Ready To Wire The House

[SumGuy]

Depending on the size of your AC unit, that maybe all you can run off your truck system. You only have 30 amps total. Which means if your wanting to run other electrical equiptment you will have to shut down some and start up others.

One thing that I have a hard tme getting over is that you have spent over $60k on a truck with the plans to use as a backup, where you can get a generator that would give you a lot more power (11 to 15KW) for under $1500. And if your truck system screws up, will it be fixed under warranty?

This! And if you need to leave you need a different vehicle available or your power goes off when you leave with the generator.
If I were in FL, or the Midwest, I would have a weather proof generator in a quasi bunker. Diesel, probably, and have my truck ready to pack essentials and leave.

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[Hollow road rider]

This! And if you need to leave you need a different vehicle available or your power goes off when you leave with the generator.
If I were in FL, or the Midwest, I would have a weather proof generator in a quasi bunker. Diesel, probably, and have my truck ready to pack essentials and leave.

Well if you need to leave, are you going to leave your $1500 portable gen sitting out and hope for honest passers by?

 

[Snakebitten]

We don't live in an either/or world.

I already had a Yamaha Inverter before the Powerboost was invented. I still have it. But now I have options depending on circumstances.

And whatever you can get for $1500 that's putting out 11KW, that sine wave ain't pretty and you sure aren't sleeping next to it. Admittedly, generators like that have their place.

 

[cool rod]

So I ran into this problem, which I posted on the other site too. Maybe someone on here had the same thing happen.

The Generac can be expanded to 10 circuits by using tandem circuit breakers, which would have given me my entire house but not the central air, but when the electrician switched out the circuit breakers with tandem circuit breakers it threw a ground fault over and over. It showed up on the ProPower screen and stopped the generator. Everything appears to be wired correctly, but the tandem breakers just won't work. When we reinstalled the single breakers everything worked fine. My electrician is a Master but he can't figure it out and Generac customer service doesn't provide technical advice.

The electrician was thorough, he took a lot of time and contacted a local Generac dealer to see if this was a known problem but it wasn't. He substituted a different tandem breaker but it still tripped. We went back to the 8 circuit configuration and everything worked fine so at this point that's how we left it. More would be better but 8 is good enough.

If anyone reading this had the same problem, did you figure out a way to add the two circuits?

Thanks

 

[Hullguy]

So I ran into this problem, which I posted on the other site too. Maybe someone on here had the same thing happen.

The Generac can be expanded to 10 circuits by using tandem circuit breakers, which would have given me my entire house but not the central air, but when the electrician switched out the circuit breakers with tandem circuit breakers it threw a ground fault over and over. It showed up on the ProPower screen and stopped the generator. Everything appears to be wired correctly, but the tandem breakers just won't work. When we reinstalled the single breakers everything worked fine. My electrician is a Master but he can't figure it out and Generac customer service doesn't provide technical advice.

The electrician was thorough, he took a lot of time and contacted a local Generac dealer to see if this was a known problem but it wasn't. He substituted a different tandem breaker but it still tripped. We went back to the 8 circuit configuration and everything worked fine so at this point that's how we left it. More would be better but 8 is good enough.

If anyone reading this had the same problem, did you figure out a way to add the two circuits?

Thanks

Did it throw a ground fault after the new breakers were turned on ? Sounds like there is an issue with one of the new circuits to me

 

[Kanuck]

Did it throw a ground fault after the new breakers were turned on ? Sounds like there is an issue with one of the new circuits to me

Or the neutrals are fighting each other like 2 GFCI's on the same circuit.

 

[cool rod]

After quite a long delay I heard back from Generac customer support. They say the transfer switch is NOT upgradeable, despite the shipping carton itself saying otherwise.

If anyone is thinking of using the Generac 6852 because it will handle 10 circuits, I think the Reliance Controls X Series panels are the way to go. http://www.reliancecontrols.com/x-series-panel-link.aspx

 

[Gros Ventre]

A transfer Switch is not necessarily required. The Powerboost generators are wired as a bonded-neutral because they're set up for contractor use on a jobsite. OSHA requires jobsite generators to be bonded neutral. The conflict comes when your Powerboost generator senses a neutral-ground bond inside the house as the NEC requires. If the Power boost generator were setup with a floating neutral (like the 2.0kW generator on a non-Powerboost F-150) this would not happen. Your house must be wired by the NEC which requires an interlock between the generator input and the mainline input to prevent both being closed at the same time. The NEC also requires there to be only one neutral-ground bond. I've put in a request to Ford on how to convert a PowerBoost 7.2 kW generator to floating neutral. Their first answer was a non-answer about danger (eg they just didn't want to answer). But be clear: your house must be properly wired by the NEC to include an interlock (a manual interlock, UL Approved & by Square D, is available over the internet). This interlock is a safety item: it prevents your house shocking a worker out on the mainline and if mainline power were restored with both the main and generator breakers shut you'd have an explosion and fire on your hands. Your cable from the PowerBoost to the house must have four wires: 2 hots, a neutral and a ground. You cannot get by with only three. Also the input plug on the house must be a male connector box (available at Home Depot), using a cable with two male ends and a female receptacle on the house is a ticket to electrocuting someone one day.

