 | Home > Off Topic > House electrics advice please |
 
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| jst Member Since: 14 Jan 2008 Location: Taunton Posts: 8043   
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Turn off the trips on what you don't need, turn off power input and plug genny into downstairs exisitng socket. You'll need to male a cable up genny to socket. Plug/plug I expect.
Plug.in what genny will run and what you need into downstairs sockets Cheers James 110 2012 XS Utility 130 2011 M57 bespoke Camper 90 2010 Hardtop 90 M57 1988 Hardtop |
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7th Dec 2024 7:44am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17414  
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You can get a proper isolator fitted to your supply if you want to do the above. It is absolutely essential that you disconnect your house wiring from the supply if you do use a "suicide lead" to connect your genny to a house socket since otherwise you can kill people working to restore power (your local step-down transformer will "step-ul" just as effectively).
Supply changeover units also usually have a male receptacle to allow safe connection of the genny. What jst suggests is fine provided you understand the need to isolate your house from the supply and make sure you do so. |
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7th Dec 2024 8:07am |
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| ickle Member Since: 22 Jul 2010 Location: South Vendee Posts: 1784  
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As BW says, but would be much easier to run an extension lead in to a couple of lead lights and and essential items you need.
Don't forget a generator is like insurance, buy the best you can afford & then you'll never use it! |
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7th Dec 2024 8:17am |
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| Race.it Member Since: 27 Aug 2019 Location: Algeciras Posts: 820  
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In my house we have an inverter that’s the first item connected to the incoming. This inverter can create a local grid if the power goes off. Also it can have a generator input and auto start it. But we have some batteries connected to a solar array that can power the fridge in that case.
As mentioned above we installed it due to often outages on the grid due to rains, since it’s been installed I think the same weekend the power company fixed the issue that happened in the rain and it’s not been used in anger, just occasional tests by me to see if it works. Plan maybe in the future to expand the local power storage and rely less on the grid. Searching for my first Defender...and started just as Covid hit, so talk about timing. 5 months after starting the search I found it, and here is the details |
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7th Dec 2024 8:39am |
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| Screbble Member Since: 26 Apr 2015 Location: Lancashire Posts: 2103 
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If you install a circuit that is completely isolated from the grid-fed system, then you will be ok - with appropriate protection.
As soon as you consider connecting a secondary system that can in any way (deliberately or inadvertently) back feed into the grid supply then you need to be very careful as stated above. Apart from the safety implications there may be legal complications. A proper changeover and isolator panel would be my advice if you go down the latter route. This means that both circuits are independent of each other. In fact given your location, and the ageing grid infrastructure, it’d probably be a sound investment to do the think properly. Most of our buildings in work have the secondary generator back up facility via changeover and isolator panels and it works well and is safe and legal. |
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7th Dec 2024 9:05am |
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| LR Nuts Member Since: 10 Aug 2022 Location: UK Posts: 1130
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If you DON'T know what you are doing, and you DON'T. Asking BB members you are going to get advise, both bad and dangerous.
Plug to Plug cable is not advised. Consult an electrician, please. |
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7th Dec 2024 9:45am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20413
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Generator should be used in my opinion as intended, from generator using a lead to a female socket to the item you want powered, and it should be ran via an RCD / MCB.
By plugging in a socket, with a male plug not only is that a risk in itself a big one, but there is no protection on it because it’s back fed not via the mains circuit board. In other words if the supply isn’t fed via appropriate safety implements such as RCD / MCB and Isolator before that then, if you or anyone else was shocked from it. It’s fatal, paralysing and sticky. Just don’t do it, only use the generator as it is intended, easiest way would be via an RCD and a 3kw extension lead to each item you might want, a bit of a chore but safer by far. Don’t fit a male plug on the output cable end! Only a female socket. Plug into power only. Won’t be long before gender terminology will be illegal with that too.  
