Both hot wires go into the breaker, the red and black wire... they have no specific orientation. Then your neutral white wire and your green ground wire mount to the rear of the box in the bus bar, make sure they connect like all the other white and copper/green wires in your box because some power panel boxes have them on the same bus bar and others have them separated. I'll pin this comment to the top of the comment section for others as well since I left out that last step. Thanks
The only bit of information I needed was what was written in the description regarding what you didn't go over in the video. Hahaha. Anyway, thanks for the other tips.
Your video has been very useful and much easier to understand. I've watched others but your explanations and demonstrate put the whole puzzle together. Now I know how it all works and can go forward with getting things set up. God Bless
I Just finished putting together my set up. I would like to thank you for your post and some great tips. Looking forward to ERCOT dropping the ball again this winter. 👍😜
Great video. I have the same box, but mine has the main breaker at the top. I was worried about moving the breakers around. Hopefully there's enough slack to do it. I am in Texas, and Feb is just around the corner. That is power-outage season for us now, so this is a project where I need to leave procrastination station.
If I could give you any tip for this project, it would be to at the very least... secure all of the supplies ASAP. These breakers are getting harder and harder to come by and I went through a bit of trouble to get the ones I used. Once you have the supplies then procrastinate away. Lol
Suggestion - for a temporary situation or a permanent solution, get a Generlink meter base adaptor. Would recommend the 40 amp unit. Safe, very easy to use, super easy (5 min.) for the electric company to install. I have no ties to the company. I bought one and it's a great solution. Using it with my Generac standby genset. Simply plug in the cord when needed, unplug when done.
I've seen those... I think the reason I didn't choose that option was I had to get the power company involved which was some added hassle. Thanks foe the suggestion though.
@@JackofAllTrades1 I also anticipated a bit of hassle. But it wasn't. My electric is supplied by my city utilities. Emailed the utility director the specs, brochures and website link. Requested the utility department approval as I assumed they were not aware of this unit - they were not. A week later I received his approval letter! Once I had the unit, I requested an install date with the director's office. A day later the guys installed it. For best pricing, order directly from Generlink by calling them. For my 40-amp unit, they had a build lead time of 4 weeks.
You would need to put both the red and black wires in the breaker and the then install the breaker. The wires have no specific location, they can go in either slot in the breaker. Then install the breaker in the panel. Your white and green wires will go in their respective bus bars that are connected to the back of the panel box.
Weird question, but suppose you had someone visit with an RV/Camper that had a 30 or 50 amp plug in, could you simply run an extension cord into your 30 or 50 amp inlet to give them power or would the interlock switch prevent this? FYI great video, very informative, thank you for the detailed walkthrough.
The interlock would prevent this because it would be super dangerous, but in all actuality, it could be done just by removing the cover to your power panel. The problem is these outlet boxes have male prongs on them so they become a death trap. I'd have everything plugged in, cables and all.. to the outlet box and RV before I switched the 50 Amp breaker to the on position.
Thanks for the video. In true honesty. Would it better to run an extension cord instead of using a permanent line? Additionally, could you install the generator connector box outside the house? In my case, I was able to place the connector closer to the box and save some money. All around nice video.
It's also important to mention that if your main disconnect panel has a generator transfer kit from the manufacturer of that panel, that's what you should go with. Once you physically modify your original panel it is NO longer UL compliant. Even though the kit you purchased in your video seems to be UL certified, technically you have voided your panels UL rating.
EMT still needs a ground for the reason that some folks buy those single screw fittings and they never truly tighten that screw. The thread type is preferred but I've seen those fail and there for the EMT loses it's ground ability. So always run a ground in green insulated conductor inside metal and make sure it's attached to all metal everything. When you see Red wires in a breaker box, it should be on a double pole breaker or two singles on opposite phases with a handle UL manufacturer approved handle tie. Why. Usually indicate multi branch circuits. They share a neutral and if one of those hots trip power from one shared branch the remaining power goes to the shared nuetrual and then the neutral gets extremely hot. So never have a red and black together on a tandem or mini breaker. Notice that when moving breakers around in the video, but he's fine. The red wires are on double pole breaker. 80 percent rule. 80 percent load and leave 20 for spikes from motors and compressors. Also 80 percent conduit fill. So let's say you have a generator rated at 15000 watts, but truly it's around 80 percent of that of running wattage. That is why the generator has a 50 amp receptacle. Amps times volts. 50 x 240 is 12,000 watts. So 12,000 watts is the safe number when calculating what can be run on a 15,000 watt generator. Also leave room when doing conduit calculating. Especially in those long runs. It's easier to pull wires. But really you need the air space for those hot wires to dissipate. If your distance between pull points between the receptacle to breaker location is greater than 80 feet upside the conductors to the next gauge. Wanna avoid voltage drop. When you attache conduit to a sub panel main load center being flex liquid tight or metal conduit MC, EMT remember to use the plastic bushing. Inspectors love seeing those inside on the threaded connector. One last thing that needs to be addressed. Tighten loosen every threaded electrical connection 3 times. You'd be amazed that one overlooked connection not tighten to spec can cause so many problems down the road.
I wish those were legal in Canada. Much cheaper than a new panel. Here, the interlock has to be part attached to the main breaker so that it's not removed when the panel cover is removed.
Was hoping you'd share how difficult or not it was to connect 6 gauge wire into the inlet box. You mentioned you chose the bigger box to help with that but didn't actually show connecting the wires. Was it challenging or was there sufficient space?
