How I powered my entire house by hooking up my generator directly to my panel. I made a mistake in the video. I would need 6/4 SO cord for a 50amp plug vs #8/4 SO Cord. #8 is good for the house wiring.
watched your vid over a year ago after i bought a generator , got 10/4 wire and made up a cord , yesterday power went out and i tapped into the stove breaker that we dont use. 40 amp. worked like a champ , we had power to everything for 14 hrs . including air-conditioning. we just monitored everything . Thanks for explaining everything to a tee.
As confusing as this video might have been for the average person to understand this wiring method, and understanding how the 2 phases of a panel are setup, it might’ve been just as easy to simply explain the interlock system. I absolutely love the release of liability in the beginning. Great job with this video!!
So in a perfect world EVERYONE would have the interlock AND all the stores would be open on a day when the power went out AND EVERYONE would have the money to purchase the interlock system..actually..in a perfect world your comment wouldn't be here..
@@MrOkrick in a perfect world you also already owned the generator. Now that you do there's no excuse. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you bought it that day.
Super thorough!! that is how it is supposed to be done! I too am super thorough and it was refreshing to see someone be as thorough as me! Thank you so much for sharing!
Really liked the video. The problem that I see is that the cable that goes to the generator is always going to be hot. Unless you disconnect from the breaker when you don't need to use it anymore.
@@JohnnysTipsandTricks i found these way the best and SAFE WAY, to diy Now just someone else also coment about it, If you can share your knowledge If you have a 240 dryer outlet, can just the plug in the generator and feed back , without the wiring Will be nice to know the answer, if you need my email i will send a private message
I remember watching this a year ago. Then a few dozen other home electrical videos. I feel more comfortable with what is in this one. Thank you for sharing.
It's the same way you would wire your panel for a lockout kit except you didn't add two breakers and an external twist lock connector. It doesn't cost that much more. Also, an easy way to tell if the power comes back on is to use a battery powered voltage tester that rings (chirps).Just set it next to the incoming service lines at the top of your panel.
I am a woman and even I totally understand how to do this for well pump now! Thanks so much sweetheart from a Southern Belle! Much love to y’all up there!! ♥️
Hey man thank you so much oh, I did exactly what you did on my own risk and now I have my mobile home up and running. I just bought the mobile home and still haven't had money to get all the wiring under the ground so I was able to connect my generator and I have light everywhere I'm sitting down watching TV at the moment thank you so much
Great video 👍👍. I'm in Fl, just went through Ian. For 20 years, 4 different places, I've hooked my generator to my panel with the 10/4 like you did but to my dryer breaker. I hooked the Ground to the Ground Bar, the White (Neutral) to the White (Neutral) Bar, the Black & Red to the Breaker. I can't remember taking the Lines off before from the Breaker to the Dryer Outlet so left them on. For some reason I was getting 220v into my 110v breakers. I about blew my Fridge, I blew ever Bulb, Ceiling Fan in every room I turned on, Luckily I didn't Blow my TV. I kept Blowung GFIs in the Panel and through the house. I worked on trying to straighten this problem out all day until power cane back on. I think the GFIs saved my BUTT from blowing more things. My GROUND Wire in the Panel was loose, found that out when breaking it all down after power came back. WOULD a "LOOSE GROUND" have to do with like Getting POWER SURGES to my 110v stuff??? OR was it leaving the Wires on the Breaker to the Dryer Outlet???? I hope u answer I feel like a failure and its been bugging me for days now. I think I've looked at a few hundred videos until I found yours, GREAT JOB. THANK YOU I did though when 1st hooking up, I couldn't get all circuits working so I hooked freezer and Fridge on cords. After I thought I had the problem fixed I un plugged the Fridge from cord and plugged into the outlet AND POW, GENERATOR PULLS, FRIDGE smelled and thought I blew my Fridge. After that I was still popping GFIs. So it STILL could be the loose ground from Generator Cord to Panel???
The reason for what you are getting is you have a receptacle or a cord where the neutral and the hot are reversed , you can get a test that will show you what ones are wired wrong .
We lost power about 7 years ago for 10 days, I have a 10K Generator, for working my power tools in the back yard. I had no idea how to hook the Generator into my panel to get power to our well pump, lights and a few other things. A friend of mine that is an electrician came over and hooked it into the breaker panel just about the exact way. Awesome video!!
