Technical > Home Improvement > Portable Generator question

reply to IowaCowboy

Re: Portable Generator question

reply to IowaCowboy
If you check out the link to BJ's in my previous post in this thread, the generator accessory kit includes a 25 Foot 30 Amp 10/4 cord with an L14 Plug and L14 Socket. It also includes a Y connector with an L14 Plug and two triple 15 Amp 120 Volt outlets wired to each leg of an attached twist lock plug. Unfortunately you missed out on the sale last month when the generator accessory kit was offered for $99.99 which was an even better deal. You can purchase an additional 25 Foot 10/4 Extension Cord for $99.99.

reply to IowaCowboy
You want to keep this nice and simple, inexpensive and sort of legal?

Now this may or may not be possible but if you can cut a hole into the basement large enough to pass your cord through and cover the hole on the outside with a 50 amp weatherproof outlet cover, say something like this.

»www.hubbellcatalog.com/raco/RACO···herproof

This would allow you to drop a cord into your basement as needed and when not needed it can be locked shut and if and when you move out just leave it there covering the hole.

Wayne
--
Madness takes its toll, please have exact change ready…

reply to IowaCowboy
This is something else I would consider if the poco is willing to install it.
»www.generlink.com/documents/Gene···ower.pdf

reply to 49528867
The outlet cover is a neat idea. I use the dog door.

reply to IowaCowboy

reply to IowaCowboy
I may also consider installing a transfer switch if they are easy to install and easy to remove (if we ever do move, we've been in this rental unit for ten years and do not see moving in the foreseeable future).

I may just mount it next to the panel and run 10/4 out to an input receptacle through an existing hole in the back of the house. I looked up how to install a transfer switch and it seems easy, I am a little nervous about working in the main panel but I would cut the main breaker when poking around the panel.
--
I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town).

I would strongly recommend locating the model number of your generator on the following GenerLink pdf document to see if it is compatible with the GenerLink or other transfer switches that do not switch the neutral.

»www.generlink.com/CompatibleGenerator.pdf

If your generator is a Model # 030430 the Generlink compatibility list shows it is compatible with their product.

reply to IowaCowboy
Just a thought - install by other than a licensed pro could void renter's insurance coverage.

If by some chance your install was at fault for a claim, your personal assets liability is the excess of your coverage limits. In other words, if sued successfully for $250,000 and your coverage is $100,000 - you are on the hook for the difference, ie $150, 000 as supplied by your personal assets, in addition to your legal fees to defend yourself once your insurance carrier steps aside for the excess portion of your trial.

See also, »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subrogation

Just sayin...

In this case, the OP is a tenant. So without the landlord's blessing, he can't (legally) do anything to the electrical system. Even with the go-ahead from the LL, he can't legally (in most jurisdictions) do the work unless he's licensed and pulls the proper permits. In most places the owner can legally do his/her own work provided the premises are owner-occupied. I know people do what the want but when things go wrong, one can find themselves referred to as "the defendant" with out any help from the insurance company(ies). I get several calls a year from people get who get busted doing unlicensed work and are willing to pay to "use my license" to pull permits and stand-by for inspections. Uh, not only NO but HELL NO!
--
Zach

reply to Mr Matt

reply to Zach 58

reply to fifty nine

reply to IowaCowboy
I've done electrical work on this building before and the licensed electrician that wired this building did not follow codes. I always follow code when doing wiring and I have corrected sloppy work that the electrician did.

One of the things that he did that was a no-no is putting two wires on a screw terminal and putting more than one device on a single wire (stripping the wire in the middle and wrapping it around the screw terminal). The code enforcement in this city is very lax and I am surprised that they signed off when this building was built. Other projects I have done are lighting upgrades in the basement (went from standard lightbulb sockets to 4 ft T12 fluorescent lights that are hardwired). There must be something very wrong with the certification of electricians here when a non-electrician tenant follows codes more than a licensed electrician. The former landlord (before the building was sold) also did electrical work as well.

The enforcement of building codes in this jurisdiction is spotty at best. They cannot even keep up with buildings that are infested with rats/mice/roaches and buildings that are structurally unsound. The local building department is running on a skeleton crew because of severe budget cuts.

I do not want to turn this into a political discussion (as this is not the appropriate forum) but liability judgements can be rendered null and void in a bankruptcy filing if the defendant is unable/does not have the assets or resources to pay.

As for the work I've done myself, it was done correctly and in a workman like manner.

The transfer switch I may install has an instructional DVD and I have familliarized myself with the instructions. I should get some credit for my desire to install a generator correctly. Many times, tenants and homeowners alike will use what is called a so-called "suicide cord" (a cord with a male plug on each end) and they will plug one end of the cord into the generator and the other into an exterior or garage wall socket and backfeed it into the house wiring without isolating the house from the grid. This is very dangerous to the occupants of the building, can damage the generator, can burn the house down, and injure/kill utility workers when the current backfeed a through a transformer and becomes lethal current. I have read many horror stories about improperly installed generators. Not to mention the electrocution hazard to the occupants of the building. This is why the only way to install a generator is with a transfer switch.

I would also consider replacing some of the breakers with AFCI breakers but I think breakers for this panel may no longer be available. If the panel goes bad, I would be out of luck because replacing a panel is a little outside my comfort zone as I would have to handle the live incoming wires. If I go forward with the transfer switch install, I would turn off the main breaker and use a work light that I would plug into the generator (via an extension cord of course). Another mistake people make is running generators indoors. During the October snowstorm last year, a family was almost killed when they were dumb enough to run a generator in the basement. One thing I see electricians do that does not play well in my book is handling live wires. I ALWAYS cut power before working on wiring.

As for the landlord, the keyword is absentee. When something breaks, I am the one who ends up fixing it (whether it be a plumbing or electrical fixture). But she has no problem collecting the rent each month. If it was not for my vast knowledge of home improvement/repair, this place would fall to the ground.
--
I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town).