Prepare for Power Outages | How to Install a Generator Power Inlet Box

[@YanasaTV]

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[@Gigi61866]

So glad I came across this. Exactly what I’ve been wanting to do. Well, what I want my husband to do.😂

[@jamesborton9237]

@Gigi61866 , Go for it, even if you don't install it all , at least run the wire, leaving slack at both ends . Get your inlet box ordered and ON SITE. study your breaker box and get the correct 30 or 50 amp breaker for your box. What size in your generator? Write your information in notepad before you go shopping. Take pictures, take with.

[@netpasya]

Wait a minute. You're not gonna help?

[@gregorycarraway4098]

Ha!! Well, as long as it gets done!!

[@dhillman7522]

For a non electrician nice work! Don't see much to criticize I was impressed you knew the difference between a sub panel and a main in reference to the ground and neutral.

[@Gmanspecial]

In my opinion (you probably figured this out first time you used it) your inlet box is mounted too close to your service panel door. When you plug your generator cable in your inlet box you won't be able to access your breakers in your panel without disconnecting your generator cable first from the inlet box. Other than that, it's a nice job.

[@Psalm2710_]

I was just talking about this to my husband bc we had no power for 3 days, but we were able to connect our fridge and freezers to our generator. We were one of only 2 neighbors that we know of who didn't lose all our cold food. I even offered up my half empty deep freezer space to some neighbors but they assumed the electric was coming on soon and so no one took up my offer. By day 3, they had to start throwing stuff away sadly! This 1 power outage made my generator pay for itself!

[@topherd1011]

We just went 12 days after Helene in WNC … by day 8 I was doing what this guy is doing!!

[@coryjackson6034]

No way I run a generator just to keep my freezer cold the money spent on gas could just go by again

[@kennethmartin6900]

Nice job..been doing electrical work for years and you did everything correctly 👏

[@MrRebar15]

*Yanasa TV* Bravo well done, thank-you sir for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless.

[@Imagodfollower]

Thanks for sharing this video. My father in law is an electrician.

[@netpasya]

I'm comfortable with doing electrical things in the house (switches, replacing outlets, installing new outlets, fans, chandeliers, fixtures, etc...) I stay away from the panel. I bought my electrician buddy 2 cases of beer to put one in. He put a 50 amp inlet box with 6/3 cable. I cooked some good steaks on the grill while he was working.

[@bootsy7]

Your very fortunate because over here in Australia these electricians are crooks

[@KTSLAY]

I just did this for a family member. nearly identical set up. Works great. Just have to get a natural gas kit for the Honda Jenny and won't have to worry about fuel...most times.

[@xecukc7010]

Good video! Thanks for posting. I recently installed a 30 amp receptacle for my generator hook up. I searched everywhere for a n interlock to fit my panel. Could not find one so I made my own. Works well and does the job but it has no warning stickers. I'll need to post a sticker and instructions (what breakers to close, etc.) in the box for the generator hook up. Although this video doesn't really apply to the generator itself, I think it important to note the neutral bonding. In this video it is obvious you have a bond between neutral and ground at the panel. The bonding on the generator should be a floating neutral or bond.

[@aladrasullivan9018]

Make sure you use 10-3 wire for this! Also use a meter to make sure that panel is dead,don't just depend on a breaker shutoff!

[@gregorycarraway4098]

Great safety point!!!

[@armyfazer1410]

That Romex is for interior use only. THHN or UF-B would be the better choice.

[@atb2003]

Romex should not be used inside of any conduit due to heat effect from the romex having a shedding around the wires. You also cannot remove the shedding and install the wires inside the conduit since the wires do not have identifying label on the wire itself which comes back to the same comment made on here requiring THHN wires.

[@Bailey463]

I ordered a generac system. Simple goes on your meter. Plug and play. Only problem for me is it will take 4 months to hook up. Our hydro company is way behind . It's a 15 min hook up . No switches nothing. I have a generator hook up but limited to certain circuits. With new system I can run whole house up to what my generator can handle. 9500 tri fuel generator is what I have.

[@robertworden9810]

I thought NM cable was not allowed in outdoor conduit since it is considered a “wet” location.

[@tightropehikes]

It’s in sealed conduit.

[@battlestar1788]

It’s not allowed even if it’s in seal conduit I know because on on of my company job they fail a job for that reason

[@drakos4754]

5:21 yes its hot up top and the main leads coming in are at the bottom , the red , white and black is what is feeding that box . you kept putting your hands wright next to them and you cut the Romex casing off 7:52 , I am still cringing just thinking about what could of happened , your very lucky and good luck opening the panel with the cable plugged in . By the way 9:19 those breakers already in the panel have a lot of copper showing , I'm surprised an inspector let that pass when the house was built our the box was updated, that's a sure sign there was no inspector I hope you used 10 / 3 and not 12/3 , just some constructive feedback.

