Your Questions About Portable Generators

rob answers:

You should use a proper transfer panel to power backup circuits. While you can make things work in the way described it is dangerous and could potentially kill someone. The neutral coming into your house is of no consequence. It is essentially grounded at the building entrance and there is no need to disconnect.
Read through my home generator page for other information and ideas.
Http://members.rennlist.org/warren/generator.html

rob answers:

The National Electrical Code does not require it to be grounded, but it would be a good idea to.

rob answers:

Really, it all depends on the circuit breaker rating for that outlet. If it’s just one duplex outlet, more than likely it’s breaker is rated for 20 amps. A 20 amp breaker will trip if the amperage exceeds 2,400 watts continuous. You will be running 3,000 watts.

You can try it and see if it will hold. The worst that will happen is you’ll overload the breaker and it will trip. But that’s what it is designed to do in the event of an overload.

rob answers:

A twist lock connector won’t fall out from the vibration of the generator or by pulling on it which is common at a construction site. It just saves the trouble of constantly having to run back to the generator to plug the cord back in. If that’s what you’re asking about, this is. Your question isn’t exactly clear.

rob answers:

Yes, if the generator is equipped with the correct voltage and outlets. Most generators, from 5KW and up have both 120v and 240v outlets, rated 120v@ 15 to 20 amp and the 240V @ between 30 and 40 amp. The rating of the total watts available is a combination of the calculations volts x amps with a difference between what is called “continuous” and “surge” ratings- Continuous rating is what the generator can carry all the time, and surge is what it can carry only for a short time-as in seconds not minutes. So, suppose you have an 8kw generator, rated at 8,500 watts continuous and 9,600 watts surge. That rating is divided between all outlets or it can be for just one outlet. Suppose your 240 outlet is rated at 35 amps continuous and 40 amps surge max. 240v x 35 amp = 8,400 watts amps. So, you could carry the continuous easily, it is below the 8,500 rating. But, the 40 amp surge is 9,600 watts only for a very short time before the circuit breakers kicked out on the generator. The ratings on the 120 v outlets are there for maximum load combined. So, you have to add up the entire total loads on the generator. If the total loads exceeded the maximum rating, then you are going to have to drop something or it will trip out. Hooking up to a service panel, you usually have a generator switch that cuts out public service and connects your household to the generator service. This switch is there to make sure both are never connected at the same time- that would be bad. The generator panel is usually fed by the 240 volt outlet of the generator and the panel feeds only the circuits you have deemed as “emergency”, such as your home heating system if it is gas and you are only providing power to the blower (and not the air conditioning compressor and such) and certainly not electrical home heating, that would far exceed the small 8 kw gen. Capacity. You would likely have a single lighting circuit with a few wall outlets and possibly a kitchen with microwave and small hot plate or coffee pot. So, during emergency, you can keep the house warm, make coffee and heat soup and watch a small TV or radio or computer. That’s about all an 8kw gen would be able to provide.