Use onboard Onan to power house in emergency?

DryCamper11 wrote:

DavidM49 wrote:
It has been just my luck to have spent the money to put it in and we have not lost power yet. LOL

I purchased an old gen and rebuilt it, then added the interlock to power the home. It's the best guarantee against losing power. You never lose power once you're ready. :)

That is the way it works. Just like if you lose a tool. Just go buy another one and you will find the one you lost.

Wow, great replies guys. This thread will live on in history!

I think I have enough info to do what I need, but if I ever go the transfer route, I'll have that info too!

Thanks again for the help, and don't worry, I won't back feed my panel and hurt anyone.

thanks again,

mikey

DavidM49 wrote:
It has been just my luck to have spent the money to put it in and we have not lost power yet. LOL

I purchased an old gen and rebuilt it, then added the interlock to power the home. It's the best guarantee against losing power. You never lose power once you're ready. :)

I just had my panel replaced and had the generator interlock installed where I can power my entire home without the fear of any back feed. I have a 7500 watt Generac genset which should power everything with the exception of my AC. We lose power frequently and have slept in our camper during the summer. Like everyone else said, a basic extension cord works or have it done professionally and put the interlock in. It has been just my luck to have spent the money to put it in and we have not lost power yet. LOL

What I recommend and what I did, are exactly the same thing, yes, I practiced what I now preach.

I had an electrician upgrade my service panel, the old Push-matic box was a pain in the operating system, or anatomy or whatever you like so we put in a brand new Square D. Much nicer, bigger too.

We also added a genuine generator transfer panel With switches (3 position switches, Main/Off/Generator) and watt meters no less (This last bit is a luxury and not really needed, but it does come in handy).

On the back of the house was an INLET 30 amp 120/240 volt Twist Lock (NOTE below)

I made up a special HD extension cord, as I recall 8GA by 70 feet or so.

Matching plug and socket

And installed a matching OUTLET in a weather protected location on the RV.

ALong with a pair of 30 amp Female pigtails I might add.

So when Frosty The Airblown Inflatable Snowman was sleeping on the job one Christmas seson (our last in the house) I went to the basement, (Windows let in light so I could see) grabbed the cord, Plugged the outlet end onto the house inlet, Uncolied as I approached the RV, plugged the plug end into the RV's outlet, went in, got the Gen-Turi and put it on, back in and pushed the needed buttons (STOP (hold it) then Start, (Tap it) then Start again) and shortly after the generator started I heard the CLUNK of the transfer switch and observed the Prosine display light up.

Back to the basement and CLICK, lights
CLICK, Furnace
CLICK freezer
CLICK Refrigerator
CLICK, Click Click, Computers, TV's and DVR's More lights and so on.

Cost of all that hardware... Oh, I had close to a kiobuck by the time I paid for the install (Transfer switch, Cord, Electricain, Stuff on the RV)

Value of warm wife... PRICELESS.

If I ever get another house.. I'll get another cord and transfer panel.

The promised note:

THe ONAN only puts out 120 volt, it puts out 120 volt at around 50 amps total in my case. It is not a 120/240 volt device, SO I can not put the Central Air COnditioner, the Electric cloths dryer or, if I were to buy one an electric range on the transfer panel.

I can, however, finish a load of wash and hang it up to dry.

People who do not work lines will quip "Don't they check before climbing a pole?"

Of course they do. But what they CAN NOT DO is to have a physic warning system that alerts them when a homeowner is about to throw a switch that is improperly configured.

With my made it myself power transfer switches I use neon type 120 VAC indicator pilot lights. I also installed an outlet on the power company side of the transfer switch. I connect an extension cord and bright light to it and run the cord out to where I can see it from living quarters. This lets me know when power is restored.

If you really want dependable emergency power do it correctly. Every one is right on the money with installing a transfer switch to protect the linesmen. You can manually trip the main but then you do not know when the power comes back on unless you live in an urban area. I also recommend a propane generator. It does not care how long the fuel sits and if you are like me you will have multiple bottles (to use for back up) that are used for the gas welder, powering the shop water heater and the shop space heaters. You also do not need to power the whole house. You just need to keep the food cold, the heater running, the well pump going and a light or two. A 5500 watt generator does this nicely and the total hardware cost will be around $1100 dollars. Labor is extra but nobody dies or gets a rude awakening while 25 feet up in a bucket.
Randy

Kiwi_too wrote:
I have not read all of the above but let me tell you how we did it.

In essence, you constructed a permanently installed 120 VAC extension cord that ran from near your RV to the only item you needed to power - your furnace - and you connect the generator in your RV with a temporary extension cord to the permanent extension cord. That works for you since you have mostly gas appliances and the cost of $200 was quite reasonable.

For comparison, I spent about the same amount for a 120/240 socket, wiring, new breaker and an interlock kit that lets me power any of the circuits in my home, including my 240 VAC well pump. Nothing needs to be disconnected or unplugged when I switch to the generator, and no modifications to a furnace or any other devices are needed.

I don't have any gas appliances - except in the RV. :)

I have not read all of the above but let me tell you how we did it.

First, we have a gas stove/range/oven, gas WH and a gas furnace, with heat pump. We added THIS INLET to the outside of the attached garage, beside where the MH sits. Inside the inlet ran to a dual 120/20 amp socket. We added the same setup from garage to inside the back door. We labelled both inside dual sockets "RV Inlet".

This allowed us to run one standard 20 amp (10 gauge) power cord from MH outside to garage, and did not setup a dead man's cord. We had the furnace wired by a professional to ensure no electrical problems do the furnace normally plugged into a 120/15 amp (remember it is gas and only has to run the thermostat and blower). This allowed us to run 2 extension cords from the MH to garage inside socket. One to the furnace and one to the garage to house socket. We only use the one going into the house for very small items, mostly lighting on the first floor. We have a number of battery operated laterns.

This allows us to heat the house, cook and shower.

Cost of the above was than $75 for the 4 electrical receptacles and a couple of electrical cords. The rest, 10g wire, elec cords, we already had. The furnace wiring cost $125.

beemerphile1 wrote:
If you want to rely on your generator as backup power don't forget fuel. In a power outage or disaster fuel may not be available.

I keep my RV filled - 100 gallons - it should last through most power outages of less than a week. I don't run 24/7. Those who do this seriously (plan alternate power systems) recommend natural gas as the best option, but you may need to upgrade the NG supply system. Propane is second best, as it has indefinite lifetime in storage. A multifuel generator makes sense.