Generator Question?

[FrankCastle]

Someone told me that instead of hooking up your generator permanently to your DB board, all you have to do is make a lengthy cable with two plugs on either end and plug one end into your generator and the other end into any of your house sockets.This configuration will power up everything in your home as long as your geyser and other major appliances like your kettle and stove remain switched off.
For lights,tv, computer it would work just fine,as long as the generator is powerful enough to run them, like a 5.5 kva.
Workable or fairy tales?

 

[bin3]

All I can say is: Please take some pictures before and after ...

I personally very much doubt it, and more to the point, I specifically think this is extremely dangerous and illegal.

 

[mcryan]

Yep, it works. I've done it.

 

[Sonic2k]

What a bad, and dangerous idea

ROFLMAO....

First of all, the earth leakage unit is going to be damaged for sure, I almost guarantee it. Secondly, pushing 5.5kVA through a plug socket... I am sorry but then you're going to be nominated for a Darwin award...

 

[ponder]

Someone told me that instead of hooking up your generator permanently to your DB board, all you have to do is make a lengthy cable with two plugs on either end and plug one end into your generator and the other end into any of your house sockets.

Think about that for a second. It's INSANLEY FSCKING STUPID!

You have a plug with live pins exposed. There is a reason why the live end of a cable always uses a female configuration and the appliance/dead device uses a male configuration.

 

[GreyBush]

It bypasses the DB completely so none of your breakers will drop if you get a short...

 

[Voicy]

It bypasses the DB completely so none of your breakers will drop if you get a short...

I lol'd.

It's called reverse feeding. It's completely fine as long as you isolate the mains breaker and switch off the ELU. This is to ensure that you don't blow your generator's diodes when eskom comes back on - and to ensure that you don't backfeed onto the incoming lines where they may be doing maintenance and killing someone who thought the supply was switched off.

A normal plug is rated at 16A and even a 5kVA generator can push out 22.5A. You can do this with a 300kVA generator and it still won't damage your plugs - but when you start drawing over 16A you will cause damage.

If you don't know much about 230v electrical, I would not recommend you do this.

 

[FrankCastle]

Yep, it works. I've done it.

I hope there's no sarcasm applied here Ryan.
Please elaborate.Size of generator and appliances connected.

 

[FrankCastle]

Think about that for a second. It's INSANLEY FSCKING STUPID!

You have a plug with live pins exposed. There is a reason why the live end of a cable always uses a female configuration and the appliance/dead device uses a male configuration.

That's is why you switch off the mains, plug both ends first and then fire up the generator.
What's so difficult about that.

 

[bwana]

I have an extension cord that runs through the wall into the generator, after the main switch on the DB is flipped I then plug the above into the wall socket and then plug the other end of of it into the generator feed so there's no chance of getting zapped.

Everything in the house works . . . except for one solitary ceiling light.

 

[FrankCastle]

I have an extension cord that runs through the wall into the generator, after the main switch on the DB is flipped I then plug the above into the wall socket and then plug the other end of of it into the generator feed so there's no chance of getting zapped.


Everything in the house works . . . except for one solitary ceiling light.

So it does work as long as the generator isn't too powerful.
What size are you running?

 

[bwana]

So it does work as long as the generator isn't too powerful.
What size are you running?

The generator is rated for a max output of 5.5kw but I doubt we go anywhere close to that. We usually switch the geyser off and don't use the oven (gas hob) during outages.

 

[mcryan]

I hope there's no sarcasm applied here Ryan.
Please elaborate.Size of generator and appliances connected.

Lol, I should have been a bit more detailed. The company I worked for suffered from power outages very often, for a time it was daily, so we got a generator. When trying to work out how we would power our PC's the one developer said "It's easy, just plug the generator into the wall". We all laughed at him and when he did it the whole house was powered. I don't know what generator it was, but we had about 5 PC's and a few lights and printers and things running off of it. No geyser or stoves or anything.

I was very surprised that it worked, but it did. And I am no expert so I can't recommend it to anyone and don't think I would do it to my own house.

 

[Voicy]

So it does work as long as the generator isn't too powerful.
What size are you running?

You're missing the idea of the genset capacity.

a 5.5kW genset's capacity is 30.94A (0.8pF) which is almost double what a 16A socket outlet is rated at handling. Normal 2.5mm² wire has a current carrying capacity of 27A in a cable tray. However, it is part of a circuit of plugs (sharing load) protected by a 15A or 20A circuit breaker.

Now, your generator is like a car. It CAN push out X amount of torque, but it doesn't do so permanently - only when required. Your generator will only supply as much current as is being drawn from it ... until it reached 31A or until a circuit breaker (CB) trips. In this case the CB which your plug (socket outlet) is connected to, will trip at around 15/20A ... thereby safeguarding the wiring and equipment.


If you have capacity in your DB (ask an electrician to do this for you) I would highly recommend using the "Legrand DINrail Changeover switch". Part Number: 043-82. It's a simple 20A selector switch which fixes onto your DB's DINrail like any of your CB's. You connect Eskom to 1 end and the Genset to the other. It switches between the two safely without you needing to disconnect any of them. The bottom will then feed selected circuits (NOT your entire DB!)

Spec sheet: http://www.legrandsa.co.za/LegrandPDF/page173.pdf

 

[FrankCastle]

@voicy.I hear you.Excellent advice.Thanks man.
@acryan.I wouldn't try it either in my home unless I'm absolutely certain that its 100% safe.Thanks.

 

[Paul_S]

Think about that for a second. It's INSANLEY FSCKING STUPID!

You have a plug with live pins exposed. There is a reason why the live end of a cable always uses a female configuration and the appliance/dead device uses a male configuration.

+1000
I can't agree more.
All it takes is for a child (or adult) to not understand what the cable is doing and unplug it from the wall and touch the live pins.
Because the ELU in the DB board is bypassed and the generator doesn't have a built in ELU you could very well end up electrocuting someone.
That's a case of culpable homicide just waiting to happen.

Rather install the proper equipment and make sure the system goes through an earth leakage unit.
Yes, it costs more but do you value the lives of your loved ones?