I'm not sure if this was mentioned in the video, but one should check their main panel first to make sure they have two extra spaces for the added breakers in their main panel otherwise they would most likely have to go with a Transfer Switch. This wouldn't work for my application just for this very reason, my main is full due to an added stand alone shop and an added mini split along with my existing HVAC unit. I could make it work only I'd have to add along with the generator receptacle box another small breaker box to house the extra breakers along with moving the standalone shop 50 amp supply and the mini split to the new breaker box freeing up the added space for the generator breakers in the main, sadly by the time I have all that done it might more more cost effect to just go with a transfer switch.
I had a similar issue that was brought up in the video... I did not have enough room in the box because I had only 1 open spot and needed 2. What I did to resolve this in the video was remove two breakers are replace them with a single "double" breaker which then freed up that additional spot that was needed. The breaker was about 20 bucks so an affordable option. Thanks for the comment.
@Blackieees hope I was able to help you out with your project... please consider subscribing to my channel so my content can better reach others. Thanks
@@JackofAllTrades1 Yes thanks, I do know I have an older box, I need to get the model number off of it and see what my options are, I had a Dur-Max 5500 in which I gave to my elderly parents, and purchased the WH 9500DF, got it on sale. another issue I have is that my main is just on the corner of my bedroom so I'm not keen on building a container there for the generator, I'll have to do some figuring out in my backyard maybe somewhere around my stand alone shop, it's within 20 feet of the house.
@Blackieees yes... definitely consider thar in most situations you may be dragging your generator around in the dark and maybe in bad weather. I chose my driveway because it is solid ground and I have easy access to it to refuel it and also protect it from the elements.
Just a quick comment. Why didn't you install the outside box outside where the generator is to be running? Why not use a 4s box and plug at the electrical panel.
It's real common here in Florida to put the outlet box right inside the garage and run the 50 Amp generator cable under the garage door to the driveway where the generator will be parked, since this is the swap it cuts way down on corrosion and maitenence. My generator alao is almost 500lbs fully loaded with gas so it works out great for me to keep it on the concrete the whole time. I could have hooked it right at the panel but my generator cable is 20 feet long so I'm just working with what I already have. Thanks for the comment.
@robertmontanez6715 that's now it worked in my last state. They wanted to inspect before final connection, and then if it was OK with them, then they would tell you to connect it up, and they would reinspect. The last time I went through this, I was told I could finish the wiring after the first insoection, and they would skip the second inspection since it done well. I know this varies by state and county though.
Hi @Jack of all trades . Perfect video- well made and precise info. Just what I was looking to do. I see there are a few questions around breaker amperage. I was assuming that a 50amp generator would supply max 25amp per pole adding to 50amps. Is that a wrong assumption? So for a 50Amp 240V generator, would you not need a 25 amp double breaker?
Hey Sobey, thanks for the kind words. So for a 50 Amp plug on a generator, it would supply a maximum of 50 amps... it's not always going to be an exact 25 amps per leg as that can fluctuate depending on the load and this is why the guage wire of each leg is capable of supplying the whole 50 amps. However, the correct assumption is that a 50 Amp plug needs a 50 Amp breaker. The largest plug on my particular generator is 50 amps 240 volts, however, if there were such a thing it could technically have an even larger plug on it since it is 15k watts... thats getting off topic though. So your answer is 50 Amp 2 pole breaker. Thanks for stopping by and contributing to my video.
On the power inlet box for the generator end of the project, you do not need a punch or hole saw. Just take a screwdriver and knock out the half inch part of the knockout, then use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the 3/4 inch of the knockout. When pulling the wire through the flex conduit and PVC pipe, it would be much easier to have an extra pair of hands to help. One other note, I would be surprised if the inspector past the power inlet box, if you mounted the face section upside down. That is not the correct way to do it.
Francis, this box did not have real knockouts... I explained that in the video. Since they were fake knockouts, I had to cut the the hole for rhe conduit. The inspect didn't care what direction the box was mounted as the orientation of the box does not change how it is used or present a hazard of any kind. Thanks for the comment.
Is your generator fed through RCD? Do you share neutral from the supply and the generator? That isn't allowed in South Africa. We must separate all lives and neutral with a break before make changeover switch.
RCD... Residual Current Device. Pierre honestly I am not sure.... as far as I know there is no disconnect that takes place at the generator once a certain current is obtained. The throttle does adjust itself if it determines more or less power demand is needed and it throttles up/down. The live wires and neutrals share everything except the breaker in the power panel, they separate once they enter that panel.... ground and neutral hook into a neutral/ground bus bar, and the two hots go to the breaker. Thanks for the comment.
Thought I would ask you this since I simply have not seen any videos on how to properly wire into a SUB panel. Our house has a main panel with meter outside on one end, and a subpanel in garage on opposite end. In main are four switches; water pump, water heater, heat pump, and subpanel. There is NO main cutoff to completely shut off power. If I only wanted to power my subpanel with generator, what would be the proper/safe/legal way to do that? There is no way to install an interlock to block a main cutoff or generator breaker, because it's not possible with the panels on the house. I have not yet contacted an electrician yet. Just trying to figure all this out. And yes, I know there are other options. Thanks
Interesting situation.... so by having a sub panel, you essentially have a breaker in the main panel that feeds an identical breaker in the sub panel. Is that correct? The branch cirrcuts in the sub panel then feed off that breaker. You would need a mechanical way of locking out that feed breaker in the sub panel (that is fed from the main panel) while also allowing the generator breaker to be on. There may be a kit you can buy that will work with two normal (not main) type breakers. The key here is that feed breaker can't be on at the same time as the generator breaker and vice versa. This will also still allow that sub panel to be fed from main or from generator. Check this kit out. www.zoro.com/square-d-cb-accessory-interlock-attachment-qou2dtila/i/G0840896/?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK491K3f-bXrf5nCcnAzWbR8smUHb292o8Hau3jHZgDAKa_36ELekwyBoCEnQQAvD_BwE
I bought a 50 generator lock switch from the same company. The instructions indicate the mounting screw heads are to be on the back side of the panel cover.
