Hey...don't you guys have jobs???!
Thanks for all the quick replies.
I have a switch box that was put in by an electrician about 10 years
ago.
The box has 5 circuits and goes into the 5 circuits I wanted to be able
to power up. It sits next to the main panel and is wired into it by the
mother of all cables. I plug the generator's 240V output into a male
outdoor connector box which runs about 30 feet through the basement to
the switching box. I start up the generator, then I select just ONE of
the circuits (15 amps each, with two of them ganged to run a 240V well
pump), then I wait to see if anything works. The switches are all dual
pole to select grid or generator. But, I DID NOT turn off the main
breaker in the control panel.
Think that was my problem?
-----Original Message-----
From: Billy Zoom [mailto:billyzoom@billyzoom.com]
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 3:33 PM
To: derf; Deikis, John G
Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Portable generators --No LBC
> 4kw is enough to drive a TV and a small refrigerator, maybe, but
> not a furnace fan.
Assuming it puts out 120volts, that's 33 amps. Most outlets are 20 amp,
the
rest are 15. It should be enough for several refrigerators and a
furnace
fan. Make sure you have it hooked up to the breaker box correctly. You
have
to connect it to the same 120v branch circuit as the furnace, after
shutting
off the main breaker. Don't connect it to the main input which is 240v,
and
don't leave the main breaker on. If you do, you'll be supplying 60 volt
power to yourself, the entire neighborhood, and the the electric
company.
If it's a 220 volt generator, you can connect it to the mains, but you
still
have to shut off the main breaker unless you plan on bringing enough for
everybody.
> It was running through a number of feet of cable from the back door to
a
> switch box, to the main panel and then through the house wiring to the
> devices. But it was a pathetic showing and I worried about it burning
> out my blower motor.
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