# generator to house ?



## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

Ok
I'm a reasonable engineer.
I have a 240v portable generator,
Recently we had a long power cut here.
I was tempted to plug the generator into one of our house wall sockets so that it fed the ring main downstairs, for the benefit of the freezer and some basic lighting.
I know it would mean turning off the mains at my fuse board, and I know that making a lead to connect like that would have a plug at both ends and be theoretically unsafe with the potential for live pins to touch.

That said, is there any other reason why I should not do this ??

And why aren't houses equipped with an input point so you can plug your house into a standalone generator ?

Food for thought.

Any advice appreciated.


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## onnilucky (May 21, 2013)

If you was to feed live into the ring main, it would have to go the wrong way through the 32A MCB to then get out of the 6A MCB for your lighting.
Do MCBs work correctly with reverse power?
I don't know but I'm sure someone out there does


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## bubble63 (Sep 30, 2009)

no reason...
my friend in Aberdeen often did this.......

but, you have no control over what is connected to your limited power output on your genny.

it's easy to miss the immersion heater, for example, or somebody switches the cooker on etc etc

I used to connect everything with with extension leads, messy but obvious.

n


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## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

I just googled your point, onnilucky, and found this....

_Most rcd's don't have in or out marked on them so I don't think it makes any difference, as for mcb's they will work either way around, in fact they work "backwards" when when connecting the inverter of PV systems to the grid._

Hmmmm.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Glad I installed a similar one when I built my house

http://www.justgenerators.co.uk/pages/powertransfer.htm

tony


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## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

some good points in that item description, thanks Gemmy.

The possibility of lighting up the neighbourhood or electrocuting a power-worker trying to restore the system needs thought !


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Done it with out Honda 2 Kw
Switched of the trip, made a jump lead from geny to a socket, and it works!


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Find which MCB is for your downstairs sockets, disconnect it and connect the genny through another MCB to the sockets.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Safer to use an extension lead. 

Peter


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## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

Grath, I suppose thats what I wanted to hear, thanks
How much of your house went live, ? was it just the one ring circuit, or all circuits ?

John


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

RX12 said:


> Grath, I suppose thats what I wanted to hear, thanks
> How much of your house went live, ? was it just the one ring circuit, or all circuits ?
> 
> John


We had a new RDC fitted about two years ago and everything runs through that.
I plugged into the garage socket and tested things in the house.
I tested fridge, freezer, lights, boiler, tv, and cooker hob. Not all at the same time, and all worked.
I did over load it, with too many things on and the geny started to slow and would have cut out.
All was well!
So if we have a power cut, we still have heating!

edit
I was going to have it properly wired for a geny, but an Electrician advised me not to go to the expense for just the odd emergency.
He did stress the importance of switching off the supply, both for safety reasons further down the line and for our own equipment


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## Habilis-abilis (Feb 10, 2012)

The Darwin Awards are very interesting to read.
And are always looking for new items!


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey up.

I often do this in my large static caravan on site, the power often goes off when the site leccy trips, always on a night.

So out comes the genny and I unplug the wire outside from the site and it being the same plug for the genny I have power to run the fridge and telly, that's all it will run though.

Ray


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## andy63 (May 13, 2012)

what you proposed obviously will work but wouldn't be allowed I don't think.
house distribution has a earth neutral bond which may make total isolation impossible ie your house ground could still pose a problem for someone working on the system.
small portable gennys don't have the earth and neutral bond but rather a floating neutral I believe is what they call it.. ie the earth/ ground pin on the socket outlet is connected to the generator frame and conducting parts.. from the reading ive done on it and I confess I don't fully understand it :? you should only connect a generator to a domestic system through a properly installed transfare switch..
as was mentioned above the safest way is to connect to the genny via its own lead and plug whatever you want to run off that..
as an aside I always notice the socket tester in the van always indicates there is an earth fault when I have the genny feeding the van as opposed to been on hook up but that is standard practice and again from the reading ive done they reckon that is safer than modifying the generator with the neutral earth bond as mentioned above :? :lol: im well confused myself now so ill leave it at that....
food for thought as they say
regards andy


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## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

We are all gas central heating which wont work in a power cut, so with 240v to operate it and the pump to circulate it, Mrs RX12 would be well pleased.!!

With things as they are here in the Thames Valley today, who knows when I may have to try this out.

So
mains master off
plug genny into wall socket ( in garage )
turn off cooker and other big consumers
cross fingers
switch on genny 

standby.............


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Basically, what it means is that you are still reasonably comfortable.
Just like when you are in the M/H without hook up.
Use power sparingly and you will be warm, fed and watered!
One important safety warning!
Plug in the plug from your geny, into a socket, before starting the geny, otherwise the plug prongs would be live


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## chromedog (Feb 10, 2014)

*power to the house*

I have don that many times with no probs, and now I have a substantial solar panel and inverter on the van which is parked along side the house I have even connected that to the house with the mains off, works perfect ,, why waste all that unused power from the van .., just in the process of installing 12 volt l.e.d circuit in house for lighting,, will than run that from the van 12 volt.. as it always fully charged from the solar panel...


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