I tried to hook up everything like you said and I got shocked causing me to piss myself and forgot my name for about a day and a half. Now every time I hear my generator running I instantly forget who I am and just start pissing myself uncontrollably! What did I do wrong?
Shock yourself daily for a couple of weeks. You will build up a tolerance, and maybe even a liking, for 120 volts. Trust me, from a guy who used to work on tube radio chassis while standing on a wet rug, on a concrete floor.
Johnny - Quick question for you. I have an 30 amp 'OUTLET' for my RV. And I have a Genset with 30 amp outlet . Sounds like I would need to 'make' a CORD with one normal end that would plug into the Genset then I would need to 'modify' the other end to add a plug that would go into my RV 'outlet' - which is a 30 amp circuit with nothing on it.. Is this the way to go ?
Loved it! Next time just hit the main and plug it into the dryer outlet, as it's 220v and will run both L1 & L2 on the house panel. It's easier and safer than rewiring the house panel. Just don't forget to: 1. Turn off the OUTSIDE Main 1st, as you said. Some houses have two mains. One on the inside panel and one on the outside where the power company meter is. Yep that is the MOST important part so you don't fry someone or your generator. 2. Run a wire from the "Generator Ground" to the house ground in the house panel, if your power cord doesn't have one. 3. Shut off the AC System unless your generator can take a 22 Kilo Watt hit for a second when the AC compressor turns on. I'm guessing most folks don't have a 22KW home generator. Options: If you need AC like we do here in the south buy two small AC 250-350 sqft window units. Put them in the rooms you sleep, say kids or master bedroom, or both in a big master bedroom and have the kids sleep on the floor or pull in some mats for them. My 7KW/8.5KW surge generator will run the house & both small AC units at the same time. You do have to turn off everything that you're not using just to be safe you don't trip the generator circuit breakers. The rooms can use just the regular overhead lights but a small 40 watt desk lamp is better. Put LED night lights in the rooms for night time. Most rooms can be used under night lights, or at least the bathrooms. Most definitely get a transfer switch in the future. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
@@jimmytheriot8978 AND do the other things mentioned as well. MAKE sure and turn off the outside MAIN at the meter so you don't back feed into the power grid and kill someone. Before you go and do it educate yourself and know what you're doing so you don't burn your house down. Also keep the generator outside but not next to an open window or the exhaust can come in and well put you all to sleep permanently. Happened here to about a dozen people here in Louisiana after the hurricane , a few of them it was the whole family that died. Of course follow all the advice on RU-vid with a grain of salt. Educate yourself before you do it. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya PS you're not going to be able to run and electric stove or much depending on the size of your generator. Read your instruction manual for example of how much power you have and how to add it up so you'll know many items you can run. Keith
@@slchang01 If you have a window nearby you can lift it slightly and run it through the window. You could also pull the dryer forward a little and run it through the dryer outlet. If you intend to run it longer and every year if the power goes out you may want to install an outside outlet that runs into the house main circuit breaker. You can buy and easy to install a circuit breaker lockout. They"re pretty cheap, say round $75.00 dollars, provided you have the right breaker panel with a single main switch inside the panel. Hope that helps point you in the right direction. As always know what you're doing before you connect anything or get professional help. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
@@keithnoneya Thanks a lot...between a window and a back door, I think I will take the window route, which is easier to seal against the cold and rain/snow. Thanks a lot for the reply.
Johnny, if my panel has some 50amp bipole breakers (for a stove) would I need to use a 50-amp breaker to feed the generator into the panel? Even if all of the other breakers are only 20 or 30 amp, is there any harm in using a 50-amp breaker? If the system does get overloaded, the breaker on the generator will flip first anyway, won’t it?
Johnny: Does your generator have a bonded or floating neutral? If it is/was a bonded neutral, did you remove the jumper bond in the generator to covert it to a floating neutral? Did you use a grounding road attached to the generator? These questions are VERY IMPORTANT to be clearly understood and answered!
I did the dual male cord 30Amp Generator with 10-3 wire; used a 50 Amp RV outlet on rear of the house that was installed for this very purpose (in&out).
You can permanently install your generator SAFELY with a Generator Interlock Switch. Put a sticker on your meter outside and install the interlock between your main and one of the breakers you dedicate to the generator for back feeding. I have had this installed for years. I have a 7k/5k generator and can literally run MOST of my house. I have a portable generator installed in a custom built shed and I keep about 4 days of fuel on hand.
