RV genset to power a house

Boogyman or not.. Even if backfeeding your entire neighborhood never so much as injures a soul.....

IT CAN TOTAL YOU GENERATOR. and that's a major kick in the wallet too.

Sounds about like me in the fall months, RoyB! The toy hauler has a 110 gal fresh water tank which I keep full during hurricane season. We have a 5500w on-board generator with a 30 gal gas tank (also kept full) and a 30 gal gas tank for the "toys" which is usually empty but I fill it up if I know a bad storm is coming. We can probably "survive" for a week or so with the power out before it really gets inconvenient. I usually run an extension cord in through the garage to power the refrigerators in the house. I also still have a pair of Honda 2000s that we use for short term outages. It is nice to be able to take one of the Hondas over to the elderly neighbors and keep their food from spoiling.

We do it all the time here in Northern Neck VA. Our power goes out for more than a couple of days at least two or three times a years it seems for us.

I use extension cords for my 2KW Generator that sits secured in the tail corner of my truck.

We only need to supply power to the Kitchen area which has a HDTV sitting area. I will also run a second drop back to my radio room where I have an room UPS unit for the computer and radio electronics.

It just takes about 5 minutes to get setup and sure is a blessing to have my war wagon POPUP sitting outside as well. It has an Inverter setup and I can get a few hours of 120VAC out of it as well running off the trailer batteries. When my 2KW Honda generator is running I can also re-charge the trailer as well..

This has really helped us out having this capability for the hurricane that comes up the east coast. We have had an extended power outage for a couple of weeks a few times already.

We end having block parties as out PATIO is all light and the smell of fresh ground and brewed bean coffee brings in the neighbors. We setup the HDTV and all has a good time.

I have also driven my truck over to help some folks and run their fridge a couple of hours a day as well...

The problem we usually end up having is source of gasoline. The whole county goes off line which means the gas stations are without power as well. You have to find the gas station somewhere in the county that has generator power running their gas pumps hehe..

PLAN Bs even work here at house...
Roy Ken

Apologize - Deleted

When the power goes out here in the semi-rural area where we live(happens 2 or 3 times a year), I just run extension cords into the house and take turns plugging in things as needed. I converted my furnace from a hardwired setup to a plug-and-outlet setup so I can just plug it into the genny. Usually you just need to plug in a fridge or freezer for only 3 or 4 times a day for 1/2 hour or so each time. The furnace can be run for about a 1/2 hour or so and get the house warm enough for 1/2 day. So if you plan right (and somebody is home) you don't really need a giant generator. We have run for up to 3 days on our RV Champion 3500/400 generator.

I am planning to install a setup like enblethen described, a box inside the house that leads to a MALE plug on the outside of the house so there would be no "suicide" cord. The plug would be a 30-amp twistlock type. The problem with extension cords is finding a way to bring it into the house without having to leave a door or window ajar to clear the cord.

Also, I would never rely on remembering to turn off the main breaker to avoid backfeeding. When power is out you are scrambling to get a genny set up, running and connected. A prime time to forget something important.

As an aside, unless the wires only to your house were broken, I would imagine the second you backfed power into the grid, the genny would see a huge load from other houses still connected to the grid and almost immediately stall.

Steve

westend wrote:

Nomad297 wrote:
Call me a scofflaw, but I don't need anybody to tell me what I can and can't do in my own home.

That's a pretty simplistic way of looking at your rights as a homeowner. Those rights are infringed continually by ordinance and laws. The laws regarding powering your house with grid-tied electrical power are there for a reason. If you pursue your intention of powering the grid with an installation that hurts another, there is recourse and deterrence from doing so.
I would discuss the issues with your local utility as they can spell out their relationship with the homeowner and your subsequent "rights".

Hopefully you're one of lucky scofflaws that never electrocute a linesman working on a 'cold' circuit that's back fed through the neutral leg by your generator.

Although I'm sure "It was his right, even if it was wrong." might be kind of catchy on a tombstone.

2oldman wrote:

Ductape wrote:
..the boogeyman stories on this forum are in full circulation..... No one trained in working on live circuitry will let their survival hinge on the action or inaction of others.

This makes sense to me.

Makes a lot more sense than. "Hey Bob, better hurry up on that line before some homeowner fires up his genny."

The whole point is that people make mistakes. I will not have my (totally avoidable) mistake kill someone, even if they made a mistake also. A quick internet search reveals that this is not "boogyman" stuff. People have died from homeowners backfeeding their homes. I am glad the OP has correctly determined that backfeeding is a bad idea. Kudos.

Ductape wrote:
..the boogeyman stories on this forum are in full circulation..... No one trained in working on live circuitry will let their survival hinge on the action or inaction of others.

This makes sense to me.

Makes a lot more sense than. "Hey Bob, better hurry up on that line before some homeowner fires up his genny."

You could use less extension cords by building a cable and box assembly.
Get a piece of 10/3 so type cord. You could even us NM 10/2 with ground. Install cord body on end for genset. On the other end get a four square box with double duplex receptacles.
This would eliminate running numerous extension cords to the genset.

Seems as if I opened a can of worms. After reading the many replies, I believe I will continue with the extension cords. We don't lose power all that often, even
though the cord are a pain, they do safely get the job done. Thanks for all of the replys, they are very much appreciated........