Back Feeding a generator to power a house

[Marmot]

With a Honda generator in hand, I am getting ready for the Zombiepocalypse.

Correct me if I am wrong if I want to back feed power to my house:

1. I can flip off the main circuit breaker in my panel to turn my house off the grid.

2. I can flip off all circuit breakers for my house except the one I would like to power via my generator.

3. I can connect my generator by using a male-to-male plug to an outlet on the open/live circuit in my house.

You following me? Will this work? Is this safe?

[IFallsRon]

My experience says that your off-grid generator needs to feed into a bypass panel that sends power to essential systems through your main panel and generally not your whole house.

IT MUST NOT FEED BACKWARD as it can jolt a lineman who assumes there is no power in an "unpowered" line.

Providing that your electrician has wired your spot to accept an alternate power source, you can assume that No. 3 is your best route unless there are instructions to do it differently.

Dirty ankle people who try to live off the gird sometimes don't accept the knowledge of experts. As with any home electrical experience, your issues may note be easily solved by what you've read in a "green" article.

[waskawood]

Be very carefull with generators. Done wrong you will generate 7200 volts back onto the line. This can "jolt" a lineman to death. Installing a generator is a complex discussion probably left to a professional. Not only backfeeding onto the power line, you have to limit the load to what the generator will produce. Please be carefull, your utility worker's life may depend on it.

[Marmot]

Thanks for the input

*goes back to the drawing board*

[Tom7227]

A male to male plug is not really the way to go. I got a secondary panel that feeds the circuits I want powered up and it has a recessed male plug in it. You use a line with a male plug to the generator and the female plug into the recessed setup on the panel in the house. A hot male plug could be dangerous if you had a brain fart and started the generator before you were plugged in. Of course you wouldn't do that but the doofus your wife asked for help when you were out of town may not be as smart as you.

[chris63]

What if I'm the dufus and my wife's the electrician?c63

[morpho]

then you wouldn't be touching it and it would probably already be wired correctly

[chris63]

Touche'

[cold one sd]

With a Honda generator in hand, I am getting ready for the Zombiepocalypse.

Correct me if I am wrong if I want to back feed power to my house:

1. I can flip off the main circuit breaker in my panel to turn my house off the grid.

2. I can flip off all circuit breakers for my house except the one I would like to power via my generator.

3. I can connect my generator by using a male-to-male plug to an outlet on the open/live circuit in my house.

You following me? Will this work? Is this safe?

I would suggest installing a transfer switch and not takimg any chances.

[BobT]

Just to bring it to the discussion, there are rules about hooking up alternate power sources and special switches are part of the equation. It's a safety thing.

Imagine what would happen if you neglected to isolate the generator from the line. The power company turnes off the power to work on the line. You turn on your generator but forget to isolate the line and so you are now injecting 220vac back onto the line through a significant step-up transformer, increasing the voltage to dangerous levels, if 220v isn't dangerous enough. As a result of your negligence, one or more line electricians is either serously burned or killed.

First, would you be able to live with the knowledge that you seriously hurt or killed someone?

Second, you might be held liable for the accident or death.

Just something to keep in mind.

Bob

[sparcebag]

Marmot all good info above.But I have to ask,Why not use main extension cord to get inside then run other appliances off it,by way of extra extension cords?

I handle ours that way,Just cause of a new furnace with electronic ignition,All we need beyond that is maybe TV fridge,freezer.Power is seldom off more that an hour or two with todays supplies.

Costs lots less and hopefully seldom used.We had a power failor afew days back and 20 min later as I was thinkin of the Generator it came on.

[BobT]

Careful using too many extension cords. Most are designed to carry a load the length of the cord but when you connect multiple cords end-to-end you are in effect using a long cord with wire sized for a shorter distance. The result could be a drop in voltage to the device your supplying. Power = volts x amps so for power to remain constant while voltage is dropping, amps must increase. Motors such as your furnace blower, fuel pump, water pump, etc. will demand the same power regardless of the voltage. If the voltage drops, the current will begin to rise in order to do that. The result could be a heated up cord and potentially a fire.

Just a word of caution.

Bob