@@JackofAllTrades1 You're welcome. Not surprised you caught it yourself. If you did install them backwards, it might become apparent on the first attempt to move the lock-out plate up or down. By the way, for what it's worth, I don't think you were too "wordy". Kudos to you, because it would have taken me a day or two to calm down enough to be as gracious in your reply to the fellow who expressed that opinion. I'm glad you didn't take my comment the wrong way. You mentioned that you did lots of this sort of thing in the military. Combat engineering unit? Thanks for your service.🤝
@@mwiltfang4618 I've just become numb to it now after a few years lol... lots of keyboard warriors on UA-cam. I was a Naval Gunners Mate and maintained all the guns on my ship... from the smallest 9mm pistol all the way up to the large 3 inch anti aircraft systems. I had to be able to troubleshoot them down to their basic functions if anything ever went wrong and since my equipment was Vietnam era leftovers... it had its fare share of downtime. Thanks for the comment, contributuons by viewers like you bring more value to my content...and I appreciate it.
@@JackofAllTrades1Hit send accidentally AGAIN! To continue, part of my dad's tour included radar picket duty and anti-submarine patrol at Okinawa. His duties included making sure the 3" anti-aircraft guns never ran out of ammo, so he knew what it's like to see a kamikaze plane take a shell in the engine and smack into the water 25 yds from the port rail. What he saw at Okinawa sent him home with nightmares, and it made a lasting impression on him. I don't think I fully understood that until I was much older myself. That realization came one Christmas day when he opened the picture of Crosby and the official record of its service that I gave him for Christmas. My dad was a hard-as-nails son of German immigrants and a combat war veteran, and that was the only time I saw his bottom lip quiver. He didn't put that picture down for over an hour. Crosby was retired and decommissioned after the war with 15 battle stars and a naval unit commendation. Dad said only the best seamen were in amphibious units, and he was extremely proud of being a "tin can" sailor. He was laid to rest with full military honors by his hometown veteran friends at the local VFW post. The town I grew up in was full of war veterans.
Hello jack of all trades ,i have the same box but its upside down my top has the main turn off switch so can i use the interlock kit you had in the video ?
Yes, you will have to orient it differently but these switches are made for several setups. The important part is the distance from your main breaker and you smaller feeder breakers. If you have the same box then it is likely also the same.
Thank you for the fast reply and i understand what you said but here is my situation ,i rearanged my breakers so my 50 amp genrrator breaker at the top on the right side so will this interlock work on the right side ?
@Gene myers Myers which way do you push your main breaker to turn it off? To the right? If the "off" position for your main breaker is on the left then your 50 Amp feeder breaker has to be on the right, and vice-versa.
My breaker has the main switch located in the top center position, I have a 30amp breaker on the right under the main but it currently supports my Laundry room. I want to setup and interlock kit so I can plug in my AllPower 6000 Watt Generator, that also needs a 30 amp breaker. Could I just tie in my Generator to my Laundry room breaker or will I need to add a new 30amp breaker on my box and move my Laundry room to that, so I can use the 30 amp that's under and to the right of my main switch for my Generator?
Yea you could do that. If you have enough slack in your line you could move the breaker and line to another slot and just install the new breaker where it was. If you don't have enough slack you might have to move all your breakers down one and just put the laundry room right under the generator breaker.
I reread your post and I understand it better now. You need two breakers. If you tied all 4 lines into that one breaker... it would technically work BUT you couldn't use more than 30 amps between the generator or laundry room or it would trip the breaker. Also nothing in that laundry room would be protected by a breaker 100%.
This is just how its done in this part of FL for some reason. In previous homes in other states I've always mounted them outside. The benefit here I guess is the box is away from the elements where we see months on end of super high humidity and rain every single day. We also have hedges that hug tightly against the house and it would be less than ideal to wade through them to plug in this generator... I could think of a half dozen reasons for myself but I think the most beneficial is that the garage is not out in the elements which means less upkeep and wear on the components.
Yea you can do a meter like this. The connection is a bit different though. Looks like this. www.cpesupply.com/850945/Product/n/GenerLink-MA24-S?gclid=CjwKCAiAhKycBhAQEiwAgf19elyHk25VIpuiG6oSMRBKAcjPahk95cjDdZHnFd7mYdWyc-vRkPYHGRoC2SYQAvD_BwE
Good video. Just had one question. Because your generator plug box door does not have a spring, wouldn’t it be better to mount it right side up so the plug can’t accidentally be exposed with the door falling open with gravity? With that flexible conduit it would be easy to remount that thing and have the wires come up into the bottom as it was intended. One other thing I may have missed and that is always turn off the power to the panel before you start moving breakers.
Hey Alex... yes if I had this mounted outside then I would for sure make sure it was upright to keep it protected but I have no concerns with it being in my garage that it will get any moisture in it. Yea it is probably a good idea to turn off the power panel before moving breakers.
I have a bit of a problem the first interlock I screwed up and ordered Eaton BR instead of a CH and got the write one from amazon in the Gencap instructions it showed main at the top and took a few minutes tuned the instructions upside-down before driving now with two sets of holes it doesn’t even make contact with the main. Can’t get ahold on anybody at Amazon working with electricity no the problem the pictures are deceiving it should work but it doesn’t make contact Eaton and cutler hammer are the same my main is on the bottom sorry about the long sentence have any ideas. Dave
Yea, sometimes you just gotta put it in place without fastening it ans move it back and fourth and visualize it.... with the main breaker off the smaller gen feed breaker should be able to turn on and vice versa... you may need to move that feed breaker.