[@armyfazer1410]

I re-watched it. Yes, he was too close and nonchalant about movement in that area.

[@chasorchard1140]

Good job brother... you'll be glad you did that.

[@Creator_Nater]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@mcouture8169]

5:50... yeah.. while swapping out the 17 or so breakers in my 200 amp box, I did the exact same thing with my screwdriver. Scared the bejeebers out of myself.. thankfully before contacting the hots.

[@battlestar1788]

Word of advice your not supposed to use Romex wire out side even if it’s in a pipe. You want to be using THHN or THWN out side number 10 gauge for 30 amp these wire are rated for out side by electrical code. Other than that great video

[@normanbyers-ND]

I’m planning on doing this but for 50 amps what gauge wire should I use? Thank you in advance.

[@CanvassData]

6 gauge

[@barnrazedbyjesse6893]

We DIYed ours too. We use a welder as a generator so we ran it out towards the driveway so we could just pull the utility truck up to it.

[@1guysmilely]

Good job made it look easy

[@Plenty_for_Twenty]

Doing this in a few weeks to my house. For kicks, I'm an electrical engineer, I got a quote $1k from an electrician. Safe to say I'm doing it for material and time cost and possibly looking for a new job lol. I'm shocked its not a permit/inspection type of job in my county.

[@therealkakazi8926]

Not yet at least 👀

[@Plenty_for_Twenty]

@therealkakazi8926 I pulled a permit. Didn't want to give insurance any leverage. Had to submit drawings and work plan. Installed 50 amp service. I run the house, full load, once a month on a maintenance cycle. Furthermore, I set up a solar panel trickle charger to the generator battery.

[@markparker2873]

Great video and this is how it should be done, congrats!

[@rightbro]

Dude , who cares how your paint or what ever looks like. You are making a video to help us out. Don’t worry about what other people think. Thanks for the advice

[@ladyryan902]

Had to watch 2x n read comments to c if ur right lol..still m not doing it myself.

[@michaelfunk5951]

There's back feed on the grounded conductor even for lineman working the system to restore power. The correct way is to isolate the ground/neutral also not just turning it off at the main. Remember it's AC current not DC!

[@MichaelBurke-f2p]

Good point.

[@LTVoyager]

Not if the service entrance is installed correctly. The neutral and earth ground should be connected at the service entrance. The neutral is also connected to ground at each utility pole typically. So, there is no danger to the utility workers unless the service entrance wasn’t installed correctly or the ground connection has gone bad. Otherwise, this main lockout switch would not be a code compliant installation and this will pass inspection.

[@sirpainter1]

Thankyou for this. I see your hands were shakin when removing the 2 breakers. I don't think that was coffee related. My neighbor helped me put in a breaker box in my shop, he was a electrician for the UPRR. And he educated me about installing breakers. I'm going to get that box. Now all I need is a generator. The 6 P's is what I go by. Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Take Care from Wyoming.

[@redleaderone8429]

i was gonna asl where to get that siding? it looks good like that

[@paulrabena57]

I have main breakers outside by meter and all other breakers in box in my bathroom. How can I do this?

[@jonathanstrand2474]

Wish you had shown a closeup of the generator male plug type and the new generator inlet female socket type. That detail is Online somewhere I’m sure. I have a generator Dunno if my city power IN breaker is a single power switch, like yours, or if I have extra breaker spaces adjacent to it for the lock-out plate and generator IN breakers but the brand new breaker box was installed in 2019. I have a 100 amp service, and no 220 power needs in my house, but I did add a 3 phase 220 power outlet, that is separate from the mains breaker box, just below it. Big round plug with the 3 locking 1/4 round 250v plug ears, it has a lever (leaf?) switch, for its outlet. I put it there in case I hook up a 220 volt trash pump, because I have a slab foundation (stone house built in 3 separate phases 1880-1940) and the ground behind my house is 6-8” higher than the floor is, 110 volt sump pump right where water could come in the adjacent back door. New gutters installed, and bingo, California gets a huge deluge, sump pump is barely needed now as a result! If not for the city power lock out, could that switched sub 220 box be also used as the power inlet for the generator? hence my plug type question, simpler if not safer to bring the generator IN power with that 220 switched sub box I think I’ll hire an electrician 🙂

[@pebips]

Thanks my friend

[@spacecoastz4026]

The interlock hardware is not only $20. Try like $80 or more. Should be $20, but not.

[@TowerHand]

Very scary Charlie, you did it like I would! Although I need to set up my new shop for a Genny but I happen to have a manual external transfer switch I'll use betwixt the plug and panel load.

[@solarstormgames]

great vid! I always wondered how to do such a thing.

