How I prepared my house for a power outage w/ my Powerboost

[m_bt54]

Not looking to argue about if anyone should/shouldn’t do this or if it meets code where anyone is. Just sharing what I did, I have no qualifications to suggest anyone do the same. A licensed electrician did assist me with this install.




What I used

10/3 wire -https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-50-ft-10-3-Solid-Romex-SIMpull-CU-NM-B-W-G-Wire-63948422/202316239

1-2 ft 10/3 rubber power cord (for adapter to remove ground)

L14-30 plug set - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KH4T7T?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Interlock kit (I have a Murray panel) - ACANORA Generator Interlock Kit for Murray or Siemens 150 and 200 Amp Panels, 7/8 to 1 1/4 Inches Spacing, Brushed Nickel https://a.co/d/ccmb6AX

2 pole 30 amp breaker (depending on panel)

30-Amp-Space Generator Power Inlet Box - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reliance-30-Amp-Generator-Power-Inlet-Box/3133095

Generator extension cord- https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-Pro-Generator-Cord-Generator-Cord/3191751

I also used one of these cut in half and discarded the end piece to get a watertight conduit from the inlet box into my basement, but there are probably cheaper ways to do this - 3/4-in Schedule 40 Schedule 80 Plastic Elbow Conduit Fittings https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kraloy-3-4-in-PVC-Flexible-Elbow/5001212873

You will also obviously need appropriate wire staples, caulk (which I still need to go back and do!) and a clamp for where your wire enters your panel. I also used a siding block that I need to replace with one that is the appropriate size.

What I did


1. I ran the 10/3 wire in my basement from my panel to as close to my driveway as I could get it with a few feet to spare on each side and stapled it down. I didn’t want to have to drive into my yard to hook it up during bad weather or I could have done this with 10ft of wire instead of 50ft. I also didn’t want to buy 100ft of cable to get the extra ~8ft I needed for the perfect spot.
2. Drilled hole through the side of my house and installed the inlet box. I used the 1/2 piece flexible elbow listed above to make it watertight.


(I’ll be remounting this to make it look better this weekend!)


(I’ll be caulking this this weekend and adding a few more staples as well!)
3. Connected up the wire to the inlet box and my panel. I decided to include the ground in the event I want to use this with a different generator in the future.


4. Installed the generator interlock kit


5. Made a 1ft extension cord with the ground removed using the rubber cable and L14-30 plug set ( I also didn’t want to remove the ground from the extension cord)


I shut off my main breaker, connected it all up with the extension cord, started my truck and tested it out for a few hours and it worked as expected. My biggest surprise was how low the load was during the test.



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[Mszczewski]

I'm not suggesting that this was a good idea or not. Having said that, I would do two things:

• I would physically cut that ground pin off on the 1ft cord so that there is no question that it isn't grounded. By just looking at your picture, I can't tell that it is ungrounded...
• I would add a label to that 1ft cord with some text around "only to be used with Ford F-150 Powerboost" and make sure it never leaves your truck.

I wouldn't want someone getting hurt because they were unaware of what you built that cord specifically for...

 

[m_bt54]

Good call. I’ll at least throw a label on it but probably do both. I intentionally made it so short that it would be almost useless for anything else but this definitely won’t hurt.

 

[marekjk]

I recently had an interlock installed for emergencies myself. I asked for a transfer switch, but my electrician felt an interlock would be a better set up. After the fact, I read that an interlock wouldn’t work due to both the truck and home being GFI protected. I did read that a workaround would be to remove the ground from the generator cable.

My question is, is this safe (if only used with F150 generator)?

 

[Gros Ventre]

Here's food for thought. I think cutting off a plug pin is a poor idea. This gives you a way to get there without that cutting off. You'll see that there is a path for gounding. Note: I make no recommendations about this.

 

[UGADawg96]

I recently had an interlock installed for emergencies myself. I asked for a transfer switch, but my electrician felt an interlock would be a better set up. After the fact, I read that an interlock wouldn’t work due to both the truck and home being GFI protected. I did read that a workaround would be to remove the ground from the generator cable.

My question is, is this safe (if only used with F150 generator)?

My friend. Welcome to the forum. Please pour yourself a nice beverage and enjoy this thread to answer your question.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/installed-transfer-switch-in-house.1267/

 

[m_bt54]

Yep, plenty of other threads on this forum on the safety of the various options with wildly varying opinions. I personally feel feel safe with my installation but am not qualified to prescribe it to anyone else

 

[marekjk]

Here's food for thought. I think cutting off a plug pin is a poor idea. This gives you a way to get there without that cutting off. You'll see that there is a path for gounding. Note: I make no recommendations about this.

Good video! I’ll send it to my electrician and see what he thinks. Seems like a fairly straightforward fix.

 

[marekjk]

My friend. Welcome to the forum. Please pour yourself a nice beverage and enjoy this thread to answer your question.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/installed-transfer-switch-in-house.1267/

I browsed through that forum a few days ago and it made my head spin haha.

 

[Hullguy]

I’m vomiting over the fact an “electrician” assisted you in an illegal installation that is against National Electrical Code that puts you and your family in danger. It’s totally wrong. I’m a Licensed Master Electrician with 40 years of experience

 

[m_bt54]

I’m surprised it took you this long to chime in

 

[UGADawg96]

I’m surprised it took you this long to chime in

When I post a link to the transfer switch thread, it's like the batman signal for @Hullguy to get notified.

 

[marekjk]

I’m vomiting over the fact an “electrician” assisted you in an illegal installation that is against National Electrical Code that puts you and your family in danger. It’s totally wrong. I’m a Licensed Master Electrician with 40 years of experience

What do you think of the above video?

 

[PBXL]

I scoured the comments in the video and if an EE can explain this dialogue between the video poster and a commenter, that would be greatly appreciated:



@shu2100
2 months ago
The video presents logical and clear reasoning on this important topic of safety. However, I disagree with the suggestion to separate the grounding system. According to the National Electrical Code (NEC), the grounding system should always be connected as a whole. All grounding rods are connected to the same earth, and metal pipes such as water, gas, and electrical conduits are also all connected. It is not guaranteed that separating the ground will be effective, as it is likely that they will still be connected somewhere, especially when a grounding rod for a generator is used. To properly connect a neutral bonded generator, such as an F-150, to a home, a three-pole transfer switch like the Generac 6852 (manual version only, as the automatic version does not switch the neutral) should be used to properly separate the neutral.


@richardvedvik979
2 months ago
I certainly agree that the best solution is a 3-pole transfer switch. Professionally, I design separately-derived systems whenever possible. I evaluate existing hospital campuses to determine multi-generator bonding scenarios. That said, telling everyday people to spend thousands of dollars to connect their several hundred dollar portable generator is not realistic. This video is intended to meet people where they are at. I am providing a safe solution that is free, and is much better than leaving two neutral-ground bonds. People back-feed panels way more frequently than they install 3-pole transfer switches. Consider this solution for the intended audience. I'm very familiar with NEC Art. 250 as well as IEEE Green Book. That is why this solution lifts the ground from the panel since the panel cannot energize the enclosure. Thanks for the comment!

 

[Hullguy]

An EE has to follow electrical code! It’s clearly stated in the NEC that an electrical service must have only one grounding point. The Powerboost is its own electrical service. Which is one of the reasons the house ground must be separated from the truck ground.

People can state work around that are ok until someone gets killed or hurt. We spend many thousands of dollars on these trucks and then try to cheap out on a correct electrical install? We don‘t want to take the recommendations of licensed professionals with decades of experience? Where is the logic?

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