@@JackofAllTrades1 third time the charm I found a lockout for Eaton with recessed same vendor on eBay 10$ more . It’s not a off shore vendor although the stuff might be from China. Dave
The neutral (white) connects to the bus bar at the back of your box. If you look at all the other breaker connections in your box, you should see all the other white wires going to a metallic strip on the back wall of the box where it is held in place by a screw. In some cases all the grounds (bare copper or green) and the neutrals are on the same bus strip and in other cases they are separated into two different bus bars. Just follow the same setup that your box uses for all the other neutrals.
@@JavierRivera could be the meter or some residual left over like static electricity. If the breaker is off and you are only connected to that breaker then you should be fine.
I have a question I need an answer for asap, please. I've asked a few and haven't gotten any answers yet. I need to be able to power my home with my portable generator. Do I have to get a transfer switch and all that or can I just get this plug thing, breaker etc? Mine is a 12k watt, and would I need a 50amp or 30? Can you help me please trying to get secured by winter. Thank you sooo much.
Yea I can help you. You can technically power your house with just a breaker, some properly sized wire and an outlet box... then of course an extension cord from your outlet box to your generator.
The size of all of it will depend on what your generator is capable of supporting. What is the largest outlet on your generator? I suspect 30 Amp but it could be 50.
I think it's a 50, but it's so dark. It's a bigger plug than the one I can see 30 stamped on. Thank you so much. Things are becoming so hard to find I feel nudged to get it asap.
@@SM-yq1dr ok, so you know you have 240 volts which is good.. that means you can likely run anything in your house. Now you just need to figure out how many amps it's for. It should say 20 or 30 or 50 amps... thats the most common. If it doesn't say amps by the plug, look to see if there is a fuse or breaker on the generator and it will likely be the largest one. The 240 volt plug will likely be the one you want to use. You don't have to do this now, I will still reply to you tomorrow. We'll get this figured out.
True, I was thinking about that the other day. My breaker box has both the ground and neutral in the same spot so I found an open connector for each and screwed them into the ground/neutral bar. The two hots (black and red) go into the breaker... no specific order. Thanks for the feedback.
This was disappointing. You had the panel off and everything exposed and you NEVER show how you connected the fuse into the breaker box. That's probably one of the most important things to show.
I think I took for granted that most people who would be attempting this sort of install would already know how to install a breaker into the power panel. Somebody pointed this oversight out early on and I pinned the instructions to the top of this comments section.
It really depends on the gauge of your wire. If you go with 6 gauge stranded copper you can go up to 60 amps at 240 volts. Your generator is only going to supply 50 amps though in most cases so a 50 amp breaker or less would also work.
@@blindt1929 how many amps is your hot water heater? It will say on the side of it. Generally you can be safe by turning one breaker on at a time in your panel, that way the generator us not trying to power everything at once when they all want to start up at the same time.
@@blindt1929 interesting. I'd think working on a power panel would be extra risky for you then lol ... the info you need though is 50amps, just size it all the same and you can't go wrong.
@@Infected_by_Rage yea. That's what I ended up using. The purpose of the demo was to show if those other tools would work to cut the hole. They obviously failed.
38 minutes and you didn't even show the most important part: how to hook it up to the panel. What a waste of time.
Both hot wires go into the breaker, the red and black wire... they have no specific orientation. Then your neutral white wire and your green ground wire mount to the rear of the box in the bus bar, make sure they connect like all the other white and copper/green wires in your box because some power panel boxes have them on the same bus bar and others have them separated. I'll pin this comment to the top of the comment section for others as well since I left out that last step. Thanks
Hahaha, I know, right. Man, what a cliff hanger.
The only bit of information I needed was what was written in the description regarding what you didn't go over in the video. Hahaha. Anyway, thanks for the other tips.
Your video has been very useful and much easier to understand. I've watched others but your explanations and demonstrate put the whole puzzle together. Now I know how it all works and can go forward with getting things set up. God Bless
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate the kind words.
I Just finished putting together my set up. I would like to thank you
for your post and some great tips. Looking forward to ERCOT dropping
the ball again this winter. 👍😜
Awesome man, glad I could help... that's exactly why I make videos.
I live in Texas also & I just installed a generator Inlet &.counting on ERCOT to drop the ball😂
Great video. I have the same box, but mine has the main breaker at the top. I was worried about moving the breakers around. Hopefully there's enough slack to do it. I am in Texas, and Feb is just around the corner. That is power-outage season for us now, so this is a project where I need to leave procrastination station.
If I could give you any tip for this project, it would be to at the very least... secure all of the supplies ASAP. These breakers are getting harder and harder to come by and I went through a bit of trouble to get the ones I used. Once you have the supplies then procrastinate away. Lol
Suggestion - for a temporary situation or a permanent solution, get a Generlink meter base adaptor. Would recommend the 40 amp unit.
Safe, very easy to use, super easy (5 min.) for the electric company to install.
I have no ties to the company. I bought one and it's a great solution. Using it with my Generac standby genset. Simply plug in the cord when needed, unplug when done.
I've seen those... I think the reason I didn't choose that option was I had to get the power company involved which was some added hassle. Thanks foe the suggestion though.
@@JackofAllTrades1
I also anticipated a bit of hassle. But it wasn't.
My electric is supplied by my city utilities. Emailed the utility director the specs, brochures and website link. Requested the utility department approval as I assumed they were not aware of this unit - they were not. A week later I received his approval letter!
Once I had the unit, I requested an install date with the director's office. A day later the guys installed it.
For best pricing, order directly from Generlink by calling them. For my 40-amp unit, they had a build lead time of 4 weeks.
