AC is about 5000 watts. To run it, it will also need a soft start kit. So, if you want to your central AC and don’t have $12,000 for a standby system of 14-20kw, you need 50 amps and maybe tri-fuel with natural gas because gasoline can’t be stored long, propane will require more than 20lb cans.
Excellent information. My question is this. My entire house is electric water heater, range, heat pump. I’d like to have at least the heat pump and lights during and outage. I’ve purchased a duromax 12500w start with 9500w running watts. The heat pump is 40 amps start up with around 21 amps running with a 4600 wattage draw. Should I go 50A inlet and have the overhead or go 30A inlet to just have enough? Thanks in advance!!!
The reason why it's 19,800 is because of the 550 watt solar panels. I don't have big roof just big panels and I will be putting bigger ones on the ground mounts and I have some smaller solar panels on some ground mounts but not all of them and I didn't make all my ground mounts yet but I have one and a half ground mounts with out solar panels that I am and will add more solar panels to. I just need to get more but yes I have some that I'm putting up.
If I was thinking of getting the Westinghouse WGen 9500DF which has a running watt of 9500 (12500 Peak), does that mean I must use the 50A if pulling more than 7500 watts? Btw, don’t think I saw u reviewed this brand’s larger units before, any thoughts on them? Thanks for your channel and videos! Future video idea: things a new home owner should know when buying one, what to look for, specs, etc.
Awesome video. Question, I just purchased a Generac 8500 should I go with a 50 amp? I know the output breaker on my generator shows 30 amp. Thank you in advance
I have a Durmax 12,000 dual fuel, 9000 running watts 12,000 peak. My generator is 75 feet from my 50 amp inlet box. What gage cord should I use? Would 6/3+8/1 be the right cord? I need around 7500 running watts of power to run what I need. I have a 50 amp double breaker in the CB box.i calculated the watts I need. Do you think I should go with a 30 amp 75 foot cord and get an adapter on the inlet box to 30amps? The weight of 75 feet of 6/3+8/1 gage wire is 55 lbs.
@@carapungo That's all good and well as long as the wiring going to the panel for the generator is at least a 6 AWG. Don't change out plug if the wiring is a 10 AWG which is rated for a 30 AMP.
If you were trying to figure out if you should get that transfer switch or inlet box, either one will work for you. The transfer switch if you get that 10 circuits you’ll be able to run two 240 V appliances and the remaining will be 120v loads. I would installed the inlet box, not only is it cheaper but you power everything in the house and you can do it at 50amp plus the lock out?
I don't plan to parallel generator, but I just ordered the Genmax 9000. Wouldn't it make sense to go with a 50 amp inlet and a 10 circuit transfer switch? I am assuming I would be able to run my central air (with soft start) only to cool the house, turn it off then run my essentials like lights, refrigerator and deep freezer when the sun goes down. I wouldn't need any power to the second level of my house, only downstairs.
That’s perfectly doable. You just have to get your electrician to hook up the 10 circuit just remember the AC is going to use two because you’ll need 240 V so that leaves you with eight
I want to get a 30amp inlet installed to be used with my Champion 4500. My question is, if I were to parallel my champion 4500 with my predator 3500, to get 6500 running watts? Would I use the 30 amp or the 50amp side on the parallel kit. With the proper adapter?
In an emergency you should be going with the smallest watt generator you can to get by with... no need to power everything in your house or to have a big generator sucking up gas (which may be in low supply or hard to get) to produce excessive wattage you will never use. Pick a nice reliable generator say 3500-5000, pick circuits to run such as your master bedroom, have a small 6000BTU window or portable AC unit to keep you cool etc..
I agreed, but for example I have an igen4200 which is an open frame, inverter 120v, it uses a TT30. I have the L14 30 amp 220 plug on my house with a interlock. I use an adapter to put the load over two legs and don't run my 220 appliances. Works great and future proof if I want to use 220 in the future. But to your point I'm in Florida and having enough gasoline for two weeks is critical. And people have no clue how little they actually need.
50 50 50, if you want to upgrade your generator later you can easily. I went from a 3500 watt to 12000 watt generator and didn't have to change out the box since it was 50 amp. With that WGen 20000 you could power a couple of houses.
@@johnjohnssouthernexposure5421 I have a Generac Ultra Source 12500 watt purchased 10 years ago. I added a kit to make it tri fuel and am currently using propane for fuel. It's not the quietest unit but it powers my entire home during emergencies. I also have a Ryobi ~2000 watt inverter generator gas powered which I use for camping. If the temps are good and I don't need heat or AC at home I'll shut down the Generac and use the Ryobi to power a small number of receptacles and lights in the house especially at night. The WGen 20k would be overkill for me. Now if you live in a house with multiple circuit breaker panels the Wgen might work. If you're purchasing a generator for your home try to get one with low THD say 5% or less. It'll help protect your electronics.
