I have a 5500 watt generator how do I properly connect it to my house?

Question

I want to be able to just plug it in and start it when the power goes out.

Answer 1

Don't use a double male plug. It is dangerous and against all electrical codes. If you plan to connect the generator do it properly and in a safe manner.

I have a full web page of generator connection hints and ideas, far more than could ever fit on this response. Visit my web page and do your research. Feel free to email with any questions.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/generator.html

Answer 2

You must by law have a transfer switch,which allows the generator power to go to the house and not the power lines that supply utility power to your house.A 5500watt is only good for about 45 amps single phase(120volts) and only about 23 amps on 240 volts.Have it done by a skilled electrician to avoid any risk of injury or property damage.Usually a cheaper transfer switch will take on 6 or 8 circuits and are relatively cheap.Or you can go bigger but you dont want to overload the generator which can cause an undervoltage condition.Best bet is to contact a reputable electrician and for Gods sake keep the generator OUTSIDE your house.
Bobwebs advice is highly illegal and very dangerous although it will work but you must have an understanding of breakers and basic electricity.How many of us might forget to turn off the proper breakers,and then when the power does come back on will you forget to unplug the cord you have made and chance blowing up your breaker panel as well as your generator.I dont think your homeowners insurance would be pleased with you bob.

Answer 3

If I was to do this job myself I would get a normally closed relay with the max wattage plus 20% of what I intended apply to the circuit box (6600 watts in your case). Then I would tap off one of the 120w circuit breakers in the box to the power input of the relay. Then on the input side of the relay I would attach the leads going to the 240v output of the generator (pay attention to which is hot and which is return or neutral. From the output side of the relay I would run two lead, one to neutral bar (this has to correspond with neutral coming from the generator and will be white. The other lead I would run to the 240v distribution bar from the relay, its color will be black. The green wire is chasse ground and does not need to go through the relay (thought it needs to be grounded to the box also) and can be run directly to the chasse of the circuit box.

What this hook-up does is isolates the generator from the circuit if the power is up and running. You will still have to go out and start your generator, but knowing when the power comes back on is another matter. To resolve this I would hook a normally open 110v AC relay rated at 120w, and hook both the power and input to a 120w circuit breakers in the box, the output of this relay I would run to a light in the house. Now when the power comes back on the light will also come back on alerting you to the fact that power has been restored. You can then turn off this light with its indoor switch, and go out and turn off the generator. Don’t forget to turn the lights switch to the on position the next time you loses power or you will have defeated it purpose.

While these are the steps I would (and have) taken. However, if you are in the least bit unsure of yourself, hire someone to do it.

And I would ask Darkgoth what do linemen do about the power that the power company is forced to buy from anyone with a windmill or water generator that is BACK fed into the power grid? What is the different?

Answer 4

You don't connect it to your house without a transfer switch which is beyond you (and probably your budget). The simplest thing is to run a cord into the house through a window when you need to use it and plug your appliances into the cord. If you are going to run a lot of things, you may need two cords. A generator of that size will probably have two 120 V. circuits available.
The next simplest is to wire a couple of receptacles in the house fed by properly sized cords located so that you can extend them to the generator and plug them in for use.

Answer 5

All the answers make good points. There's another "trick" you could use in an emergency if you made sure to turn the main breakers off in your service entrance panel so that the generator power could not possibly feed back into the electric company's power lines. Make up a heavy duty 8 or 10 gauge 220 VAC electric cord to connect the generator output to your 220 VAC electric dryer connector in your house. Use the standard 220 VAC electric dryer connector on one end of the generator cord just like the electric dryer itself normally uses. You could insert a connector gender changer pigtail at the dryer wall connection so that you won't have 220 VAC exposed connector plug pins on the generator cord which is a safety hazard. Then simply turn the main breakers off in the service panel and use the electric dryer's circuit breakers to switch the generator feed on or off to the rest of the circuits in the house. Turn off all the non-emergency circuits in the house so that you don't exceed the capacity of the generator. But you'll want to turn on the 115 VAC circuit to the refrigerator for example.

Answer 6

Call a certified electrician. Probably cost $200 plus some parts.

Answer 7

you can just you cant have it tied into your panel, for to do that you need a transfer switch installed per code by a qualified person and inspected by a local official...otherwise if you dont you start up the generator and it sends voltage BACK into the electrical lines and can kill a lineman trying to fix the problem!

Answer 8

Just contact an electrician

Answer 9

This is a job for a qualified electrician.

Answer 10

Hire a professional electrician before you get someone killed.