PERSONALLY I would have installed a manual transfer switch next to the main Panel, which is the way my generator back up system is set up. The transfer switch is a Connecticut Emergen Manual Transfer Switch. This way you can be sure that the system is completely safe to the power company and your self.
We went with a 20KW Generac and an automatic switch. We only lose power for a 1 minute or so and it is all automatic from start-up to shutdown. But damn it's expensive. Final install was just over $10k for the generator, switch, electrics and propane line. Installed for about 5 years now and no regrets.
Correct, turning off main breaker 'isolates' your house from public hydro. You are 'off grid' and can power up from a generator. In an apartment in power failure, uncrew all fuses (or turn off all breakers) then make up a double ended cord to plug into wall outlet and into generator on balcony, hopefully wind will blow away fumes! You can power a few items wired to that circuit only, so try other outlets to see what comes up!
My AC is on a separate meter main is outside for it. What do you suggest instead of AC circuit? We have a well circuit, no longer used. (Citywater) stove, and pole barn both have double switch circuit. Also stove is gas know not electric.
Emergency situation is fine in your own house as long as you know how your electrical system works. I wouldn't do it for someone else. There are main breaker lock out systems to prevent power feeding back to pole.
Don’t know if you ever had an answer. 240 uses both power rails. Distribution panel alternates first row on one rail. Second row on other rail then repeat. So 240 breaker has a wire connection for both rails hence taking two spaces. So you can feed the two 240 hot wires into the two space dryer breaker assuming it is 30 or 50 amps as applies.
I have a 120Volt 2200 watt Honda generator with two 15 amp outlet plugs. Can I back feed one half of the house single poles with one of the said 15 amp plugs and then back feed the other half of the house single poles with the other 15 amp plug by plugging into the correct outlets wired to each of the separate halves? This way I can use the lights and fans threw out the whole house. Shut off main first and switch off all single and double (220v) pole circuits. Hook up both said 15 amp generator plugs to the correct outlet on each separate half of the house then only turn on the single poles I need for the whole house.
If you cut the main off first, it would work, as there would be 0V across all your 2 pole breakers. But with the main closed you will have a dead short across both your hot legs. After the fault is cleared, you probably will have lost the urge to act foolishly for several months... or not! ;)
You cld but for a doller more you cld buy the better cable and make up your suicide ends like most of us do if we only need a few things and don't want to ruin a good cord lol
Oh, so you did right, but you should consider installing an interlock switch between your main and dedicated fuse for the generator. Basically this is how anyone would install one (with the given that you would run the dedicated wire through the house behind the wall and all) and then the interlock switch would just keep someone from flipping on the generator switch with the main is on and vice versa.
Johnny are you ok? You seem abit nervous ,you did good in this video. I got my emergency setup rdy to go. Thx big guy... ps. I'm just gonna run half the house in an emergency...
I invested in a transfer switch. Yes, it is more costly, but the safety is worth it for me. Nice vid, but I am too scared of power to mess around with it.
Johnny - I have a 220 arc welder outlet outside on separate circuit going directly to 50a double breaker. I used it with an older 3 wire Generac s4000. Just bough a new B & S 6500 with 4 prong twistlock. Can I make my new cable with just the 3 connectors, leaving out the L-hook prong ground????
Props for giving people the proper warning. Do do this properly all it takes is a 30 amp breaker, 30 amp interlock receptacle, interlock kit, and a 30 amp generator cord.
Great video.. thanks for sharing and breaking it all down for even a girl to understand lol The rest is just about what I’m going thru. No questions about what you did, so no need to listen to me ramble, unless your bored 😆 We are about to get a shit Ton of snow here in Plymouth Ma. (I live next to the Plymouth plantation and Mayflower ship. Every year we lose power and every year I say GO get a generator please! After 22 yrs I got tired of waiting so I just bought one. We don’t get much snow here but there predicting 1-3 feet!! & 40-60 mph wind gusts. I live next to the ocean and when the wind blows it freaking BLOWS making the house freezing within minutes if the power has gone out. I got the Predator 9000, plus a battery that needs to go in it And a 7500 Watt 30 amp cord. BUT… the freaking Circuit Breaker isn’t set up for it. I’m missing something but can’t figure out what lol. Some sort of plug has to be wired into the breaker. Shit!
