2 generators simultaneously for backup power
Here is a question i thought some of you might have a thought toward. I am planning on getting the champion inverter gennie for some general use. However I was thinking about some backup power for m...
Forum Discussion
wnjj wrote:KD4UPL wrote:
The neutral doesn't touch the breaker.
No, you probably wouldn't overload the neutral because each gen. would have it's own.
It's still a terrible idea that would not provide 240v power.
The concern is over a shared neutral that may be in the house. Shared neutrals were sometimes used to save wire with the knowledge that the 2 hots were on L1 and L2 so canceled each other's neutral current. If you were to effectively power both in phase, the neutral would carry 2x its rated load.
Ditto. Contractors who build a lot of houses in planned subs do this often to save pulling extra wire or if, for example, multiple circuits are being run to the same destination. In my case, I ran this exact circuit for my basement plugs so I could plug in two space heaters into two adjacent receptacles in my basement, but fed off two separate circuits. I also used this trick to pull one piece of wire to power my basement fridge and deep freezer (again, two separate circuits, one wire).
It's this type of arrangement that can overload if the two legs of the power feed aren't in-phase with each other. If, for example, all three wires in the wire are 12 gauge (rated for 15A) and both circuits are carrying a 10A load, the neutral is carrying 0A. If, however, the two circuits are out of phase (actually in-phase with each other), the neutral would be forced to carry the load of BOTH circuits; in this example 20A.
Running two generators into the same panel is a recipe for disaster on several levels.
