Generator inlet receptacle installation on house

[kevm14]

I figured I'd make a new thread since this doesn't pertain to a particular generator.

I used the Reliance PB20 inlet box, rated at 20 amps (~4.8kVA max, or call it 5kW): http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls ... 162&sr=8-1&

Wire used was 15 feet of 10/3. I used 10 gauge which would allow up to a 30A circuit in the future, should I decide I need a 7500W generator. I will have to replace this inlet receptacle with the Reliance PB30.

Circuit breaker was 20A 240V.

First, I checked out the breaker box for breaker placement and where the wires will enter the box.

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This is where I put the clamp connector in the breaker box.

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I used all 15 feet and just ran the cable roughly to both locations. Tip: run any wire into the bottom of the breaker box (or at least the bottom of where the breaker bus bars are). That way you can always move the breaker later, up or down (only the hot wire(s) need to run that far).

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I didn't even have to drill anything. I just shoved it through where I had already run some other cables, into the garage area.

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On the house, I picked a place that looked like I could access both sides, and drilled using a 3/4" spade bit. I should have started with a 1", gone in a bit, and then finished with the 3/4". This way the cable clamp that I installed on the back of the box has a recess to sit in.

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Next I put a very generous bead of silicone caulk around the cable clamp on the box of the inlet box, and put that flush against the house/hole. Then I screwed it to the house with 1-5/8" deck screws (exterior rated). It is quite secure. I also pushed the wire through for this shot.

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I clamped the ground wire on, then stripped the rest of the wires. Red and black go to X and Y, white goes to W. Pretty simple.

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A few close-ups.

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You can kind of see the silicone in this one. This shouldn't give any problems.

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The finished product. It's kind of high but that's where it had to be. The concrete foundation starts like 4 feet off the ground. These are locking outlets so it should be fine with the cable hanging off.

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Breaker installed and connected up. Neutral and ground also connected. Tip: connect the hot wire(s) to the breaker before installing it in the box.

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A close-up of how the breakers and bus bars interface on this particular GE breaker box design. You can easily see that by straddling any two adjacent slots, the breaker picks up each hot leg of 120V, which are 180 degrees out of phase (making 240V across the two bars). Any one of those to neutral is, of course, 120V.

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The final wire entry into the box, with the cable clamp tightened down (orange wire if you haven't been paying attention).

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I am happy with how this came out. Wasn't too difficult, due to proximity of my breaker box to the location of the inlet receptacle. I ended up using exactly the 15 feet of wire, so that was a good thing.

At some point I would like to test this...

[kevm14]

Tested. Works as expected, with no issues.

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I put a piece of blue masking tape over the generator breaker to remind myself not to flip that while the main breaker is on. See generator thread for more test results.

[bemo]

image.jpeg

you couldn't take 10 minutes and clean up this disaster

[kevm14]

It's not really that disorganized. Here is a shot when I added a staple to the orange wire.

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Either way, it's the way the house came. I don't even know what all of those wires are for. Some are for the (disabled) alarm...

[kevm14]

Wow, this is exactly what I need. An inductive alarm to beep when power comes back. Where I live there's no easy way to tell, and I don't know if the National Grid website is perfect.

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls ... Descending#

[kevm14]

Potential main breaker interlock kits:

GE3: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171653738123

GE 200XA: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-200XA-Genera ... 1653738123

[kevm14]

Close. Looks like it is actually the GE-200XL

http://www.geninterlock.com/product_gen ... ctric.html

Specs:

•200 amp single handle Vertical throw down (off), up (on)
•3 1/4" to 3 1/2" spacing between Main and first breaker
•Generator Breaker: Top left side 2 positions

From the website:

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And here's mine:

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Looks like a match. At $75, this is both cheaper, easier and less complicated than a whole service transfer switch.

Here is my panel info for future reference:

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[kevm14]

The circuits. And with the diagram on the last post, I can do an on-paper phase imbalance analysis. Working that now.

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[kevm14]

Circuits identified as of 10/5/15:

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Sorted by phase:

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Right off the bat I know I am missing some critical loads, such as:
Upstairs bath (hairdryer use)
Kitchen loads (not sure how many circuits but microwave, coffee maker, toaster, fridge, dish washer)
Upstairs bed (just in case, during a hot summer power outage, I was tempted to run the small window A/C)

What really matters is how the kitchen is balanced.

As far as the preliminary analysis, remember that certain loads cancel out, or will be switched off. Can't use the dryer so that doesn't matter. I probably can't use the ovens but I bet two burners on the cooktop are on one phase, and the other two are on the other. As to which are which, I would need a current probe which I am rapidly running out of reasons not to buy (one that also does DC would be a better investment but they are more expensive). The well pump is balanced between the two phases so that cancels out.

For stuff that matters:
Phase 1 includes dehumidifier and furnace (oil burner + fan)
Phase 2 includes the water heater burner.

Considering the dehumidifier is not a critical load, the balance isn't bad to start out with. The furnace is on one leg, and the water heater is on the other. The well pump cancels out. I will say the furnace uses more power with the big fan but at least it's not all on the same phase. The other phase has my basement lighting (less than 150W total), downstairs bath (not much there either), and front lights (ditto). The great room is split between the phases but that's deceiving. One circuit does basically the entire room, and the other circuit does two LED sconces. I need to figure out which does the rest of the room, because that would include most lighting and my entire entertainment center (TV, receiver, media center), which stands a decent chance of being used on a power outage.

I think the next important load category would be the kitchen. I'll try to identify more circuits.

[kevm14]

Update.

Identified great room circuits.

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Phases

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So most of the great room is on phase 1. If my critical kitchen loads are on phase 2, this would be good news.