Generator plug-in & interlock install - questions for the Electricians

[60 Deluxe]

Either go with a whole house switch outside or see if you have room and installation ease for putting an isolation switch next to your inside panel. It really depends on what all you need to use during a power outage. Installing a transfer switch outside would be fairly simple and you could use any circuit in the house with some management on your part to limit the draw on the generator's to 50 amps output. I've not seen a main breaker set up like your existing box. The way that I see it, and I could be wrong, is that you have a total of 200 amps connected to the grid.

Since your generator is a portable, you don't need a fancy transfer switch. A manual transfer will work fine and cost a few hundred dollars less than an automatic switch. Otherwise, an isolation switch good for 50 amps can be installed inside. You will have to choose which circuits will be powered by generator power. On mine, I actually disconnected the circuits from my main breaker panel and landed them in the isolation switch. That freed up several slots in the main breaker panel for me to put in a 240volt breaker to supply power for the grid side of the isolation switch. The isolation switch is a simple set up that switches to your choice of the generator feed or the grid feed. It cannot do both at once because of the mechanics of the switch. I went to a whole house switch when I bought the big diesel Kohler generator but I left the isolation switch in place just in case I ever wanted to use the little generator again. It sure is nice knowing that I can use anything electrical using generator power that I could on grid power.

[Bill]

Bill, I like the setup you have for attaching the LP tank to the generator itself. Pretty cool!

Thanks. I did put a pair of casters from Home Depot under the frame by the tank to prevent it tiping when being moved.

Here’s actual propane consumption in pounds per hour. It’s more expensive pet kWatt hour than gasoline, but I did not want to store gas in the garage and deal with StaBil and fuel system issues for emergency backupnpower.

[Bill]

I was looking at dual fuel and what I read seemed the propane goes pretty fast, is that your experience ? One I read said 20lb bottle last 5 hours. 7 gallons of gasoline last's 13 hours if NOT at full load.

I posted my actual was 13# propane used in 7 hours-not at full load. 13# x 0.236 gal per pound / 7 hours is 0.44 gal propane per hour. 7 gallons gasoline for 13 hours is 0.53 gallons per hour. Gas has more energy than propane. That seems gasoline is a little cheaper and certainly easier to refill from a container than getting a propane tank refilled.,

[Paycheck]

Good info here.

[Bill]

I was on vacation and met a fellow a couple weeks ago who was a lineman from the midwest. I asked about back feeding and did DIY home hookups without lockout equipment really kill lineman. He said he knew of 2 deaths, despite all the safety precautions when restoring power fatal mistakes happen.

[Quackerbox]

The panel you have on the house gives me anxiety just looking at it

[friscopaint]

I posted my actual was 13# propane used in 7 hours-not at full load. 13# x 0.236 gal per pound / 7 hours is 0.44 gal propane per hour. 7 gallons gasoline for 13 hours is 0.53 gallons per hour. Gas has more energy than propane. That seems gasoline is a little cheaper and certainly easier to refill from a container than getting a propane tank refilled.,

Good information ! Propane definitely stores better and longer than gasoline.

[White Falcon]

Like I said before, hire an Electrician to be safe!