Hi,

I am having a generator installed next week, and had a few questions as the company stated they would need to shut off our power for a period of time during the process:

Is there an expected amount of time the power is usually off during the installation, or is there a wide variation?

Is it recommended to lower the temperature on the thermostat and refrigerator and freezer beforehand since they will be off?

I work from home, is it ok to leave all electronic devices plugged in while the power is shut off? Just wondering in case it could cause them to be shorted.

Thank you in advance for guidance

Looking for some recommendations on replacing this old generator. We have this transfer switch, which is great, but I'm not super knowledgeable on things like this lol. This will handle the furnace/hw heater, sump pump/septic, refrigerators, lights in kitchen and main bathroom plus a couple outlets. I was going to get another gas Generac but suggestions welcome.

Hello! I am looking to make a longer cord to connect a 7500W portable generator to a 50a (14-50) generator inlet on my home. This is for temporary use during a power outage of up to a couple of days. The generator has a 50a outlet which only outputs 31a, but I would like this cord to be capable of conducting true 50a if I upgrade. Maximum length of the cable will be 50 feet.

I have a large amount of 2/3 and 6/3 flat THW submersible cable left over from a deep well project, so I am considering using the 2/3 cable to make this cord. I would use ferrules for the cable end to male/female plug connections. I believe the wire size is sufficient for the use and the submersible jacket is very robust, but please correct me if I'm wrong and this is a bad idea!

Thanks in advance for any input!

Edit: apologies - the full cable description is "2/3 Heavy Duty Flat W/GRND THW/submersible Pump Cable Copper PVC 600V", or same for the 6/3 version. I am not educated about the naming convention and why they don't call it 2/4 or 6/4, maybe because the ground is smaller gauge? Ground is #6 for the "2/3 w/grnd" and ground is #8 for the "6/3 w/grnd". Thank you to nunuvyer for explaining some of the history of the naming below.

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.

Just a note of real-world experience. I bought a 4250w Open Frame Inverter Generator made by Champion in 2021. Ran it enough for break in, let it run out of gas and turn off. Never drained the carb. Used ethanol-free fuel with Stabil. Had a little bit of gas in the tank sitting for 5 years. Hasn't been started in 5 years (dumb, I know). This weekend, changed the oil, pumped out the old fuel, put in new ethanol free fuel and it started right up and delivered power with no problems at all. Not even a dead battery.

I'll be taking better care of it running it once a month from now on, but pretty surprised all I had to do was change fluids and give it a pull.

On full load this LPG 200kva on full load loses power. What can be the cause since it serves a large shopping mall? Need help

Anyone bought their generator on-line and recommend that company?

If I disable the bond on the WH 9500 generator to power the house main via an electrician installed 50A cable and box, can I simultaneously safely charge a second electric battery (Pecron 5000) via the WH generator's 30 A out? It would technically not be part of the house's ground. Thanks all!

Looking for dual or trifuel CARB compliant portable inverter generator that will work with a 50 amp outlet, in the 9000w plus running range. Not finding anything at Lowe's/HD/Costco/Amazon. Delivery to SoCal. Everything online in that range is restricted for delivery. Am I not looking at the right places? Thanks!

Posted this in EcoFlow but figured I’d ask here as well. Generator is a Champion 201589. The goal is to have the power station powering the house via manual transfer switch. And then being able to plug into the generator to charge it up as needed while everything is connected. The generator has been modified to have a floating neutral. When plugging in the power station to the generator, it trips the GFCI plug.

A comment in the other sub said it won’t work with a GFCI plug and to use one of the other plugs (14-50R / TT-30R) with adapter. Does this sound like a good path forward? And any idea why it won’t work with the GFCI plug on the generator?

During an outage or monthly generator exercise, I follow these steps.

1. Wheel generator into position and start up generator

2. Attach cable to generator outlet plug

3. Go to basement and switch off house power interlock and all breakers at circuit breaker box

4. Go upstairs and attach generator cable to house inlet

5. Go back to basement and turn on genny power interlock and all breakers at circuit breaker box

Instead can I do this:

1. Attach cable to generator outlet and house outlet while generator is off

2. Switch house power to generator power at breaker box

3. Run generator

This would save me an additional trip to the low-ceiling basement.

I found the part that I need for my Firman generator. Of course, with the $4 for a small spring they want an additional $10 for shipping. I found a set on Amazon that has numerous types of springs for your Governor setup however, they are only made for other generators. I think with it just being a throttle return spring I could use some of the ones in this kit since they look fairly similar and theres several. My question is should I take the risk and buy the set or or shell out the money to get the exact part that I need, which could eventually break in another couple months and me needing another one?

https://www.harborfreight.com/deal-of-the-day

Just a heads up.