Yuh, The generlink looks real convenient but it's like $700 bucks versus $65 for a good interlock kit plus $130 for Romex and $63 for the inlet box.
unfortunately Southern Calif Edison doesn't approve it yet, they say they are making their own, that was 2 years ago.
@@tombo552001 In that case I would go with the hardwire transfer.
Very cool.. nice set up..... now, come and wire the boat up for me. 😉🤣
Lol... I've gone through all the training for a car, a boat would be the same.
@@JackofAllTrades1 I smell a collaboration coming together. 🤔
Thank you so much, very nice video, can you show how we will terminate the two pole breaker
You would need to put both the red and black wires in the breaker and the then install the breaker. The wires have no specific location, they can go in either slot in the breaker. Then install the breaker in the panel. Your white and green wires will go in their respective bus bars that are connected to the back of the panel box.
Good job! Your transitions are great! 😊
Thank you! 😄
This fucking guy really took the meaning of "fish tape" to a whole new level. Lmaoo
Lmao
Thanks to you I didn't buy this inlet box.. Thanks again..
Glad I could help Heath.
Weird question, but suppose you had someone visit with an RV/Camper that had a 30 or 50 amp plug in, could you simply run an extension cord into your 30 or 50 amp inlet to give them power or would the interlock switch prevent this?
FYI great video, very informative, thank you for the detailed walkthrough.
The interlock would prevent this because it would be super dangerous, but in all actuality, it could be done just by removing the cover to your power panel. The problem is these outlet boxes have male prongs on them so they become a death trap. I'd have everything plugged in, cables and all.. to the outlet box and RV before I switched the 50 Amp breaker to the on position.
Thanks for the video. In true honesty. Would it better to run an extension cord instead of using a permanent line? Additionally, could you install the generator connector box outside the house? In my case, I was able to place the connector closer to the box and save some money. All around nice video.
You could do extension cords. Would be kess oeeninent but also way cheaper. You could do the box outside if needed. Thanks
It's also important to mention that if your main disconnect panel has a generator transfer kit from the manufacturer of that panel, that's what you should go with. Once you physically modify your original panel it is NO longer UL compliant. Even though the kit you purchased in your video seems to be UL certified, technically you have voided your panels UL rating.
Interesting point. Thank you.
Good job my man.
Thanks!
EMT still needs a ground for the reason that some folks buy those single screw fittings and they never truly tighten that screw. The thread type is preferred but I've seen those fail and there for the EMT loses it's ground ability. So always run a ground in green insulated conductor inside metal and make sure it's attached to all metal everything.
When you see Red wires in a breaker box, it should be on a double pole breaker or two singles on opposite phases with a handle UL manufacturer approved handle tie. Why. Usually indicate multi branch circuits. They share a neutral and if one of those hots trip power from one shared branch the remaining power goes to the shared nuetrual and then the neutral gets extremely hot. So never have a red and black together on a tandem or mini breaker. Notice that when moving breakers around in the video, but he's fine. The red wires are on double pole breaker.
80 percent rule. 80 percent load and leave 20 for spikes from motors and compressors. Also 80 percent conduit fill. So let's say you have a generator rated at 15000 watts, but truly it's around 80 percent of that of running wattage. That is why the generator has a 50 amp receptacle. Amps times volts. 50 x 240 is 12,000 watts. So 12,000 watts is the safe number when calculating what can be run on a 15,000 watt generator. Also leave room when doing conduit calculating. Especially in those long runs. It's easier to pull wires. But really you need the air space for those hot wires to dissipate. If your distance between pull points between the receptacle to breaker location is greater than 80 feet upside the conductors to the next gauge. Wanna avoid voltage drop.
When you attache conduit to a sub panel main load center being flex liquid tight or metal conduit MC, EMT remember to use the plastic bushing. Inspectors love seeing those inside on the threaded connector.
One last thing that needs to be addressed. Tighten loosen every threaded electrical connection 3 times. You'd be amazed that one overlooked connection not tighten to spec can cause so many problems down the road.
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. That is good info.
I wish those were legal in Canada. Much cheaper than a new panel. Here, the interlock has to be part attached to the main breaker so that it's not removed when the panel cover is removed.
Interesting Marc.... yea I can totally energize both if I have the front panel cover off.
Was hoping you'd share how difficult or not it was to connect 6 gauge wire into the inlet box. You mentioned you chose the bigger box to help with that but didn't actually show connecting the wires. Was it challenging or was there sufficient space?
The box I used was sufficient. If you get the smaller box from Reliance... it will take some patience but is not impossible.
I'm not sure if this was mentioned in the video, but one should check their main panel first to make sure they have two extra spaces for the added breakers in their main panel otherwise they would most likely have to go with a Transfer Switch. This wouldn't work for my application just for this very reason, my main is full due to an added stand alone shop and an added mini split along with my existing HVAC unit. I could make it work only I'd have to add along with the generator receptacle box another small breaker box to house the extra breakers along with moving the standalone shop 50 amp supply and the mini split to the new breaker box freeing up the added space for the generator breakers in the main, sadly by the time I have all that done it might more more cost effect to just go with a transfer switch.
I had a similar issue that was brought up in the video... I did not have enough room in the box because I had only 1 open spot and needed 2. What I did to resolve this in the video was remove two breakers are replace them with a single "double" breaker which then freed up that additional spot that was needed. The breaker was about 20 bucks so an affordable option. Thanks for the comment.
@@JackofAllTrades1 I forgot about that option.
