Using RV generator as backup for house?
My electricity is still on in Middle TN, no worries. But that may not always be the case in the future! If I have a transfer switch properly installed, is there any reason I can't use the RV gene...
Forum Discussion
mr_andyj wrote:
Beware, it is possible to "backfeed" the house by running your generator into an outlet, but the DANGER is over-loading that wiring from that outlet to the panel and causing a fire. You can turn off all the circuit breakers except that outlet and the blower motor and maybe be OK, but what else is on that outlet's breaker?
I know what I am doing and would never backfeed an outlet just because of the risk of making a mistake.
That's not the primary danger in backfeeding through an outlet (which is generally illegal and, in any case, definitely should not be done). A bigger problem is backfeeding more than you intend, such as the whole power grid, which can be deadly to the linesmen who are working to restore power. Another bigger problem is the necessity of using an aptly-named suicide cord, which has a male plug at either end; should it come unplugged for whatever reason, you have live exposed prongs.
If you're going to power your house with a generator, do it properly with an approved interlock or transfer switch, appropriate inlet connections, and so forth--or run extension cords and don't interconnect to the building's electrical system at all.
