F-150 Hybrid to Power House

[n8dgr8]

I think your electrician thought he was doing you a favor. He saved you at least a thousand dollars and gave you a solution that keeps your whole house going vs just a couple of circuits. Many of his clients would never call him again if he proposed an expensive transfer switch. He likely understood the risk, and decided the risk wasn't worth the trade off.

I once lived in a house built in the 1920s where the squirrels chewed all of the knob and tube insulation. The whole house had to be rewired. This is nothing compared to that. I'm sure your electrician sees far worse things on a daily basis.

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[Chris Martinez]

I think your electrician thought he was doing you a favor. He saved you at least a thousand dollars and gave you a solution that keeps your whole house going vs just a couple of circuits. Many of his clients would never call him again if he proposed an expensive transfer switch. He likely understood the risk, and decided the risk wasn't worth the trade off.

I once lived in a house built in the 1920s where the squirrels chewed all of the knob and tube insulation. The whole house had to be rewired. This is nothing compared to that. I'm sure your electrician sees far worse things on a daily basis.

Thank you, I’m ignorant to electrical work - do you think his solution is safe? Your feedback is much appreciated!

 

[n8dgr8]

Thank you, I’m ignorant to electrical work - do you think his solution is safe? Your feedback is much appreciated!

I would trust your licensed electrician’s opinion over anyone on the internet.

 

[TxTruckMan]

Like already mentioned, there's a HUGE thread on this already. Long story short, no typical interlock or transfer switch will work properly with the truck for powering a home due to it having its own neutral bond. When that's hooked up to your home wiring, which has its own neutral bond, you end up with a ground fault detected by your truck because there are two places where the neutral is bonded to ground (Which is a no-no for household wiring). You can either A) Disconnect the ground like your electrician did, which isn't quite kosher and opens the door for the potential of a short at the truck, or B) get a special transfer switch on a subpanel that switches your neutrals over as well, disconnecting the circuits being powered by the truck from the ground-neutral bond in your panel so the only bond is the one in the truck.

Exactly right xtraman and well said. Exactly what I had to do to get it to run my house.

 

[Gros Ventre]

I believe that Ford should provide a method of changing the truck from a Bonded-neutral to a Floating-Neutral generator. Keep in mind that either of the above complies with the NEC. The Non-Hybrid F-150 with the 2.0 kW generator is set up as a floating-neutral generator... So Ford knows how to do this. But keep in mind that your house needs to have the single neutral-ground bond in the system and the appropriate earth gounding in order to work as a floating neutral generator.

 

[Gros Ventre]

My take on the potential for a Floating neutral hookup mod by Ford is that they don't want to address it. In all likelihood the inverter in the truck is case grounded to the frame. If so then merely opening up the neutral ground bond won't actually do what is needed. Ford would then have to isolate the case of the inverter electrically from the truck's frame... No small task after the truck's been built as a bonded neutral inverter. So my take is Ford will avoid addressing this.

 

[xtraman122]

I believe that Ford should provide a method of changing the truck from a Bonded-neutral to a Floating-Neutral generator. Keep in mind that either of the above complies with the NEC. The Non-Hybrid F-150 with the 2.0 kW generator is set up as a floating-neutral generator... So Ford knows how to do this. But keep in mind that your house needs to have the single neutral-ground bond in the system and the appropriate earth gounding in order to work as a floating neutral generator.

I agree, really wish there were some way to switch it. I understand why the GFCI is there and why they did what they did, but really wish there was some way to undo it when needed.

 

[notabot]

Chris, are you trying to build a legal argument or just trying to see if your house is going to burn down whilst being powered by your truck?

FWIW, nothing is safe. Breathing isn't safe. What if you inhale a wasp?

 

[Chris Martinez]

Chris, are you trying to build a legal argument or just trying to see if your house is going to burn down whilst being powered by your truck?

FWIW, nothing is safe. Breathing isn't safe. What if you inhale a wasp?

I’m trying to make sure it’s safe!! Yep electricians I called recently did tell me it was!

 

[X25]

Did you install a transfer switch, can you recommend one?

As others pointed out, all these questions are answered in the long thread.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V4NDFPY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one works as was mentioned in the thread.

 

[DCBoost]

You need a transfer switch that opens both hots AND the neutral from the home wiring. These types of transfer switches are available. I know Generac makes one or two.

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