Back-powering 110V system while travelling..
I know that I can, and do, use my home generator by plugging the two outlets from the genny into house outlets that are powered by different busbars in the breaker box, (after shutting off the master)...
Forum Discussion
I have backfed our house with a generator for years during power outages, but ... "I know what I'm doing", as follows:
When I wired our home I treated as an "out-building" fed from a common power pedestral, as is done on ranches and farms. This power pedestral has a convenient main breaker that can be used to disconnect it from both the meter and the underground main trunk line from the power company pole a couple of hundred feet away. I even ran the large guage aluminum underground cabling from the pedestal to the house and a friend and myself wired the entire home with it's 200 amp service.
I use a heavy duty 30 amp suicide cord between the roll-around generator and an outlet panel next to and outside the main power panel to power the entire panel. Of course I open the main breaker so the generator is only powering the panel, with no connection back to the power company. Of course, both ends of the suicide cord are plugged in before I fire up the generator.
This has worked for years, but we have a somewhat unusual rural type setup and I'm the only one who ever hooks it up and if we ever sell the home the generator and suicide cord goes with us. It can be done safely by certain folks, but it cannot be done safely in general.
When I wired our home I treated as an "out-building" fed from a common power pedestral, as is done on ranches and farms. This power pedestral has a convenient main breaker that can be used to disconnect it from both the meter and the underground main trunk line from the power company pole a couple of hundred feet away. I even ran the large guage aluminum underground cabling from the pedestal to the house and a friend and myself wired the entire home with it's 200 amp service.
I use a heavy duty 30 amp suicide cord between the roll-around generator and an outlet panel next to and outside the main power panel to power the entire panel. Of course I open the main breaker so the generator is only powering the panel, with no connection back to the power company. Of course, both ends of the suicide cord are plugged in before I fire up the generator.
This has worked for years, but we have a somewhat unusual rural type setup and I'm the only one who ever hooks it up and if we ever sell the home the generator and suicide cord goes with us. It can be done safely by certain folks, but it cannot be done safely in general.
