any electricians around r5g? school me about generator

[9zero1790]

bought a portable generator in case we have power interruptions this winter. mom and dad are older and need to be warm. ive used gensets before but they were always set up already and attached to a ship, boat or rv lol. the generator i purchased is a 3500 watt 4000 watt surge with a 30 amp output and the normal 15 amp outputs. I need to run three small heaters. all three heaters are normal 110 volt 1500 watt cube style like you see at target / walmart. each would be running on the lower settings not full blast. goal is to keep the bed rooms warm enough to be safe. not trying to heat the entire place.
my question - is it safer / better to use the 30 amp output from outside the house with a 30 amp cord going inside the house and then to an adapter that goes from the 30 amp 3 prong to the 15 amp house plug then to heaters or run the heaters with a 15 amp cord from the generator to the heaters, each heater having its own extension cord? so one heavy cord in the house then split 3 ways or 3 cords to three devices. i may not be explaining it well. I do not think the 3 heaters on a single 15 amp cord is safe at all. Ive got a stout 30 amp extension cord, 10 ga wire in it, just need the adapter or pigtail to step it down to the house style 15 amp 110v for the heaters to plug.
Thank you in advance!

Sponsored

 

[Nellieg]

30a comes in 3wire 120 or 4 wire 220. What is the current in the low setting for heaters. What prongs are on the generator. What type of distance from bedrooms to generator outside. I am not an electrician but aware of some of the basic issues. For running 30a 120(3 wire).... You pull 12.5a at 1500w... Longer distance requires heavier wire....12g wire at 50ft carries 15a. Lower heater setting likely pulls no more than 8 to 9a. But I am guessing low setting is 1000w. ... You can look up load requirements for cable gauge and length. You can convert watts to amps online as well. Running one wire and splitting vs split and 3 wires is about how long a run...how much load... I would also suggest calculating load at 80% of potential 3600/4000 peak sounds like 3000 long running time....that configuration running on low for heaters looks like you are ok if low is 1000w. If it's a dual fuel generator you also have reduced capacity on propane. Test it out before you have to rely on it.

 

[Skit hjälm]

Another option...
Does the house normally heat with a gas or oil furnace ?
If so, set up the furnace to run from the generator. It'll use far less capacity of your generator thus longer runtime per tank.
You could also run the freezer and microwave so they can at least eat something and hot drinks.
Btw,
I'm 36 years industrial electrican/millwright retired.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Another option...
Does the house normally heat with a gas or oil furnace ?
If so, set up the furnace to run from the generator. It'll use far less capacity of your generator thus longer runtime per tank.
You could also run the freezer and microwave so they can at least eat something and hot drinks.
Btw,
I'm 36 years industrial electrican/millwright retired.

This^^…if it’s not heated by electric baseboard heaters.

Those small space heaters could be constantly on and limiting other things you could be running like the fridge, microwave, TV and Wi-Fi. It’s easy enough to wire your furnace directly if it’s a gas or oil forced air unit (see YouTube). This way, the entire house can be kept comfortable and it will only draw power once in while, not continuously.

 

[Fordup]

I guess I don't understand why people worried about outages buy generators and don't do a proper install per the NEC of an external plug and transfer switches. Most low output generators use floating grounds to keep price down which should not be used in a house. Ditch the cords and follow the NEC. A couple hundred dollars can save lives.

 

[Nellieg]

Agreed on a transfer switch on panel and wired to an external plug... But given the nature of the storm and the info on the request...for now let's stay to topic and keep the parents warm. It's winter... Put your food in the garage or crawl space... Freezer is out back protected from critters.

 

[9zero1790]

id love to do the transfer switch etc. except its not a couple hundred dollars. ive called 3 electricians in my area lowest bid was 1200 - me providing almost all the parts. when electricians find out im in a co op electric where they have to sign all sorts of stuff and have it inspected and approved they dont wanna touch it. the ones that will touch it jack up the price.
its a gas furnace but getting a cord to the furnace is a pain. furnace is front of the house not near any windows or passable places without cutting a hole in brick and so on. plus that would put the generator in the front yard. neighbors would hate it and likely to be stolen. if the generator is in back yard it will be less noise and more secure. but that means a 25 foot extension cord. which is why i was looking into the 30 amp 3 prong so i could use the stout cord i have vs. the 15 amp cords that are typically 14- 16 gauge. the generator is going to be grounded outside. its got a ground clamp on the generator and i will connect it to the copper grounding rods ive got already installed in the yard.

