Generator connection

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I have a power box to bolt on to my generator to provide power. It's got a double 30 amp breaker and a 4 wire twist lock outlet. The problem is the outlet is male and it should be female of course. Do I try and find a round L14-30 female outlet that will fit or make a short female to female cord.
 
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I would change " gender " of the outlet .

Be 100% certain you do not end up with a system where the blades on the male do not end up " hot " when the generator is running .

If they are exposed & flopping around , some one may easily get " bit " .
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I have a power box to bolt on to my generator to provide power. It's got a double 30 amp breaker and a 4 wire twist lock outlet. The problem is the outlet is male and it should be female of course. Do I try and find a round L14-30 female outlet that will fit or make a short female to female cord.
Originally Posted By: Donald
I have a power box to bolt on to my generator to provide power. It's got a double 30 amp breaker and a 4 wire twist lock outlet. The problem is the outlet is male and it should be female of course. Do I try and find a round L14-30 female outlet that will fit or make a short female to female cord.


Sounds like someone wired it so they could run a conventional cord to your generator. You’re supposed to use a special generator cord. They wired it like an RV trailer but didn’t realize it’s against code because a house can be powered from the grid but the RV would not.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I have a power box to bolt on to my generator to provide power. It's got a double 30 amp breaker and a 4 wire twist lock outlet. The problem is the outlet is male and it should be female of course. Do I try and find a round L14-30 female outlet that will fit or make a short female to female cord.
Originally Posted By: Donald
I have a power box to bolt on to my generator to provide power. It's got a double 30 amp breaker and a 4 wire twist lock outlet. The problem is the outlet is male and it should be female of course. Do I try and find a round L14-30 female outlet that will fit or make a short female to female cord.


Checked it out and assuming your inlet was wired correctly, you have the correct configuration. . My comments above are incorrect. The inlet to the house will be a male plug. This will allow a heavy gauge cord to be plugged into the female plug on the generator and the female end of the generator cord will plug into the house. Inside will be a switch that will isolate the grid from the house and allow the inlet to the house to connect to the house wiring. When wired correctly there is no way for grid power to energize the male plug. Also when done correctly your house breakers willl still be functional. Hope that helps.
 
That's what I've done, but the opposite. Installed a 50 amp breaker and a dedicated female plug in the garage. Output from the generator to a 50 amp rated cord connected to a male plug that goes into that house female plug. First, turn off the main breaker so there is no back feed. Hook up all the cables and make sure 50 amp house breaker is off AND ALL THE OTHER breakers are off. Fire up generator and let warm up. Turn on breakers from the generator, turn on dedicated 50 amp house breaker, then slowly turn on the home breakers that I need. You'll have to label all your breakers for the house because some of them you won't need to use and save power for the generator. I keep the kitchen one on, stove is a 40 amp breaker and it stays off, living room, bathroom, one bedroom and the floor freezers if it is in summer time, but those things stay insulated for a pretty long time. Yeah, I know it's not the right way to do it and technically illegal, but in a pinch, it will work.
 
The problem with technically illegal is that you technically have no house insurance. Just install the proper isolation switch and breaker. If someone throws the main breaker you can electrocute a lineman.
 
I have built my last two homes myself (acted as GC and did a lot of the work myself).

When I wired my homes, I put in a few secondary circuits to the major items (furnace, fridge, septic pump, tv, etc).
Each outlet has a twin circuit; one side for Duke energy and one for the Generator. (if you break the little tab between the sockets, they become independent outlets).

All I have to do is power my secondary distribution box, then pull the appliance cord from the Duke side and into the Gen side. Viola!

And no risk whatsoever of killing a worker upstream by powering the main line into a hot condition.
 
There are many was of doing it wrong which work either most of the time or all the time . But still , they are unsafe .
 
When I bought my 5500 watt B&S portable generator I also got a Reliance manual transfer switch. Mine's a 6 circuit switch. It's set up to not be able to back feed from the generator to the circuit breaker panel. It's either only off, line or generator so it can't back feed. It has a male 30 amp receptacle to plug the female end of the 30 amp cord plugged into the generator.

Whimsey
 
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
That's what I've done, but the opposite. Installed a 50 amp breaker and a dedicated female plug in the garage. Output from the generator to a 50 amp rated cord connected to a male plug that goes into that house female plug. First, turn off the main breaker so there is no back feed. Hook up all the cables and make sure 50 amp house breaker is off AND ALL THE OTHER breakers are off. Yeah, I know it's not the right way to do it and technically illegal, but in a pinch, it will work.


Dude, just buy a simple interlock kit and be done with it

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The interlock kit is a very good & simple solution .

I think someone said they have a cord coming from the generator with a male end , that plugs into the house system . Never do this , those prongs / blades will become hot when the generator is run . " Danger , Will Robinson ! "

Or , have I got that reversed ?

You must never have a situation where you energize the prongs / blades of a male cord cap , while it is not plugged into something . Not when it is dangeling around .
 
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