@Blackieees hope I was able to help you out with your project... please consider subscribing to my channel so my content can better reach others. Thanks
@@JackofAllTrades1 Yes thanks, I do know I have an older box, I need to get the model number off of it and see what my options are,
I had a Dur-Max 5500 in which I gave to my elderly parents, and purchased the WH 9500DF, got it on sale. another issue I have is that my main is just on the corner of my bedroom so I'm not keen on building a container there for the generator, I'll have to do some figuring out in my backyard maybe somewhere around my stand alone shop, it's within 20 feet of the house.
@Blackieees yes... definitely consider thar in most situations you may be dragging your generator around in the dark and maybe in bad weather. I chose my driveway because it is solid ground and I have easy access to it to refuel it and also protect it from the elements.
Will this type of install only power half of the ciruit box when running on generator like what happens when you backfeed a dryer outlet? Thanks.
Dryer outlets are usually 220 volts so that's two pole power... which means it powers both sides of the panel.
Just a quick comment. Why didn't you install the outside box outside where the generator is to be running? Why not use a 4s box and plug at the electrical panel.
It's real common here in Florida to put the outlet box right inside the garage and run the 50 Amp generator cable under the garage door to the driveway where the generator will be parked, since this is the swap it cuts way down on corrosion and maitenence. My generator alao is almost 500lbs fully loaded with gas so it works out great for me to keep it on the concrete the whole time. I could have hooked it right at the panel but my generator cable is 20 feet long so I'm just working with what I already have. Thanks for the comment.
To drill a hole in the inlet box use a fat step drill bit.
Yea that's what I ended up doing... I thought that was in the video.
Hatr to break it to you, but the inspector wants to see it completed wired. Just leave the panel off.
@robertmontanez6715 that's now it worked in my last state. They wanted to inspect before final connection, and then if it was OK with them, then they would tell you to connect it up, and they would reinspect. The last time I went through this, I was told I could finish the wiring after the first insoection, and they would skip the second inspection since it done well. I know this varies by state and county though.
Hi @Jack of all trades . Perfect video- well made and precise info. Just what I was looking to do. I see there are a few questions around breaker amperage. I was assuming that a 50amp generator would supply max 25amp per pole adding to 50amps. Is that a wrong assumption? So for a 50Amp 240V generator, would you not need a 25 amp double breaker?
Hey Sobey, thanks for the kind words. So for a 50 Amp plug on a generator, it would supply a maximum of 50 amps... it's not always going to be an exact 25 amps per leg as that can fluctuate depending on the load and this is why the guage wire of each leg is capable of supplying the whole 50 amps. However, the correct assumption is that a 50 Amp plug needs a 50 Amp breaker. The largest plug on my particular generator is 50 amps 240 volts, however, if there were such a thing it could technically have an even larger plug on it since it is 15k watts... thats getting off topic though. So your answer is 50 Amp 2 pole breaker. Thanks for stopping by and contributing to my video.
@@JackofAllTrades1 Fantastic. Thanks for the prompt reply. Off to home depot :)
On the power inlet box for the generator end of the project, you do not need a punch or hole saw. Just take a screwdriver and knock out the half inch part of the knockout, then use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the 3/4 inch of the knockout. When pulling the wire through the flex conduit and PVC pipe, it would be much easier to have an extra pair of hands to help. One other note, I would be surprised if the inspector past the power inlet box, if you mounted the face section upside down. That is not the correct way to do it.
Francis, this box did not have real knockouts... I explained that in the video. Since they were fake knockouts, I had to cut the the hole for rhe conduit. The inspect didn't care what direction the box was mounted as the orientation of the box does not change how it is used or present a hazard of any kind. Thanks for the comment.
Im gonna show you how to install an engine in your car……pops hood,, ok engine is installed🤣🤣😭🤣
@djloshouston lol. I have that video too.
@@JackofAllTrades1 🤣🤣
Is your generator fed through RCD?
Do you share neutral from the supply and the generator?
That isn't allowed in South Africa. We must separate all lives and neutral with a break before make changeover switch.
RCD... Residual Current Device. Pierre honestly I am not sure.... as far as I know there is no disconnect that takes place at the generator once a certain current is obtained. The throttle does adjust itself if it determines more or less power demand is needed and it throttles up/down. The live wires and neutrals share everything except the breaker in the power panel, they separate once they enter that panel.... ground and neutral hook into a neutral/ground bus bar, and the two hots go to the breaker. Thanks for the comment.
Thought I would ask you this since I simply have not seen any videos on how to properly wire into a SUB panel. Our house has a main panel with meter outside on one end, and a subpanel in garage on opposite end. In main are four switches; water pump, water heater, heat pump, and subpanel. There is NO main cutoff to completely shut off power. If I only wanted to power my subpanel with generator, what would be the proper/safe/legal way to do that? There is no way to install an interlock to block a main cutoff or generator breaker, because it's not possible with the panels on the house. I have not yet contacted an electrician yet. Just trying to figure all this out. And yes, I know there are other options. Thanks
Interesting situation.... so by having a sub panel, you essentially have a breaker in the main panel that feeds an identical breaker in the sub panel. Is that correct? The branch cirrcuts in the sub panel then feed off that breaker. You would need a mechanical way of locking out that feed breaker in the sub panel (that is fed from the main panel) while also allowing the generator breaker to be on. There may be a kit you can buy that will work with two normal (not main) type breakers. The key here is that feed breaker can't be on at the same time as the generator breaker and vice versa. This will also still allow that sub panel to be fed from main or from generator.
Check this kit out. www.zoro.com/square-d-cb-accessory-interlock-attachment-qou2dtila/i/G0840896/?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK491K3f-bXrf5nCcnAzWbR8smUHb292o8Hau3jHZgDAKa_36ELekwyBoCEnQQAvD_BwE
I bought a 50 generator lock switch from the same company. The instructions indicate the mounting screw heads are to be on the back side of the panel cover.