All I did was take the wires out of an existing 2 pole breaker or could even have added a 2 pole breaker (30amp or bigger). I plugged into the generator and the wired end went to the breaker in the panel.
I backfeed my 7500 watt generator through the 220v dryer oulet and it worked great, even powered up the 4-ton central AC. Then I had an electrician wire up a dedicated breaker with an interlock and a 30-amp inlet box for the gen cord. Works as expected but now the gen won't power up the central AC. Am I losing power going this way as compared to the dryer outlet backfeed method?
Something I don't understand here. When you turn the main breaker off you are disconnecting the two hot wires. But the neutral wire doesn't disconnect. So, if you then were to hook up a generator and fire it up wouldn't there be a chance that you feed electricity back to the grid on that neutral wire, hence causing stress to a lineman working out on a pole someplace? Wouldn't one want to disconnect the main incoming neutral wire from the neutral buss so you don't chance feeding the grid?
A little surprise for any neighbor sharing your utility transformer. Unless they can prove that you did the wiring, your criminal charges probably won't stick. Your lawyer will explain your civil liability.
neutral white in house , goes on bare wire to the utility neutral which is grounded.the transformer is center tapped here as well.so in a round about way,there is a connection.
@@azopene wow, you sure on that. ( That neutral is not switched) If so that throws out the window some of those comments from electricians who do not want us to hook up without a transfer switch.
I have a 2 pole breaker with the screw terminals shorted so I have 120 everywhere but no 240. I dont use it anymore because I got a 240v generator. If I accidently flip it on, it will just flip itself back off so I may leave it as a conversation starter.
Not saying that you should do this but... it is not only very important to turn off the main breaker for your safety, but also for the safety of the linemen who are working to get your power back on. If you don't turn off the main, you are sending power back out of your house and down the (potentially damaged) power lines.
Very good video!!! ...At 11:27 you mentioned that the generator plug (the 30 AMps) is not under GFI protection....However I still have some questions...Is the ground and the white cable bonded at the generator?? ...Is the ground of the generator hooked to the chassis of the generator?? ... The way I'm thinking this...the ground at the generator should not be connected to the chassis... and the ground and the white should not be connected either at the generator(floating neutral). Hence this emergency setup will have only one ground at the main panel. Evenmore..by connecting the white and the ground together you completed the bonding process at the main panel!!! Again these questions have to do more with your particular genset...I have seen some time that the 30 or 50 AMPS might be unbonded...while the smaller plugs (20 AMps or less) might comes with GFIC. Thanks
What if you, you only have a craftsman 5000 watt gen with 6250 starting max watts would it run your whole house? If you had a ranch house aprox 1200 sf
It all depends on how you use it. I only turn on what I need. My house is 4500 square feet and my generator is 5000 watts. The only lights we used were in the room we were in. I have two furnaces two fridges and a well pump. We also watched tv. The worse thing that could happen is I trip the breaker on the generator and then I would know I went too far. I never did trip the breaker because I never used more electricity than what I needed. The more I push the generator the faster I burn fuel. I really wouldn’t worry about starting what’s unless your trying to use an AC or any really old appliances with large compressors
Curious, I know this was in the heat of an emergency, but would you ever consider adding another 30A breaker and wiring up a 30A outlet so you can just plug in next time instead of having to break into the panel?
Anything coming off the generator, whether is direct to the panel or to a designated outlet (30 amp or otherwise) is going to be HOT and thereby dangerous if its not secured such as a outlet plug.
Let me caution you on the connect to the panel. Transformers will work in both directions. If you do not disconnect your utility from your panel when you power it up.....your utility guy may expect to have a zero voltage wire that is back fed from your house at about 12,000 volts. Yes, around 12,000 volts. There are interlock kits out there to prevent you from having both the utility and generator breakers shut at the same time. I double super encourage you to get your permit office involved. They can make sure whatever is done is safe for the utility workers and can be a resource and n how to do it.
Be sure to state that the contact lugs to the main breaker are always hot and not every location has a disconnect switch at the meter. Some panels have safety covers over the main lugs. If a person is not comfortable with any electrical service always pass or hire the pro as it is not worth being shocked or the possibility of death. Safety First
The main breaker legally needs a block off switch if you are going to wire a generator into your house for reasons like he said, but the main thing is because obviously the power is out so linemen are working doing repairs. If you have power going backwards into the grid you can shock one of them and actually do prison time for it!! So just be aware of that!