 

[NeilP]

id love to do the transfer switch etc. except its not a couple hundred dollars. ive called 3 electricians in my area lowest bid was 1200 - me providing almost all the parts. when electricians find out im in a co op electric where they have to sign all sorts of stuff and have it inspected and approved they dont wanna touch it. the ones that will touch it jack up the price.
its a gas furnace but getting a cord to the furnace is a pain. furnace is front of the house not near any windows or passable places without cutting a hole in brick and so on. plus that would put the generator in the front yard. neighbors would hate it and likely to be stolen. if the generator is in back yard it will be less noise and more secure. but that means a 25 foot extension cord. which is why i was looking into the 30 amp 3 prong so i could use the stout cord i have vs. the 15 amp cords that are typically 14- 16 gauge. the generator is going to be grounded outside. its got a ground clamp on the generator and i will connect it to the copper grounding rods ive got already installed in the yard.

Buy yourself a generator interlock, a new 30A circuit breaker, a 220v external plug and a few ft of 10-3 (with ground) wire and you are all set. It is a super easy installation. If you hire someone to install the breaker and maybe rearrange a few in your breaker box, you'd likely have less than $300 total invested.

I recently installed this set up in mine. I have less than $100 invested. No cords to run. Just kill the main breaker, and all the breakers in the box, flip the new breaker to "ON" move the generator outside, plug the generator into the external box, start the generator and select the circuits that you need and you are done.

 

[9zero1790]

Buy yourself a generator interlock, a new 30A circuit breaker, a 220v external plug and a few ft of 10-3 (with ground) wire and you are all set. It is a super easy installation. If you hire someone to install the breaker and maybe rearrange a few in your breaker box, you'd likely have less than $300 total invested.

I recently installed this set up in mine. I have less than $100 invested. No cords to run. Just kill the main breaker, and all the breakers in the box, flip the new breaker to "ON" move the generator outside, plug the generator into the external box, start the generator and select the circuits that you need and you are done.

i dont trust myself with it, dont wanna zap anyone or burn the house down lol.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

id love to do the transfer switch etc. except its not a couple hundred dollars. ive called 3 electricians in my area lowest bid was 1200 - me providing almost all the parts. when electricians find out im in a co op electric where they have to sign all sorts of stuff and have it inspected and approved they dont wanna touch it. the ones that will touch it jack up the price.
its a gas furnace but getting a cord to the furnace is a pain. furnace is front of the house not near any windows or passable places without cutting a hole in brick and so on. plus that would put the generator in the front yard. neighbors would hate it and likely to be stolen. if the generator is in back yard it will be less noise and more secure. but that means a 25 foot extension cord. which is why i was looking into the 30 amp 3 prong so i could use the stout cord i have vs. the 15 amp cords that are typically 14- 16 gauge. the generator is going to be grounded outside. its got a ground clamp on the generator and i will connect it to the copper grounding rods ive got already installed in the yard.

I hear ya Mark - not always plug n play is it.

 

[NeilP]

i dont trust myself with it, dont wanna zap anyone or burn the house down lol.

Understood, but it is so easy to do.

 

[NeilP]

There is a device call Generlink. It plugs in to where your meter is. Check with your power company and see if they will plug it in for you. The power co here sells and installs them for $800 bucks.

It is even easier to use. Just plug your gen cord in & you are done.

 

[9zero1790]

ive done a lot of automotive wire stuff and some marine but its all been dc 12 - 24 volt stuff. not that it could not hurt me or go up in smoke but it didnt worry me as i knew what to do and what no to do. with ac i dont know much of anything.

 

[9zero1790]

There is a device call Generlink. It plugs in to where your meter is. Check with your power company and see if they will plug it in for you. The power co here sells and installs them for $800 bucks.

It is even easier to use. Just plug your gen cord in & you are done.

thats pretty slick unit. seems more simple.

 

[NeilP]

thats pretty slick unit. seems more simple.

Generlink installation video & Home Depot price

Sponsored