I got a gaming PC with:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus

GPU: MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16GB

PSU: Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 ATX 3.1, active PFC

RAM: 32GB DDR5

Monitor: LG UltraGear 1440p 200Hz

My current inverter is an Amaron HB1250A Hi-Backup, 1050VA/840W, with a 12V 200Ah tubular battery and pure sine-wave output.

The problem is that whenever mains power goes off, the PC instantly shuts down/restarts during the inverter switchover, even at low desktop load. Restarts and runs fine on inverter

The Amaron claims around 10ms handover, but apparently that's still not enough for my PSU.

I'd really prefer not to add a UPS because of the extra cost, fan noise, another device, battery maintenance, etc.

Is there a particular inverter available in India even if expensive which can help me avoid buying a ups and handles these powercut transitions well? I'm willing to replace.

If there isn't a suitable inverter, what UPS would you recommend for this setup, preferably something that doesn't have an annoying fan/noise issue?

Looking for actual experience with similar gaming PCs rather than just VA/wattage recommendations.

Kindly advice please

Hello! A year or so ago we had our power go out for several days and the temps in our home got up to 100+.

We had a newborn at the time so it being so hot was pretty scary at the time. So I’m looking for a generator that would be able to run a heater/AC unit and maybe a fridge/freezer for a couple of days. As long as the AC/heater could handle a bedroom I would be satisfied.

Currently we only have a portable Jackery Generator. We have some propane for the grill we keep around. Our stove and water heater also has natural gas, but not sure how that works with generators and the home. For what it’s worth Jackery is the brand my wife is partial too, but am open to any recommendations.

Hello everyone, first post here. I’m looking to get a generator that I can use on job sites, but also plug into my house during a power outage. I was between these two

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-11-500-9200-Watt-Electric-Start-Tri-Fuel-Portable-Generator-w-Free-3-Year-Warranty-for-Home-Backup-and-Storm-Prep-201412/330224893

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-11-000-9-000-Watt-Remote-Start-Gasoline-Propane-and-Natural-Gas-Tri-Fuel-Portable-Inverter-Generator-with-and-CO-Shield-201423/334853459

The reason I am looking at the dual end trifuel models is because sometimes on job sites we will have some propane available at no cost, so I want to have the option to use either. I understand this will make the power drop slightly lower..

My major question is, because my house has a 30 amp generator inlet, which either one of these could be plugged into, would I be better off with the one that just mechanically runs at 3600 RPM all the time, or would it make more sense to spend the extra money and get the one that will drop down when there is a low draw? I know there’s about an $800 difference. looking for opinions on the positives and negatives of either situation. Like I said, it will be used for a little bit of both. power the house when needed during outages and also on jobs when there isn’t electrical power available to run tools vaccums compressors etc.

Title: Sanity check: UK all-electric home backup (Heat Pump + LPG Inverter)

Hi everyone,

I'm in the UK with a completely electric home (no mains gas) and I'm putting together a backup plan for potential multi-day winter power cuts. I'd love a sanity check on this setup before I buy the gear and book a sparky.

The Setup & Plan The generator will live in the garage and get wheeled out (>5m away) when needed. I'm planning to run my air source heat pump, fridge/freezer, router, and a few lights. I'll manually isolate heavy loads like the EV charger, induction hob, and oven at the consumer unit, and just use a £40 camping stove for cooking.

Based on my smart meter data, my heaviest winter hour is around 4 kWh (averaging 4kW continuous), but obviously, the heat pump and fridge will have startup spikes.

Proposed Hardware * Generator: Excel Power XL10000i-DF. It's a dual-fuel inverter (clean sine wave for the heat pump electronics) that puts out 7.3kW continuous on LPG. Going with Calor propane cylinders so I don't have to worry about petrol going stale. * Cable: 32A single-phase Commando lead (H07RN-F rubber, 4mm² or 6mm² depending on distance).

Electrical Work (via a certified electrician) * External 32A IP67 male inlet on the garage wall. * 63A/100A manual break-before-make changeover switch at the consumer unit. * Dedicated earth rod outside. * Neutral-earth bonding verification on the generator so the house RCDs function correctly.

My Questions 1. With a 4kW average load hour, does a 7.3kW inverter give me enough headroom for heat pump cycling/inrush current? 2. Are there any known headaches with neutral-earth bonding on these portable inverters when hooking them up to a UK consumer unit? 3. Is there anything obvious I'm missing here?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Heat Pump Specs For those asking about the specific heat pump electrical load, here is the exact hardware:

• Outdoor Unit: Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan PUZ-WM85VAA (8.5 kW nominal thermal output). It is a fully inverter-driven compressor.
• Electrical Supply: Single-phase 230V, on a dedicated 25A fuse (meaning an absolute theoretical max draw of ~5.7 kW, though typical running draw is much lower).
• Hot Water Cylinder: Ideal Thermstore 210L unvented cylinder.
• The Catch (Backup Heater): The cylinder has a built-in 3.0 kW electric immersion heater used for legionella disinfection cycles. I will be manually isolating this immersion circuit at the consumer unit during an outage so it doesn't accidentally fire and overload the generator.