 

[cool rod]

A transfer Switch is not necessarily required. The Powerboost generators are wired as a bonded-neutral because they're set up for contractor use on a jobsite. OSHA requires jobsite generators to be bonded neutral. The conflict comes when your Powerboost generator senses a neutral-ground bond inside the house as the NEC requires. If the Power boost generator were setup with a floating neutral (like the 2.0kW generator on a non-Powerboost F-150) this would not happen. Your house must be wired by the NEC which requires an interlock between the generator input and the mainline input to prevent both being closed at the same time. The NEC also requires there to be only one neutral-ground bond. I've put in a request to Ford on how to convert a PowerBoost 7.2 kW generator to floating neutral. Their first answer was a non-answer about danger (eg they just didn't want to answer). But be clear: your house must be properly wired by the NEC to include an interlock (a manual interlock, UL Approved & by Square D, is available over the internet). This interlock is a safety item: it prevents your house shocking a worker out on the mainline and if mainline power were restored with both the main and generator breakers shut you'd have an explosion and fire on your hands. Your cable from the PowerBoost to the house must have four wires: 2 hots, a neutral and a ground. You cannot get by with only three. Also the input plug on the house must be a male connector box (available at Home Depot), using a cable with two male ends and a female receptacle on the house is a ticket to electrocuting someone one day.

Who are you replying to?

 

[PB&J]

Did it throw a ground fault after the new breakers were turned on ? Sounds like there is an issue with one of the new circuits to me

About to go forward with this using the Reliance transfer switch. It has 10 circuits expandable to 18. But I'm worried about what you've reported with the Generac faulting on the tandems. Ever find out anything more about this? Solve it? Just curious where things stand, and how you're feeling about your setup. More info appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Gros Ventre]

Your 7.2kW generator has all the power you need to run most houses including an A/C unit. So what do you need to be safe and comply with the NEC? 1- an interlock between the input breaker and the outside line input breaker (Square D makes a manual one); 2- A male input plug box, weather tight; 3- A 240VAC 30Amp 4-wire extension cable (Home Depot carries them)(do not use a male-male cable); 4- the input system must be 4-wire: 2 hot wires, 1 neutral wire and 1 ground wire. The current problem you'll run into is that the PB generator is set up as a bonded neutral-ground in the truck. When the truck sense the neutral ground bond inside your hosue it'll shut down the generator. This is why many talk of a neutral switching breaker & panel (usually a smaller emergency panel). How ever you might talk to Ford (as I have done) and ask them for a method to convert your truck to a floating neutral generator. That fixes the problem of the truck shutting down the generator. Some have spoken of opening the ground between the truck and the house and that will work. But... it's a bad idea and doesn't meet the NEC.

 

[imnuts]

How ever you might talk to Ford (as I have done) and ask them for a method to convert your truck to a floating neutral generator.

I believe the PB trucks use an inverter, so there likely isn't going to be a way to change it from bonded to floating.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Not so...
It is true that they have an inverter... But that does not mean they're tied to bonded neutral-ground setup

 

[MDH]

Your 7.2kW generator has all the power you need to run most houses including an A/C unit. So what do you need to be safe and comply with the NEC? 1- an interlock between the input breaker and the outside line input breaker (Square D makes a manual one); 2- A male input plug box, weather tight; 3- A 240VAC 30Amp 4-wire extension cable (Home Depot carries them)(do not use a male-male cable); 4- the input system must be 4-wire: 2 hot wires, 1 neutral wire and 1 ground wire. The current problem you'll run into is that the PB generator is set up as a bonded neutral-ground in the truck. When the truck sense the neutral ground bond inside your hosue it'll shut down the generator. This is why many talk of a neutral switching breaker & panel (usually a smaller emergency panel). How ever you might talk to Ford (as I have done) and ask them for a method to convert your truck to a floating neutral generator. That fixes the problem of the truck shutting down the generator. Some have spoken of opening the ground between the truck and the house and that will work. But... it's a bad idea and doesn't meet the NEC.

Whom at Ford should we address inquiries to? Have you made any progress in getting Ford to provide a method to convert the Powerboost inverter to a floating neutral? Thanks for any additional information you can share.

 

[Hullguy]

About to go forward with this using the Reliance transfer switch. It has 10 circuits expandable to 18. But I'm worried about what you've reported with the Generac faulting on the tandems. Ever find out anything more about this? Solve it? Just curious where things stand, and how you're feeling about your setup. More info appreciated. Thanks!

He never responded to what was causing the trip. I’m thinking there was a ground fault on one of the new circuits added when the tandem breakers were added. Good move on doing this the right way! Enjoy your holidays

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