tractor PTO generator

[Anonymous-0]

getting ready for winter, i tested my pto generator and it puts out good power. my question, can i plug the cord from the generator in my garage at the circuit panel which feeds from the house which has a 200 amp panel. will the power feed backwards through the circuit breakers and will they trip if the generator has a problem.

 

[504-2]

Yes it will work, but make sure you disconnect the main breaker first or you could electrocute a Line man that is trying to repair a line that does not have any power in it.( but you are supplying it through a back feed.)

 

[don g]

yes u can backfeed but u must must must pull your main breaker or it will feed back on to your power line and could kill someone.pull your main and all will be fine.you can pick and choose your circuits by going to your panel depending on the size of your generator.dont forget you must add startup voltage too.some things such as sump pumps draw twice as much startup voltage.a good item to buy is a volt meter.125 volts on generator with no load is good because as u add load your rpms go down and voltage drops and u probably dont want to go below 112 or 113 volts

 

[don g]

yes u can backfeed but u must must must pull your main breaker or it will feed back on to your power line and could kill someone.pull your main and all will be fine.you can pick and choose your circuits by going to your panel depending on the size of your generator.dont forget you must add startup voltage too.some things such as sump pumps draw twice as much startup voltage.a good item to buy is a volt meter.125 volts on generator with no load is good because as u add load your rpms go down and voltage drops and u probably dont want to go below 112 or 113 volts

 

[RAB]

Not saying you are the idiot but that system is not idiot proof. Some day, some when, there might be a dead linesman, so don't do it!!

Get the proper change-over switch and be totally idiot proof. They are much more expensive but that linesman will not thank you, or anybody else, when he is dead. If he survives or not, it would cost you far more than the change-over switch. Be 100% safe.
RAB

 

[Mathias NY]

Yes it's possible, as others have indicated. On my power panel I have an socket for the generator power cable. The socket is wired to its own breaker. This breaker has an interlock with the main breaker. The socket cannot be turned on without flipping the main breaker. If you are interested I can email you a picture. I can't seem to figure out how to post them here...

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not quite. A load doesn't draw voltage, it draws current and most induction motors take 5 to 6 times running current for starting, not twice. Because the mechanical load is set by the shaft speed and the shaft speed is set by the supply frequency, low voltage means higher current to a loaded motor.

The worst case is trying to start every motor in the place, furnace, refrigerator, freezer, and water pump at the same time. Its worth staggering their connection to let each one get up to speed before adding the next, starting with the largest motor.

Gerald J.

 

[Walt Davies]

Unless you have a 220 generator rated at enough to run your whole house I wouldn't do it. Actually most power companies frown on doing it this way so its best to get a power switch over box to disconnect completely from the power company when using the generator.
If you only have 110 then only half of your house will work because of the way its wired.
Walt

 

[don g]

forgive me 1/3 horsesump requires an additional 1300watts start up a 1/2 hp requires an additional 2150watts start up a fridge typically requires an additonl 2200.My point to the gent was there are many things an average person may not thinkabout when they use an aux power source.I am by no means an expert on any subject but i was trying to give a nontechnical answer.I guess the most important thing is to not backfeed on to the incoming power line as this could cause a fatality to some poor lineman trying to patch things back together.turning off all your breakers is best idea and then flipping them on at a staggered interval is best way to prevent too much demand on generator.

 

[Anonymous-0]

anyone out there know for sure that pulling the main will prevent power from going out to the pole? thought I read something about the neutral not being disconnected by simply pulling the main breaker. bill m.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hello?????ANYONE with a generator needs to have a doublethrow switch which disconnects the INCOMING power to your home system. Otherwise, you are putting power into your supplier, and you will FRY ANY LINEMAN TRYING TO RESTORE POWER IN YOUR AREA!!!!!

