Generator for Home Use & RV

[bleckb]

Originally Posted by Screwby

Another option to reach the higher wattage your looking for and still be able to use it for camping as well is to buy two of the 3500w Champions and run them in series if you need.

I was looking at this yesterday. Champion's serial kit for the 3500s has a 50-amp plug and I've already installed the 30-amp outlet.

Seems I should have been asking these questions before having the electricians in to do their thing. :-(

[2naEagle]

Originally Posted by bleckb

I was looking at this yesterday. Champion's serial kit for the 3500s has a 50-amp plug and I've already installed the 30-amp outlet.

Seems I should have been asking these questions before having the electricians in to do their thing. :-(

You can very easily make a extension cord with 50 on one end and your 30 on the other.

But yes questions first does help sometimes.

[grimeshaus]

Originally Posted by bleckb

Just looked at those. Only a bit cheaper than what we had installed. I can see why the power company wouldn't like it though. I don't know if it's up to our local codes.

It was approved by Gulf Power at one point in time, I'm thinking they are trying to rid themselves of controversy in getting ready to be bought by Florida Power and Light. They are up to code and still approved in many places. Hurricane Michael just proved the the safety end of it, at least one lineman was killed in our area from feedback to the grid from one of those homemade hookups.

[topshelfredlabel]

I went the same route as you ... using the same generator for both my toy hauler and as a backup at home. I went with this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Westingh...-303533401-_-N

I have been very pleased. No, it is not quiet enough to use in a campground with 'neighbors', but it is not as loud as you think. 95% of our camping is either boon docking way off grid for hunting or trail riding with our horses, or camping on family/private land with family/friends so I'm not concerned with super quiet. I don't usually run it non-stop either - just for cooking, showers, a movie and to get the rig comfy for inside time.... but I have ran it all night on several very hot occasions with no issues. I may end up with a smaller inverter in the future, but this fits my needs for now. This unit runs everything I need it to in my house as well. Dual fuel, it's right at 200 lbs, but rolls easily up the ramp of my toy hauler for transport. In the field I try to place it strategically on the other side of a truck, or have used a small piece of plywood to deflect the noise in the other direction. Regular conversation is possible around the campsite and its not overly noticeable inside over the sound of the A/C running. I love the remote start, which means I can fire it up from inside in the middle of the night if the A/C or furnace is needed for 15-20 minutes to get things back to 'comfortable' in milder times. I can also run my brother's rig as well. Hope this helps.

[2naEagle]

Well my power has just gone off. Running on standby generator

[SkiSmuggs]

Most 5000 watt and up gennies have a 240v outlet on them. I added a 240v circuit to my panel which is always off unless I lose power. The 240 allows 120 to each side of my panel. We made an adapter cord with the proper plug for each end, one for the genny and one for the 240 (welder) outlet that would feed the house from the generator. In the event of an outage, the main breaker and other breakers are switched off. The genny is started, plugged into the welder outlet, then I turn on the breakers I want on, like well pump, kitchen, furnace, etc. I don't bother with the clothes dryer.
I have an out building that has its own circuit from the meter so I turn on the lights so I can see when the power is back.
I have the advantage of rural living where codes are... what codes? Otherwise, use a lockout or subpanel for the generator.

[berwin]

SkiSmuggs gives the real explanation for why you need 240 volts. Your panel has two sides, each with 110 volts. A 240 volt breaker extends across and taps both sides of your panel. A retired electrician working at Home Depot explained that you COULD get by with a 110 generator but you'd have to move all the breakers that you want to power to one side of your panel. Also, I want to have heat available (we have gas heat) but the heat/AC unit runs off 240 so no 240 - no heat. So, I sold the 3600 Watt 110 generator and got a nice 6000 watt 240 genset. Also, I went with the generator interlock plate, as described a couple of times here, with a 240 volt 30 amp breaker connected to the generator inlet plug the electrician mounted outside for us. Much cheaper to install than a separate sub panel BUT you do have to remember which breakers to turn off/leave on when running the generator so as to not overload the genset.

[berwin]

Oh, and either the generator sub-panel or the interlock plate are required by law in many, if not all, places. They prevent back-feeding to the power grid. If you are back-feeding your power, you could kill or injure workers trying to fix downed lines thinking they are not energized. You would also be powering your neighbors' houses which would overload and burn out your generator.

[Screwby]

Originally Posted by bleckb

I was looking at this yesterday. Champion's serial kit for the 3500s has a 50-amp plug and I've already installed the 30-amp outlet.

Seems I should have been asking these questions before having the electricians in to do their thing. :-(

Adapter from 50 to 30 is like $30

[Thighmaster]

My understanding is an inverter type generator is necessary for home AND RV use if intending to power computer or TV. Without this one could fry the circuit board of the electronics with voltage fluctuation. Any opinions on this?

[berwin]

Thighmaster: Nope. The built-in generator in my Alante is NOT an inverter generator and I have had no problems with computers or TVs. When I bought my home portable generator, it was before inverter generators were widely available and the reviews said it was the cleanest power available without spending over a thousand dollars. That said, I have never had to power electronics from it but I would not hesitate to do so.