Yes that is correct and not something I caught until after filming. Thanks for mentioning it.
@@JackofAllTrades1 You're welcome. Not surprised you caught it yourself. If you did install them backwards, it might become apparent on the first attempt to move the lock-out plate up or down. By the way, for what it's worth, I don't think you were too "wordy". Kudos to you, because it would have taken me a day or two to calm down enough to be as gracious in your reply to the fellow who expressed that opinion. I'm glad you didn't take my comment the wrong way. You mentioned that you did lots of this sort of thing in the military. Combat engineering unit? Thanks for your service.🤝
@@mwiltfang4618 I've just become numb to it now after a few years lol... lots of keyboard warriors on UA-cam. I was a Naval Gunners Mate and maintained all the guns on my ship... from the smallest 9mm pistol all the way up to the large 3 inch anti aircraft systems. I had to be able to troubleshoot them down to their basic functions if anything ever went wrong and since my equipment was Vietnam era leftovers... it had its fare share of downtime. Thanks for the comment, contributuons by viewers like you bring more value to my content...and I appreciate it.
@@JackofAllTrades1 My dad was a US Navy WWII vet on DD17, USS Crosby. He and his shi
@@JackofAllTrades1Hit send accidentally AGAIN! To continue, part of my dad's tour included radar picket duty and anti-submarine patrol at Okinawa. His duties included making sure the 3" anti-aircraft guns never ran out of ammo, so he knew what it's like to see a kamikaze plane take a shell in the engine and smack into the water 25 yds from the port rail. What he saw at Okinawa sent him home with nightmares, and it made a lasting impression on him. I don't think I fully understood that until I was much older myself. That realization came one Christmas day when he opened the picture of Crosby and the official record of its service that I gave him for Christmas. My dad was a hard-as-nails son of German immigrants and a combat war veteran, and that was the only time I saw his bottom lip quiver. He didn't put that picture down for over an hour. Crosby was retired and decommissioned after the war with 15 battle stars and a naval unit commendation. Dad said only the best seamen were in amphibious units, and he was extremely proud of being a "tin can" sailor. He was laid to rest with full military honors by his hometown veteran friends at the local VFW post. The town I grew up in was full of war veterans.
question, I noticed you moved the top breaker and replaced it. what you did with that breaker?
I took two regular sized breakers and combined them into one double breaker so I could free up space.
Hello jack of all trades ,i have the same box but its upside down my top has the main turn off switch so can i use the interlock kit you had in the video ?
Yes, you will have to orient it differently but these switches are made for several setups. The important part is the distance from your main breaker and you smaller feeder breakers. If you have the same box then it is likely also the same.
Thank you for the fast reply and i understand what you said but here is my situation ,i rearanged my breakers so my 50 amp genrrator breaker at the top on the right side so will this interlock work on the right side ?
@Gene myers Myers which way do you push your main breaker to turn it off? To the right? If the "off" position for your main breaker is on the left then your 50 Amp feeder breaker has to be on the right, and vice-versa.
Thanks again im going to order the interlock kit from your channel ,the night mare is over thanks to your responce to my quistion.
My breaker has the main switch located in the top center position, I have a 30amp breaker on the right under the main but it currently supports my Laundry room. I want to setup and interlock kit so I can plug in my AllPower 6000 Watt Generator, that also needs a 30 amp breaker. Could I just tie in my Generator to my Laundry room breaker or will I need to add a new 30amp breaker on my box and move my Laundry room to that, so I can use the 30 amp that's under and to the right of my main switch for my Generator?
Yea you could do that. If you have enough slack in your line you could move the breaker and line to another slot and just install the new breaker where it was. If you don't have enough slack you might have to move all your breakers down one and just put the laundry room right under the generator breaker.
I reread your post and I understand it better now. You need two breakers. If you tied all 4 lines into that one breaker... it would technically work BUT you couldn't use more than 30 amps between the generator or laundry room or it would trip the breaker. Also nothing in that laundry room would be protected by a breaker 100%.
@@JackofAllTrades1 Thanks for the Reply.
I have never seen an inlet box mounted inside a garage, it's always mounted outside. What's your reasoning for this?
This is just how its done in this part of FL for some reason. In previous homes in other states I've always mounted them outside. The benefit here I guess is the box is away from the elements where we see months on end of super high humidity and rain every single day. We also have hedges that hug tightly against the house and it would be less than ideal to wade through them to plug in this generator... I could think of a half dozen reasons for myself but I think the most beneficial is that the garage is not out in the elements which means less upkeep and wear on the components.
can you hook this up on your meter panel instead of the house breaker box ?
Yea you can do a meter like this. The connection is a bit different though. Looks like this. www.cpesupply.com/850945/Product/n/GenerLink-MA24-S?gclid=CjwKCAiAhKycBhAQEiwAgf19elyHk25VIpuiG6oSMRBKAcjPahk95cjDdZHnFd7mYdWyc-vRkPYHGRoC2SYQAvD_BwE
Whose money would you use if not your own?
@andyanderson4604 no company paid for this video or sponsored it. Everything was purchased with my own money.
Good video. Just had one question. Because your generator plug box door does not have a spring, wouldn’t it be better to mount it right side up so the plug can’t accidentally be exposed with the door falling open with gravity? With that flexible conduit it would be easy to remount that thing and have the wires come up into the bottom as it was intended. One other thing I may have missed and that is always turn off the power to the panel before you start moving breakers.
Hey Alex... yes if I had this mounted outside then I would for sure make sure it was upright to keep it protected but I have no concerns with it being in my garage that it will get any moisture in it. Yea it is probably a good idea to turn off the power panel before moving breakers.