 

[buickanddeere]

As previously stated only a short sighted cheapskate believes opening the main breaker and back feeding with double male patch cord is acceptable.
The number of injuries, deaths and smoked equipment at the hands of people who "knew that they were doing" proves the point.
Switching the neutral is required if the generator uses a bonded neutral. A floating neutral generator requires the neutral not to be switched.
http://www.ronkelectrical.com/pages/meterrite.html

 

[Mathias NY]

It is my understanding that single phase power requires a closed circuit for power to flow. An open 'hot' and a closed 'neutral' will acomplish this. When the main breaker is turned off, it effectively disconnects the house from street power, otherwise it wouldn't be called the 'main.' Power simply cannot flow through the neutral alone. Even in the generator were to have the neutral and hot wires reversed, one wire to the street is still interupted. I agree that a disconnect switch would be better, but it is not necisary.

I am not an electrician, however a certified electrician wired my house for the type of patch cable you are describing and the local code inspector passed the installation.

 

[massey333]

To agree with B&D and RAB,IF you get caught with that kind of setup and heaven forbid anyone gets hurt or killed,YOU WILL WISH you were never born.It is law in most places that you have to have a DOUBLE DISCONECT in place.Yes it cost money but if you can afford the gen.then you can find the money for the disconnect.

 

[Frontranger]

What RAB said!!

 

[rrlund]

Guess that's me. I turn off the main and feed back through the 220 welder socket in the shop. Used to run all the milking equipment in the barn that way when we milked.

 

[Mike (WA)]

Just trying to learn something here. If you disconnect the main, but not the neutral, will the current in the neutral be the difference between the current in each of the two hot legs?
So the only way the neutral would have no current is if the two hot legs were perfectly balanced.

 

[Mattias]

I'm by no means an expert on American elctrical systems, but you could do it the way you described(but DON'T). It will work but it would be dangerous and it would surprise me a lot if not illegal. You will need a switch that makes it impossible to run any current out on the line. You'll also need a proper intake, (ok here is my english a bit challenged but in Sweden we talk in terms of male and female connections, I believe you get without further explanation :wink: ) The intake should be the male kind making the socket out from the generator a female one, this way you can never get any easy touched electrical surfaces. You will also need your own separate grounding point. Making the securityground on things work and the "groundfaultbreakers" (if you have any) work.

This might seem a bit costly and it is (been there...) but it's for your own your familys and the lineworkers security so it doesn't really matter if illegal or not(Though getting sued in the US seems no good)

Hope you understand what I mean.

Mattias

 

[Anonymous-0]

I usually don't mind spending the extra nickle and do it correctly, but I'm set up to supply household electric the same way you are. Only key is to be sure to disconnect the main breaker before even thinking about hooking up the generator. Actually have never had to use it, but it is there for emergencies. Locally a tornado went thru real early spring and a friend lost his electric for a week or so. He borrowed the 13,500 kW generator and back fed electric for that week without killing anyone, and there were linesmen working everywhere. Although if I was going to have it as a backup for milking or any other rural significant application such as tower silage unloading, coupled with old or more complicated wiring, I'd get the double throw box.

 

[Anonymous-0]

thanks for all the replies. I forgot to state that I would disconnect the main feed from the power company. That is a must, also my generator would be trying to power the neighbors homes also if i didnt pull the mains. Thanks again for the relpies. P/S my generator is a 25,000 watt and will power my complete home and shop.

 

[buickanddeere]

Running neutral current on the ground wire of the welder plug is another hazard. It's possible to energize the case, frame, water pipes or what ever is connected to the ground wires with 120V.
If nothing else tingle voltage at water basins, milking stations etc will be a problem.

 

[buickanddeere]

Switch both the main's neutral and lines with a bonded neutral generator. And switch only the main's lines with a non bonded generator.
Otherwise you are running a ground and neutral loop. That is a problem, particularly if there is livestock around.

 

[buickanddeere]

Please don't be a dangerous cheapskate and not use a generator transfer switch.
A transfer switch is not expensive.

 

[Steven f/AZ]

Didn't read all the posts, but the most intelligent and safe method is to spend the money on the double throw switch. Dad has one at the farm and it makes things fool proof.

 

[Anonymous-0]

First, linemen treat all circuits as HOT at all times.Second the will be a lot of equipment on line that will stall your little generator.

 

[RAB]

Yeahy right - or should that LAST word be RITE

 

[Anonymous-0]

All the furnace motors , water pumps,refrigerators on line will be ready to go, switched on. they will stall your little generator.