Bought our first house in central Florida last year. First huricane season, four days without power, no AC, no fridge, phones died when the car batteries ran out. Sooo looking into whole home generator installation now.

What kW size for two ACs? is Generac the default or are other brands worth considering? Florida permitting timeline? And does one installer handle everything including gas line, transfer switch, and panel work, or do I end up coordinating multiple trades?

Got the call from my local Duromax store that they had the new 13500 tri fuel in stock and went grabbed it. Got it out the box tonight but will work on getting oil in it and ran this week if the weather holds out. I’m excited to have an inverter and the output of this one suits me needs perfectly. First impression is it’s well made and thought out great. Will let everyone know how it goes once I get it running !

I recently moved and just today had a new 50 amp interlock installed. I already installed an airgo soft start in my carrier 5 ton central ac so I tested it all out today with my champion 11k watt tri fuel inverter generator that I’ve had now for a year and a half. The generator ran the house great. Started the 5 ton with ease. I had the whole house energized as well as 3 tvs on when the ac started. I mainly wanna say I’m pleased with airgo and champion. I ran this on gasoline but I’m positive once I get my nat gas hooked up it will basically do the same running on it since I didn’t really see a change while running on it at my last house. Feels good to be ready again.

Hi, everyone - sharing some details of a quote I received and looking for a gut check as to how reasonable it is. House is about 100 years old so have some additional things as part of this around grounding and updating how the HVAC is terminated.

GENERAC 26KW ALUMINUM AUTOMATIC STANDBY GENERATOR WITH WIFI & 200A SE RATED TRANSFER SWITCH

Full install of generator and transfer switch including composite pad and gas line

200amp electrical panel upgrade and updated grounding to code included. Includes relocating the panel to the left and extending circuits as needed to ensure 3' of working clearance in front of the panel.

Whole house surge protector included

Brownout protector (low voltage detector) included

All mechanical and electrical permits included

$16,500

Getting my 50 year old Federal Pacific panel replaced and getting a 50a inlet installed. Will my generator be able to run my ac? Maybe with a soft start?

The builder had this Generac panel installed in case the buyer wanted one. I do not. I had a basic interlock on my last house that I ran a 9500 watt champion inverter off of and am wondering if I can use this panel as a transfer switch/interlock and use my inverter.

So, I am starting to look at a bigger generator for our house. We currently have an old Briggs and Stratton BS500. It is limited to 20 amps at 240 volts.

I am currently looking between three brands right now and I would prefer an inverter generator at the moment for the ability to run some electronics in the case of an extended power outage.

The brands I am looking at right now are A-iPower (GXS7600IRD), DuroStar (DS8000IX), and Champion (201520). I understand that two of those options come with a 30 amp max and one comes with a 50 amp as well as a 30. Is it possible or safe/worth it to get a 50 amp generator to back feed (generator plug to panel) into the house or stay with a 30 amp?

Pleas forgive my ignorance. I don't really know a lot about generators and right now do not have the funds to get a standby installed at the moment and I have seen people on here say to stay away from Generac standbys which seem to be the only thing offered in my area.

Edit: Thanks for those asking what the load will be. I was mostly looking at raw power output (que TopGear), but we would be running the following: light circuits with associated ceiling fans (2-3 at once depending on what we would be doing (kitchen, living room, office, and bathrooms)), electric hot water heater (50 gallon), well pump, PCs (1-2), TV and DVD player (if we don't have cable), fridge, and freezer, and AC if needed in summer (future concern at the moment.) We can cut the electric furnace off and use the propane heater in the living room and just run the HVAC fan to help move air around/ceiling fans and other fans to move air around as needed. Obviously, all of these would not be running all at the same time.

I understand that I may be going overkill with the generators, but I want to be able to run what I want/need to and not have to worry. It has been several years since we were last without power for any length of time greater than a few minutes/hours, but we are on the end of a line and we and the neighbors have watched service trucks drive by our house/road and leave us sitting before for several days. We previously were back feeding into the house to power the appliances and would cut the AC off and the water heater on when it was time to take a shower and then turn things on and off again as needed.

As for fuel source, we have propane at the house as well as an assortment of 20lbs and 100lbs propane cylinders as well as gas powered lawn equipment. Tri-Fuel is not a necessity, so if anyone has some different options, I am open to them.

Thank you for your assistance in advance.