Use onboard Onan to power house in emergency?

[FSAD]

So I was thinking, hey, I got a fancy schmancy Onan, built right into the camper, so why would I need to buy some portable unit to run various things in the house during an emergency?!

So I grab my 20A 50' cord, thinking I'll just fire up the genny and plug the ext cord into the outlet on the outside of the camper, run it into the house and feed a few things off a decent powerstrip with individual cords.

Then I got to thinking.... Sure that all SOUNDS like it would work, but would it? Here's why I question it.

Running a 20A cord from the "genny" to the house is good enough to power multiple other individual cords, but the outlet on the camper, I'M GUESSING, is a measly 14 ga. going back to the genny output. Hence, I would not be really running a 20A cord from the genny!

right?

So, can I tap into the genny somewhere else that I can wire up an additional outside plug on the camper that is truly heavy enough to run my ext cord that will then feed all the little other cords in the house?

I'm not an electrician (obviously, that's why I'm asking) but I have the mechanical ability to do such a mod, and believe that I COULD have an issue if I try to power too much stuff off the ext cord, since the outlet back to the genny is most likely wired with smaller gage wire, I'm sure.

thanks!

mikey

[Flyfisherman128]

We lost power for 5 days last year due to Sandy. I ran an extension cord from the MH into the kitchen and used a power strip to feed the refrigerator, a few lights, our DirecTV receiver and a television so we could keep up with what was going on. We saw no need to try to power anything else. We used LED flashlights when we turned the generator off. Put about 50 hours on the generator before the power came back on.

In preparation for the storm I had filled the MH gas tank, propane tank and water tank, just in case we had to move in to it or leave the area.

Sure glad we don't live closer to the ocean.

Ditto

[PaulJ2]

Yes, backfeeding the panel can be a bad, dangerous idea. However you would know immediately. If your generator tried to power the whole neighborhood it would blow a breaker or stall.

[TEXAS]

Stick with the cords. Unless you can get a code approved switch. Don't do the backfeed into the dryer plug. It can get costly.

I was called out to farm to check on a generator problem. Man tried the dryer plug thing. When I got there found half the house burned. Barn was burned to the ground. Along with two tractors and his truck. Insurance man told him your insurance is canceled and power company pulled his meter.Then the county sent him a bill for fire service.

[KD4UPL]

I have my house wired to run off the camper too. I use the microwave outlet because I know it's a 20 amp circuit. My gen. is only 2,500 watts so that's all I need. I have a separate breaker panel installed with the important circuits: ref., freezer, well, etc. I have an autotransformer to make 240v from my generator's 120v output to power the well pump. This set up works quite well for me.
FSAD, don't back-feed the panel!!
Male/male cords are called suicide cords for a reason. You have a very high potential of having energized prongs laying around. If someone forgets and has the main breaker and the gen. breaker on at the same time you will be putting thousands of volts out onto the utility lines. This has a high probability of getting a lineman killed. If the utility comes back on in this condition it will likely damage your generator.
Proper, code compliant transfer panels are not that expensive and really convenient. I try to convince all of my customers to have one installed in every house that I wire.

[Dave_H_M]

FSAD

I have a small standby genny and here is how I wired it which is perfectly acceptable in my part of the country.

Ran a No 10 wire from the breaker panel to where the genny plugs in on the garage wall.

My main panel is Square D. Square D markets an interlock switch (manual device that mounts on the main panel where the no 10 wire provides power via as circuit breaker). this manual device makes it impossible to have the main breaker on with the emergency feed on - impossible. And it is a very simple device.

Google it up and read about it.

So I power up my main panel after shutting big stuff down that the genny would never handle like the water heaters, heat pump, etc.

As far as connecting that outlet where the genny plugs in to the Mo Ho, I have no thoughts since I have never had to go that route.

My way makes a neat set up without all the octapus cords running in the house.

just a thought on streamlining and simplification.

[FSAD]

Bobbo wrote:
Just go with extension cord to selected appliances. Cheap. Easy. Legal. No problems for linemen.

...I have a 30 amp outlet in my electrical compartment, tied to the generator. If I want generator power in my MH, I have to unplug from the pedestal and plug into the generator. To power the house, I just plug a heavy duty extension cord into that outlet and run it to various appliances.

OF COURSE!!!!! DUHHHHH......

I Have the outlet in my elect cord compartment as well!!! I can make an adaptor from 20A male to the 30A 3 prong in there!!!, sweet!

wait....! I can use my powersurge protector and my little walmart, no, has to be a sideways female on the end for the 20A....

stand by.....


got it...

powersurge protector into genny outlet, and a simple little homemade -20A female to 30A male adapter (I actually have a 30A male plug and some 10 ga wire in the shed. DONE!

