Generac

[JustinH]

Just need the inverter and the bed cord if you want to upgrade it. The wiring between the bed cord area and the inverter are present.

Is there a thread on here somewhere that goes through what this entails?

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[BigEFord4Lyfe]

Just need the inverter and the bed cord if you want to upgrade it. The wiring between the bed cord area and the inverter are present.

Ok HammaMan - Can you point me in the right direction to upgrade ? Now you've created a monster lol. I've tried searching but nothing reliable yet

 

[HammaMan]

Ok HammaMan - Can you point me in the right direction to upgrade ? Now you've created a monster lol. I've tried searching but nothing reliable yet

ask and you shall receive

 

[BigEFord4Lyfe]

ask and you shall receive

Perfect thanks ! So stupid question but I assume you replace the current inverter ? And do I need to make any FORScan changes or anything ?

 

[HammaMan]

Perfect thanks ! So stupid question but I assume you replace the current inverter ? And do I need to make any FORScan changes or anything ?

Yes, just in the APIM so it will show both legs on the power output display -- very simple.

Some 7.2k units on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/375406163092
https://www.ebay.com/itm/126035568766
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374939918676


If you go looking at inverters, be cautious as ford and sellers mislabel things as inverters/DC converters/and all sorts of similar. If you get a part number from a listing and look it up, you're looking for the associated ford parts site to list "inverter #4" -- Inverter 3 is the 2.4kW unit, inverter 5 is the 230v 50hz I believe.

You'll find the description of the bed plug mislabeled like "charging adaptor" or something stupid, rely on part numbers

If you do go that route, Make sure you kill all 12v power to the truck so that HV circuit can't energize (BOTH underhood starting battery and under-seat aux battery). The 12v system is what closes the contactors on the HV system to operate, without 12v power, the HV battery has nothing coming out of it and the system is deenergized. VERY simple process, will need some 50/50 coolant to replenish loss, it goes in the LV (tiny) coolant bottle. Try to catch the fluid so you know how much to put back in. You can purge the HV coolant loop by simply turning the truck on and putting it into generator mode. That will keep the coolant loop flowing continually (30 minutes purge).

 

[Los150]

Just need the inverter and the bed cord if you want to upgrade it. The wiring between the bed cord area and the inverter are present.

Wait. You can upgrade from 2.4 to 7.2k?
Is this to upgrade a non-PB? I would do this, to have the 7.2k since we get hurricanes and I have a portable 6.5k generator that isn't too reliable and extremely loud.

 

[Eskram]

Wait. You can upgrade from 2.4 to 7.2k?
Is this to upgrade a non-PB?

You would need a PB, as it uses the HVB to power the inverter. You can't add it to a regular EB.

 

[Eskram]

My friend came by today to check out the transfer switch. He took about a 45 second look at it and said 'Yeah, that'll be easy.'

So hopefully, he'll have time this or next week to get everything set up.

 

[Calson]

The Generac are going to be extremely loud unless you spend $3,000 on a first class enclosure. I paid $7,000 for a 16 kW Generac and that included the electrical boxes and labor. I spent another $800 to have a certified plumber run a large diameter fossil gas line from the gas meter and I had the utility upgrade the meter to a higher capacity one.

When power is lost from the grid the Generac starts automatically and it will shut off after a stable power from the grid is detected. I have had it run continously for 4 days while waiting for electrical power to be restored. Great that it runs off fossil gas and no need to refuel it - ever.

I closed off a couple vents under the house near the generator and installed a CO monitor inside the house as precautions.

The biggest problem with the generator was its size and weigh that required special equipment to get to the installation location at my house. I already had a strong concrete pad in place so the generator could be bolted down.

 

[Eskram]

The Generac are going to be extremely loud unless you spend $3,000 on a first class enclosure. I paid $7,000 for a 16 kW Generac and that included the electrical boxes and labor. I spent another $800 to have a certified plumber run a large diameter fossil gas line from the gas meter and I had the utility upgrade the meter to a higher capacity one.

When power is lost from the grid the Generac starts automatically and it will shut off after a stable power from the grid is detected. I have had it run continously for 4 days while waiting for electrical power to be restored. Great that it runs off fossil gas and no need to refuel it - ever.

I closed off a couple vents under the house near the generator and installed a CO monitor inside the house as precautions.

The biggest problem with the generator was its size and weigh that required special equipment to get to the installation location at my house. I already had a strong concrete pad in place so the generator could be bolted down.

? All of that applies to a Generac whole-house external generator (that I do eventually want).

This thread is specific to the manual Generac transfer switch that can be used with the Powerboost or a portable plug-in generator, to power portions of a house.

 

[Eskram]

I did find this, which might help de-mystify the installation.

 

[Rah150]

A certified electrician just completed the work. Awesome!

Any reason why you didn’t put a couple tandems in there to give yourself 10 breakers?

 

[HammaMan]

Any reason why you didn’t put a couple tandems in there to give yourself 10 breakers?

That's why I prefer the backfeed interlock approach. There's only a few things in the home the 7.2 can't run. Being able to have all lights / celling fans /etc be able to remain powered is a huge plus. With only 8 circuits you're powering up fridges / freezers which may be on obscure circuits with no other real benefit. With modern LED lighting, every light on in the house including exterior won't use but a couple hundred watts. TVs don't use hardly any power at all either. Water heaters / dryers / and AC units are the power hogs -- it's easy to just flip them off. A small labor price to pay for being able to run literally everything else. Even an electric stove burner won't tax it much. Washer / dishwasher / kitchen outlets / and everything else being powered is convenient especially during an extended outage. Plus if you want hot water turning everything else off and the HW heater on is doable. As is drying clothes if needed.

 

[Pierre.Granger]

Any reason why you didn’t put a couple tandems in there to give yourself 10 breakers?

Easy answer, we almost never lose power. No need for added expense or more equipment. My 89 year-old mom needs AC and we live in a coastal region. But almost never lose power.

 

[Rah150]

I imagine adding a couple tandems wouldn’t be much additional cost and it’s definitely helpful if you do have some poorly grouped circuits in the main panel.

Is the Generac transfer switch limited to 10 circuits (8 without tandem) mainly due to conduit size? Why couldn’t you have more tandems to take you to 12 or 14?

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