[@KingdomUploader]

I'm hearing folks refer to that Interlock thingy as a switch. I can't see that it is anything more than a safety measure, right? If all it does is lock out one breaker or another, then me over here, living alone and having an understanding of which breaker is which and if i know to always turn OFF the main first and when the power comes back on i know to turn the gen breaker off and the main back on?...i mean, isn't it just that simple? What am i missing on that front? Thanks

[@SwellNelman]

You are correct- the interlock is a safety mechanism. But, the code requires it so that any future resident/user will not accidentally operate the panel in a way that causes a problem. You can’t assume (even) you will always remember to turn off the main power. So it is safety first.

[@KingdomUploader]

@@SwellNelman Yep; i see the sense in it....and if i were to go senile :) Thanks!

[@joey8567]

Use #6 wire and get 50 amp breaker. I appreciate your saftey switch but comfort for a few dollars more.

[@discoveringancienthistoryw5246]

I agree. You might need to run a 240v appliance in your house. You'll need the 50 amp plug.

[@bobclark7211]

Most portable generators only have a 30 amp output

[@tommycop284]

So with this setup do you remove the bonded wire from the generator so there isn’t 2 grounds?

[@texlougatorbait]

very helpful video thank you

[@douglasbarnhart3324]

Awesome video thanks.

[@BikeFitAZ]

Question for the plug? Why a 30 instead of a 50 for the switch?

[@tonyacerra2329]

I also have a EATON panel that I want to hook up. You didn’t show the wiring in the 30amp outlet? I guess it is basic.

[@CanvassData]

Yes it’s color coded

[@sharpenrightservicesllc]

Nice job. I had an electrician install my Inlet box but "said" the local supply house was out of the lock out kit. I am going to get one off of Amazon and add it to my panel for obvious safety reasons. Your video will be super helpful for my DIY. Thank you for sharing this. I'm betting you just go through another pollen season? 🙂

[@ThruDaLenz]

I thought you dont use Romex outside and its not best practice to use in conduits

[@nCon808]

Yup that’s against code

[@topherd1011]

Couldn’t find an interlock kit for my breaker but I think I’m good … there’s no way to “accidentally” turn on the main breaker to my house. It’s soooo difficult to turn on and off and it’s located in a separate place. Ppl can sue me if they want but my only option for an interlock is to make one and where my main is located on my panel- it’s impossible :/ but I swear I won’t electrocute anyone! Like I said.. there is no “accidentally” flipping that main !

[@aggtown9616]

Sitting in Tx no power got 4 extension cord running to generator smsh this is my next project

[@kysherman]

Does that run 120 or 240 to the breaker box?

[@SandcastleDreams]

Well, that was interesting! In your video where you get ready to turn the power back on...the screen went black and the video disappeared!

[@RayLacks]

Good video thanks

[@alanlevine3984]

Where did you purchase the romex 10/3 wire? What brand name is it?

[@battlestar1788]

Purchase THHN or THWN or RF cable not ROMEX

[@ronaldnaeyaert3653]

You cannot use Romex outside in a conduit because it’s a wet location. Against the electrical code. What should have been used is THHN/TWHN individual wires. Did you use schedule 80 conduit as required for exposed pvc? I have a 30a tri-fuel inverter generator with a 50a plug so I used 50a generator inlet plug and #6 THHN wires but a 30a breaker. If I ever get a bigger generator that puts out 50a, I just need to swap out the breaker

[@Drakeysoccerboi]

What guage cable you use?

[@bobclark7211]

10/3

[@MM-sq5pf]

I don't have a main breaker, 2019 house, they said because it wasn't code yet

[@seriousprepper9506]

Only thing I did different is installed a 50a box since my generator is equipped.

[@Arctic513]

What Romex do I get for this setup?

[@feyrband]

10/3 if it's to a 240v plug on your generator

[@workinonhouse]

Wrong wire, should be THHN, also failed to lock the connector

[@armyfazer1410]

He could have used UFB though. Right?

[@billionairefaith1]

How much did this cost?

[@YanasaTV]

30 AMP Inlet box $35 -$50 depending on the brand you choose. 10/3 wire Romeo 15 feet $65 (ridiculous) Double Pole 30 Breaker $20 -ish About $30 in conduit parts. About $30 for the Interlock Safety Switch on the Panel

[@billionairefaith1]

@Yanasa TV if installed by professional no more than 500 you think? Thanks for the great video and fast response:)

[@steelman2544]

​@@billionairefaith1 had mine installed by power company in Missouri. Equipment and labor cost me $740. This was for the transfer box, generator plug, and 50 feet of generator cord.

[@billionairefaith1]

@Steel Man thank you so much 💓 💖

[@YanasaTV]

@@steelman2544 50 feet of generator chord was likely close to $100 of it.