THANKS for the reminder Bobbo!!

mike

man, I love this board!

[Bobbo]

Just go with extension cord to selected appliances. Cheap. Easy. Legal. No problems for linemen.

Do NOT backfeed an outlet. If you want the house wires hot, go to the trouble of doing it right with a transfer switch/lockout panel of some type.

The way Winnebago wired my generator, I am set up for this. I don't have an automatic transfer switch. I have a 30 amp outlet in my electrical compartment, tied to the generator. If I want generator power in my MH, I have to unplug from the pedestal and plug into the generator. To power the house, I just plug a heavy duty extension cord into that outlet and run it to various appliances.

[mlts22]

There are a few ways to skin this cat and be up to code standards:

1: A circuit breaker interlock. This puts the incoming generator at the top right breaker, a device that only allows the main switch or the generator switch to be on, never both, and the top right breaker goes to a -male- connector on the outside. No widow maker cable needed, ever.

2: A sub-panel as mentioned above.

3: A manual transfer switch.

4: An automatic transfer switch. This is the easiest because one can just fire up the generator, let it warm up, plug it in, and the ATS takes over from there. When power comes back on, the ATS swaps back to mains lines.

I like the sub-panel or transfer switches because it is a lot more idiot-resistant than the interlock (as the interlock can fall off), but all of these are generally approved by electrical code in all areas.

Of course, one can run extension cords from the generator inside the house as well.

Backfeeding isn't a good idea. Those step-down transformers by the house? They will step up the voltage down the power lines when backfed.

[VintageRacer]

If you want to, you can invest in a generator power panel. It's very common around here, most places have one. It's just a sub-panel with critical circuits wired to it, fed from the main power panel with three breakers mechanically linked so you can switch to the generator. It's a manual transfer switch, basically, that switches the two power leads and neutral to be fed from the generator. I use a Yamaha 3000 watt generator, which is 120V only, and just feed both live lines from the 120V (I have no 240 volt loads in my house, aside from the dryer which isn't fed from this power panel). The keys are: manual or automatic transfer switch for both live leads and neutral, generator must bond neutral to ground, and load management so you don't overload the generator.

Brian

[Ron3rd]

You'll find you really don't need to run that much stuff in an emergency. The last time our power was out for most of the day, I ran an extension cord from my Honda EU2000 to the fridge to keep the food cold and it did fine. The other stuff I can do without though I could have plugged in some electronics, etc, if I wanted to.

[enblethen]

You didn't say what size of genset. Smaller units could handle a couple 20 amp receptacles where a larger unit could feed a small distribution panel mounted on the end of a heavy cord.

[fredandkathy]

I have a Generac 1800 generator and successfully do the extension cord thing. We are able to run the pellet stove, television and one small light with the generator, one time for 3 1/2 days in the middle of winter. I thought of moving the MH from its garage to closer to the house and use an extension cord. That way I would not have to fill the generator every 5 hours with gasoline.

[FSAD]

wow! 2 hrs and all these replies! you guys are the best!

I would love to buy a portable one, but its not in the budget right now.

I'm only planning on running a few things, and probably won't take the time to do a X-fer switch right now, but that is an idea for sure.

OK, so I was NOT planning on back feeding the panel in the house. If I did, is it as easy as that? - running a male/male plug into some outlet? (I could pull the meter, or turn the main breaker off then)? Obviously I wouldn't get 220 as mine only puts out 110. Oh, and its a 4kw unit, btw. If it IS this easy, then I would like to do it this way, that would utilize my 20A cord, but then I'm back to my orig question of wondering if the outlet on the side of my rig is wired with 14 ga or worse. So I'd still need to make a plug right off the genny somewhere.

thanks all!

[W4RLR]

path1 wrote:
Number one... Don't let anybody tell you to get a "male to male" plug and "back feed" into your house to get elec from generator.

When we do lose elec power we "boondock" in our driveway.

Ditto. When people ask us about our "alternate power supply" for the occasional ice storm, we tell them that we just leave the house and decamp to the RV. It has all of the comforts of the house, in a slightly smaller size.

[CloudDriver]

We lost power for 5 days last year due to Sandy. I ran an extension cord from the MH into the kitchen and used a power strip to feed the refrigerator, a few lights, our DirecTV receiver and a television so we could keep up with what was going on. We saw no need to try to power anything else. We used LED flashlights when we turned the generator off. Put about 50 hours on the generator before the power came back on.

In preparation for the storm I had filled the MH gas tank, propane tank and water tank, just in case we had to move in to it or leave the area.

Sure glad we don't live closer to the ocean.