Adding an outlet for a generator in the garage...help needed

Big enough shtf abd they are turning off the gas to prevent leaks and explosions. Even bigger shtf and the infrastructure pumping that gas to you may not come back on.

 

Have you watched The Walking Dead?!?!?

 

I have enough gasoline to go exactly 10 full days in the dead of winter.

I won't count on natural gas supply.

Eventually somebody will fuck it up. 1 good earthquake and the infrastructure is down.

You know anybody that predicts earthquakes?

The only downside is if my garage ever catches fire shits gonna get big.

 

I know this one guy who has wired his generator directly into a 220 outlet that he has for a welder. He's just super careful not backfeed the line by always killing the main when the power is out. He has a male-male cord that he made himself and is careful with that as well. He runs the generator in his barn with the windows open. He's been doing this for years and has done it for days straight on occasion without issues related to the setup. He had a loose neutral once on the generator that blew up some appliances. He told his insurance company exactly what he did and they covered his stuff.

 

Im all for mickey mousing something to get it running ASAP with the idea of doing a proper job down the line. The fact that he runs this "setup" for years just reeks of cheapness and lack of safety concern for the very people trying to fix the problems and get his power back to him.

The fact his ins covered his applaunces is secondary. It was a mechanical fault with the generator, not his method of connecting that caused the claim. If he causes a fire due to his wiring you bet your ass they arent gonna cover it. Hes not even coming close to any sort of Electrical standards.

 

If you are going to spring for a whole house backup genny, go ahead and get the auto-transfer switch installed as well. That, with auto-start/ auto-retransfer and auto-shutdown on the genny triggered by loss/return of shore power, will give you a sweet setup. :up:

The house's service is sized based on maximum load, plus growth factor. The generator only needs to run what you want running when the power is out. 17-20KVA will run most reasonably sized homes.

 

Ya, I know the conventional opinion. That's why I posted the counter-point.
People need hear what the options are. It's dangerous, but not impossible.

This guy I know also has been known to race motorcycles and winds his own garage door springs.

 

I stopped racing a while ago.

 

Jesus Lord God maker of Heaven and Earth that is NOT something one wants to try without experience. I tried once. Almost lost an ear.

 

He wants to smack himself in the face with the door spring? Get the camera rolling. Wants to burn his house and shop down? Again, no fucks given. Im all for darwin thinning the herd.

He wants to electrocute a lineman because of a mindslip? He gets zero "mehs" from me.

Once its an innocent persons life you're playing with you play by rules or dont play at all.

Just like you dont get to take a clapped out death trap on a track with other riders. No-one cares if you kill yourself, but killing another rider cuz your oil filter is ducktaped is frowned upon.