I have a bit of a problem the first interlock I screwed up and ordered Eaton BR instead of a CH and got the write one from amazon in the Gencap instructions it showed main at the top and took a few minutes tuned the instructions upside-down before driving now with two sets of holes it doesn’t even make contact with the main. Can’t get ahold on anybody at Amazon working with electricity no the problem the pictures are deceiving it should work but it doesn’t make contact Eaton and cutler hammer are the same my main is on the bottom sorry about the long sentence have any ideas. Dave
Yea, sometimes you just gotta put it in place without fastening it ans move it back and fourth and visualize it.... with the main breaker off the smaller gen feed breaker should be able to turn on and vice versa... you may need to move that feed breaker.
@@JackofAllTrades1 third time the charm I found a lockout for Eaton with recessed same vendor on eBay 10$ more . It’s not a off shore vendor although the stuff might be from China. Dave
@@daveban1656 good to hear you got it figured out. Some of the tooling on the offshore stuff is horrid.
Where did you connect the neutral from the generator?
The neutral (white) connects to the bus bar at the back of your box. If you look at all the other breaker connections in your box, you should see all the other white wires going to a metallic strip on the back wall of the box where it is held in place by a screw. In some cases all the grounds (bare copper or green) and the neutrals are on the same bus strip and in other cases they are separated into two different bus bars. Just follow the same setup that your box uses for all the other neutrals.
Hello. Do you still read some voltage withe the generator breaker OFF? I still read like 0.33v.
You are getting a reading of less than a volt? That's likely the voltmeter not settling all the way to zero.
@@JackofAllTrades1 ok thanks. I was thinking 🤔. I did something wrong.
@@JavierRivera could be the meter or some residual left over like static electricity. If the breaker is off and you are only connected to that breaker then you should be fine.
May be induced currents in the wires
I have a question I need an answer for asap, please. I've asked a few and haven't gotten any answers yet. I need to be able to power my home with my portable generator. Do I have to get a transfer switch and all that or can I just get this plug thing, breaker etc? Mine is a 12k watt, and would I need a 50amp or 30? Can you help me please trying to get secured by winter. Thank you sooo much.
Yea I can help you. You can technically power your house with just a breaker, some properly sized wire and an outlet box... then of course an extension cord from your outlet box to your generator.
The size of all of it will depend on what your generator is capable of supporting. What is the largest outlet on your generator? I suspect 30 Amp but it could be 50.
@@JackofAllTrades1 Its dark even with my light of my phone but it has 2 large one's. 1 reads 120VAC the 2nd reads AC 240V.
I think it's a 50, but it's so dark. It's a bigger plug than the one I can see 30 stamped on. Thank you so much. Things are becoming so hard to find I feel nudged to get it asap.
@@SM-yq1dr ok, so you know you have 240 volts which is good.. that means you can likely run anything in your house. Now you just need to figure out how many amps it's for. It should say 20 or 30 or 50 amps... thats the most common. If it doesn't say amps by the plug, look to see if there is a fuse or breaker on the generator and it will likely be the largest one. The 240 volt plug will likely be the one you want to use. You don't have to do this now, I will still reply to you tomorrow. We'll get this figured out.
Didn't show how to hook up the wires
True, I was thinking about that the other day. My breaker box has both the ground and neutral in the same spot so I found an open connector for each and screwed them into the ground/neutral bar. The two hots (black and red) go into the breaker... no specific order. Thanks for the feedback.
This was disappointing. You had the panel off and everything exposed and you NEVER show how you connected the fuse into the breaker box. That's probably one of the most important things to show.
I think I took for granted that most people who would be attempting this sort of install would already know how to install a breaker into the power panel. Somebody pointed this oversight out early on and I pinned the instructions to the top of this comments section.
What size breaker would be best for the back feed when using 50 amp
It really depends on the gauge of your wire. If you go with 6 gauge stranded copper you can go up to 60 amps at 240 volts. Your generator is only going to supply 50 amps though in most cases so a 50 amp breaker or less would also work.
@@JackofAllTrades1 I can run a 50 amp breaker and be ok running a hot water heater if needed
@@blindt1929 how many amps is your hot water heater? It will say on the side of it. Generally you can be safe by turning one breaker on at a time in your panel, that way the generator us not trying to power everything at once when they all want to start up at the same time.
@@JackofAllTrades1 not sure lol I’m blind
@@blindt1929 interesting. I'd think working on a power panel would be extra risky for you then lol ... the info you need though is 50amps, just size it all the same and you can't go wrong.
Don't be surprised if your generator "walks away" during its use.
It can't go too far... it gets chained up. :)
@@JackofAllTrades1 Mine is chained as well, keeps everyone honest.
If you are interested in seeing more on the inlet box I used, check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/LppzlxO0k7k/v-deo.html
Little bit of cutting oil would helped your poor wood hole saw.
I don't think it had a chance from the start lol
Use a step drill for drilling the box.
That's what I ended up doing in my inlet box video. It was a lot easier. Thanks!
If you are looking for a review on 50 amp inlet boxes, stay tuned as I am filming that one now.
Here it is: ua-cam.com/video/yqGUXBbzqc0/v-deo.html
You never even showed the connections you made lol
Hey Tom, check out the pinned comment at the top. It details what to do with the final connection. It's the same as any 240 volt connection.
That was painful to watch. Step down bit would have helped looks a Christmas tree
@@Infected_by_Rage yea. That's what I ended up using. The purpose of the demo was to show if those other tools would work to cut the hole. They obviously failed.
LESS TALK MORE ACTION
It's a step by step install, it's not gonna be short. Just skip to the chapters you need.
You talk to much
@@miguelferrer4644 there's a lot of information to cover.
Way too much talking.
Hopefully you got out of it what you were looking for.