I wouldn’t connect anything to the mains system, isolated or not, someone else may believe it is when it isn’t. I doubt you’ll need much more than 3kw for household items one at a time, a kettle is 3kw. If you need an actual backup system implemented into the household circuits then that’s an install of its own nature, to be professionally installed. Hospitals have this for example. Beware of rain and water near the generator as well, an RCD will cut it off if anything untoward happens usually. $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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7th Dec 2024 11:23am |
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| LR Nuts Member Since: 10 Aug 2022 Location: UK Posts: 1130
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First ask any of the above contributors above if they are a professional electrician !!!!
.... and not just a 'jobbin-DIYer' Stay Safe. |
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7th Dec 2024 1:09pm |
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| Rescue01 Member Since: 17 Jul 2015 Location: Aberdeen Posts: 99
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What do you need to power and how long for??
A Isolator switche and transfer switch and can be fitted to your house electrics,by qualified electricians and you can run part of your house ring main from a generator in an emergency.Its not a difficult job. Or you could purchase one of the many Solar battery packs available online and in shops to provide you with some short term emergency power.You can recharge them from mains,solar panels or vehicles. Something like a Ecolflow Delta 2 for a decent bit of power.I have the delta pro set up with extra batteries and these run my garage two chest freezers and the washing machine for nine months of the year and are recharged by solar panels.They are on a independent ring main separate from the house electrics.At this time of the year I revert back to mains for the garage stuff but have the capacity to stay powered in a emergency.The benefit of these battery banks are that they are silent and don’t need fuel stored but offer a limited capacity hence asking what you need powered and for how long. Of course I can always stick my Honda Eu2000 gennie outside fire it up and keep my battery banks charged and run up to eight extension leads into the house  |
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7th Dec 2024 3:19pm |
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| ickle Member Since: 22 Jul 2010 Location: South Vendee Posts: 1784
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Im not a 'professional electrician' but I did pass 16th Edition and C&G testing and Inspection, hence my advice to use a generator outside and run an extension cable indoors, on the KISS principal!
I once witnessed one of the little old retired helpers at B&Q trying to advise an obviously non diy / professional couple how to run a a cable off the back of a socket , through a wall to a new outside 13 amp socket. He gave them all the bits, including flexible lighting cable and never once asked if the system had an RCD on the consumer unit...... This thread did inspire me to go out to the barn, put some fresh fuel in my Honda 3kW generator and it fired up third pull - probably first time in two years, wish I could say the same for the bloody Evolution whacker plate! |
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7th Dec 2024 3:55pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20413
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Still no power my end so it’s 18v drill batteries for light etc for me.
I made a quick phone charger also from one with a buck converter board in parallel set down to 14.5v, then to a plug in 12v to 5v stable usb charger then on down to phone via USB. Is anyone else still without power? 19:06 Sat, currently. Originally was scheduled to be back on at mid day, then 6pm. I think might be tomorrow. $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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7th Dec 2024 7:08pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17414
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@Custom90, National Grid currently estimated that the power will be restored in your area around 6pm tomorrow (8th December), so eke out your power tool batteries!
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7th Dec 2024 7:37pm |
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| landy andy Member Since: 15 Feb 2009 Location: Ware, Herts Posts: 5720 
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I’ve got a 5kva generator if you want it.
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7th Dec 2024 8:29pm |
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| Barneyboy Member Since: 19 Nov 2014 Location: Exmoor Posts: 1626  
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Hi all, I’ve been off line since early morning due to no power and it’s now just come back on, apologies for my question as I didn’t describe/explain it clearly, all I want to be able to do is have a socket fitted on the outside of my cottage which will power one socket inside my cottage purely just to use the power of our small 2kw generator rather than running an extension lead through a window, neither socket would be connected to the mains electric, I’m probably making a meal of what I’m trying to achieve but thought this would be a simple option if it’s possible rather than feeding an extension lead around the house,
 cheers PaulLast edited by Barneyboy on 7th Dec 2024 10:11pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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7th Dec 2024 10:04pm |
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