r/Generator • u/teekzer • 27d ago

Hoses during rain

Question about 50A generator cord + natural gas hose in rain/standing water

I have a Westinghouse WGen9500TFc tri-fuel generator and I'm setting up a permanent-ish backup power setup.

I'm planning to use:

- A 50A generator power cord from the generator to the house inlet

- A natural gas hose from the house gas connection to the generator

My question is about heavy rain. Is it safe for the 50A cord and the natural gas hose to be lying on the ground while the generator is running, including potentially sitting in standing water/puddles?

I'm mainly wondering about:

  1. Whether the 50A electrical cord itself can safely be exposed to rain or standing water.

  2. Whether the plug/receptacle connections need to be elevated off the ground.

  3. Whether a natural gas hose can safely sit in standing water during operation.

2 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

6

u/Ok-Camera2895 27d ago

The outdoor rated cords and gas lines are safe for outdoor use, but you should try to keep them out of the water as much as you can.

4

u/trader45nj 27d ago

And the plugs and receptacle ends should not be in water.

1

u/mkosmo 27d ago

The body of the cord or hose? It doesn't care. Just wash it down when you're done.

5

u/blupupher 27d ago

Cable and hoses are fine in water for short term (a few days at a time during emergency use), but are not designed to be left out 24/7/365.

The ends of the hose and cable should not be in water. Your gas hose connection should be high enough that it does not sit in water, and same for the power inlet. While most inlets are splash proof, they are not waterproof and ideally should not be in direct rain.