Using boat's generator at home

[Flossdog]

Using boat\'s generator at home

Can any electrician advise? We have a lot of power cuts at home and I have the genny at home in the winter to give us light during the power cuts. Question is, can I easily power the house circuits to run the oil central heating and a few lights, by disconnecting the mains(switching off) and putting the genny output into a socket?

 

[fireball]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

[ QUOTE ]
putting the genny output into a socket?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like you want to do a 3pin plug to 3pin plug!! Now, I'd do this with 12v boat circuit ... but not with 240v!!
Yes, you should be able to power the house circuits with a gennie, but I'd suggest you do something a little more careful, like putting a plug on the end of the ring mains, with a suitalbe socket on the supply side, then replicate the socket to plug into the gennie.

Although, I think you'd've had to do this before a certain year otherwise you'd have to get a sparky in to do it 4 u.

 

[Steve_N]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

I believe it's an absolute NO-NO without first getting a double pole switch installed by your utility company:

"Adding a standby generator to the electrical system of a home, farm or business requires a suitable transfer switch to disconnect the electric loads from the power supplier's utility grid. This prevents the back flow of current into the utility's lines during an outage, which could electrocute linemen working to restore power; and prevents damage to the generator when regular electric service has been restored, which can destroy the generator."

 

[pvb]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

Yes, you can do it but you have to turn off your mains supply first, at the main switch. I used a generator to keep my heating going at home in the aftermath of the 87(?) storms. Only problem is you have to keep looking at neighbouring properties to see when the mains power is restored! Be very careful indeed if you use a lead with a plug on each end.

 

[Steve_N]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

You were right - you need an electrician to advise you. I know that my main switch isn't double pole, but I can't speak for others, so we use the genny on a seperate isolated circuit.

Google finds plenty of info on the subject, all with dire warnings such as the quote copied into my previous post. Here's another:

"It is vital that the generator is completely isolated from the mains supply. This ensures that the generator is not attempting to power up the whole neighbourhood, but also ensures that it does not electrocute a utility worker trying to restore the mains supply. Turning off your standard mains switch does not achieve this. A double-pole, break-before-make, changeover switch must be installed by a qualified electrician".

 

[philmayfield]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

We live in the depths of the country where power cuts are not uncommon. My central heating power is fed through a switch which can be set to "mains", "generator" or "off" so that the generator cannot feed into the mains supply. A plug from this switch can be connected to an extension socket from the generator when needed. The switch also feeds a socket into which temporary lighting can be plugged. This has soved our power cut problems for many years. A neighbour has the same system but on a much larger scale whereby he can run his total domestic requirements. This is overkill!.

 

[Gordonmc]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

The easiest and safest way of achieving this is to power the central heating pump from a 13amp socket on a ring main instead of hard wiring to the consumer unit.
All you need to do then is plug the pump into the genny. A two gang socket on the genny extension will give a spare for a couple of low-energy lightbulbs, assuming 5 Kva or more.

 

[Flossdog]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

Thanks chaps, I think that the easiest way is as was suggested, to have the CH boiler on a double pole mains-Gen switch and run separate lights off the genny. Thanks for all the info though.

 

[bendyone]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

Yes it will work with a plug to plug lead into your ring main but you must isolate the house from the mains. double pole switch.

Upsets the houses around to see all your lights on /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The only problem we have is that the outside lights 2KW load all turn on when they first see the power and this can overload the genny.

 

[JOHNPEET]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

Go with Gordonmc's recommendation for safety and simplicity.

Avoid the plug to plug lead at all costs as you or one of your family are likey to be electrocuted!!!

Plug one end into the genny, fire up the genny, the pins on the plug on the other end become live - you have no way of having absolute control of this lead and how it may be used.

 

[Heckler]

Re: Using boat\'s generator at home

Years ago you could get the power company, manweb in my case, to put a double pole switch in between the meter and the consumer units. my garage was wired to a consumer unit with "cooker" cable. When the power went off the double pole switch was switched off, effectively isolating the house from the mains, the gennie (4.5kva) which was plugged into a "blue" socket in the garage was then switched on powering the house circuit. it would run most of the bits including a kettle but started to grunt a bit when more than one ring on the stove was turned on!!
it was superb the christmas time when most of the area was off for 4 days.
used about 5 galls of petrol per 24 hours, i have since converted it to run on propane which is about half the price.
stu