Gavin, Thank you for this information. In my case I have a 9000 Watts Dual Fuel Champion #71503 with 4 prongs/ 30 Amps. My Home inlet box is a Generac 6338 (50 Amps - 3 prongs with pin in the middle. What kind of power cord(50 ft.) do you suggest that I buy to work this safely, possibly with an adaptor? 30 Amp cord or 50Amp cord? Thanks again.
I have the 30 amp setup, but plan on using an adapter and using only the TT-30R on my generator....thus only powering my house with 120v for both legs. Do you recommend any kind of surge protector at the generator?
Gavin. I watched your video on cable size and voltage drop was good. I will get 10 gage cord used with a 30 amp inlet. Im thinking 40 foot cord to get noise away from house. At what length of cord is there voltage drop that affects gen output wattage? Whats the cord ideal length. Above this length should we go to a 50 amp wired cord and still use the 30 connectors? Thanks! U do patreon? Love your content. How can we support your channel?
Thanks so much for watching the max. I would recommend you going is 25 to 30 feet. You can push the thanks button on the bottom of the videos that works great to support the channel .
Thnx Gavin...I had a 50 amp plug installed on house meter box....for the Duramax xp 13000 gen....can I aslo plug Honda eu 6500 w 30 amp in....???what 30 to 50 amp plug end converter?
I’m putting in the generator inlet plug as we speak. The generator I’m using has the 50a plug but with 30a rating. Can I put in 50a plug with 6 gauge wire but use a 30a breaker in the panel. Maybe later I get a bigger generator later on or parallel a second generator. Then I simply replace the 30a breaker with a 50a
If running a 50 amp inlet box from a larger suitable generator and using an interlock kit on my circuit breaker box, what size circuit breaker should I use for the incoming line?
I have a question? The interlock box is to supply power to something like a home or Rv. There are connectors that will step down the wattage from 50amps to 30amps. Why not get the 50amps and be covered for anything that life throws at you?
@@GeneratorReviews thanks a bunch. I'm going with either the Genmax 9000 that has the 50amp outlet or the Duromax with only the 30amp. You've been a great help.
@@aholmes6612 Just like basic plugs. Except on a larger scale. Your phone plugs into a usb type C or usb type A or lightning port has a connector to 15 amp adaptor. Your circuit breaker is a connector to the grid. It’s more complicated as you scale because of size of wiring and grounding that should be used. Also DC to AC and sign wave. I don’t know it all that’s why we watch @GavinsGarage. I just watch a video of his where he dumbed everything down. It was for us who do not know to get a full understanding. It was a video about some parkworld cables. I think it’s best he does it this way because there was a point in time when I had no understanding. Great job @Gavin’sGarage.
what happens if i have a 50 amp inlet installed but are only running 7000 watts. any harm done? can i get an adapter that plugs into 50 but changes to 30?
I tried to find a 30a to 50a adapter and couldn’t find one. I wanted to install a 50 amp inlet and adapt it to accept a 30 amp generator cord and I would be ready for a bigger generator when I get a new one. If anyone knows where I can get an adapter like that please share a link.
You mentioned running generators in parallel? That is interesting to me. Can you do that with multipleEcoFlow Pro dual voltage hubs? Might be a good topic for a video if you haven’t already made one. If so, can you point me to it? Thanks.
Hi Gavin, What's the best way to set up a Westinghouse 28000 Generator to run your whole house? Would you use two 50 AMP inlet boxes with two 50 AMP cords? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!
Gavin, if you only have a smaller generator (4500 watt), would it be a good idea to install the 50 amp inlet box and use an adapter just in case you decide to upgrade or parallel another generator in the future?
If you had a big generator and a 50 amp plug, and wanted to have a backup plan for a situation where your big generator goes bad, you go to home depot and they only have smaller generators 6000W let's say and you needed to get it cuz power is out and something is better than nothing, this new generator had only a 30 amp outlet.. with that said, would you have two boxes outside of your house or is there an adapter that you can utilize 50 amp plug but it will reduce the power to 30 amp so you can still use a smaller generator? Thank you
Hi PAUL, there’s a simple adapter that goes from the 30 amp to the 50 amp plug. There’s an adapter that can go from a regular 120 V to the 50 amp plug.
@Gavin’s Garage hello and thank you for your response. Just to ensure, I can go with this adapter from 30 amp generator to 50 amp plug in my wall right? Not the other way around. Or I can do both scenarios, the other one would be a big 50 amp generator to smaller 30 amp plug in my wall? Thank you
I have the Westinghouse 28000 generator also. I want to connect it to my home also. I am pricing out having an electrician to do it or doing it myself. Can I do 2 50 amp connections? And if I can my parts list would be 2 plugs on wall outside of course cables and if I understand 2 interlock kits? I am a mechanic somewhat understand the situation but want to make sure I get it right. Estimates I have are $1800.00 for 1 50 amp connection that seems very high