[@Honestandtruth007]

Right procedure is to CONNECT at the 30A inlet Box, not at the Breaker panel 😮😢

[@danieltatum4304]

Where is the 30a inlet box?

[@kevinsanchez-tx8ik]

$20? For the interlock? Where? I paid $120 yesterday

[@Honestandtruth007]

Gloves Must be Worn When working with live Breaker panel.... It's No joke. 2-3 second Say Bye Bye-bye 😮😢😮

[@Honestandtruth007]

Look at the Sweat on Him 😮😢

[@TheBigBoysTable]

Thank u so much

[@rhahwaz]

Awesome thanks I still think it's complicated for me with my disability

[@brandonnelson4164]

Romex through conduit is not code.

[@LTVoyager]

Quote the code section that prohibits this. Good luck as it isn’t prohibited in any code of which I’m aware (in the US at least).

[@Wyatt1273]

Only time is it not code compliant is in a damp or wet location. Romex cannot be ran through an underground conduit because that will be considered a damp or wet location. Other than that, it is perfectly legal. You can reference sections 300.5 (b) and 334.12 (b)(4).

[@robertworden9810]

300.9 indicates that outdoor conduit above grade that is exposed to the elements is considered to be in a wet location.

[@Wyatt1273]

@@robertworden9810 300.9 states “Where raceways are installed in wet locations abovegrade, the interior of these raceways shall be considered to be a wet location. Insulated conductors and cables installed in raceways in wet locations abovegrade shall comply with 310.10(C).” Doesn’t necessarily say “exposed to the elements” but instead it states in “wet locations above grade”. The elements I assume would be rain/sun which is not necessarily considered a wet location.

[@rchapoteau]

Was going to say the same thing. It’s an easy way to install it but not code compliant.

[@ontario1727]

honestly, wear electrical gloves when doing this

[@Wyatt1273]

No need to since he shut off the main breaker. Nothing below that main had power to it. Only thing to be concerned of is the screws and bars above the main breaker.

[@jamesautry7432]

It's called an interlock

[@konglee7284]

How much does this cost for a professional to install....???

[@tomunderwood4283]

$1000

[@robertb7362]

what was the point of this video if you did not turn your main breaker off and turn the generator on to show you made the right connection?

[@patsycards]

Should you not test it somehow?

[@mannyfragoza9652]

Gasoline engines are only a temporary solution (short term). Then there is the issue of storing dangerous gasoline. A Solar Generator can replace your Gasoline Generator, Its safe no harmful fumes and its quite no one will even know when you are using it to power the things you need. IMO I would throw all my disposable income toward a Solar generator, and use Gasoline only as a backup if it clouds up for more than a week.

[@714Roostergirl]

Solar is very expensive and unreliable due to weather

[@mannyfragoza9652]

@@714Roostergirl not where i live .But im not talking about a huge solar array to power your house. Im talking portable solar generators. You can keep your Gas Generators and ill keep my DIY solar system. I guarantee your gasoline will runout before the sun does in a SHTF

[@Thatsallihavetosayaboutthat]

@@mannyfragoza9652Not in our lifetime. Probably will if Biden keeps up his shithole administration

[@mcouture8169]

@@mannyfragoza9652 Vast majority of outages are short term (hours to 4 days) where gas will perform better and deliver more amps throughout the day. A TEOTWAWKI or SHTF event requires a different set of rules and investments. Solar is a fantastic option on the survival boards that I follow, but incredibly poor performing for 365 day-to-day power redundancy in a temperate climate.

[@mannyfragoza9652]

@@mcouture8169 solar is a hit and miss with Biden Sun Blocking program. Im guessing if these enviorfreaks have their way Gas will be as scarce as Hens teeth nothing is 100% but Gas short term pretty much rules.

[@ketolifestyle68]

id do it myself but i was told it needs a permit

[@YanasaTV]

If you own the home you should be able to apply for your own permit and DIY.

[@ZenNaster]

We arent gonna mention that the panel cant be opened while the generator is plugged in? 😉

[@catladynj]

You lost me after the first 5 minutes. Lolol🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@pressurewashingandhoodcleaning]

so your generator is only 120vlts

[@demetrib9373]

This guy was trying to wuote me 1500 to 3000 dollars to install an interlock.

[@Honestandtruth007]

That's totally Ripped Off 📴

[@josejesusperezgalvan3637]

13.3 MM2

[@joey8567]

Why paint? Clean!🤣🤣

[@calvincheney7405]

you only energized the right side of your main as far as I can tell.

[@NobleSavant]

You can’t tell very far. 220v breaker grabs both bus bars.

[@Wyatt1273]

The buss bar alternates from the top down to the bottom in each breaker slot. A phase, B phase, A phase, B phase etc. When he installed the 2 pole or “double” breaker, it connected both the A and the B phase.

[@otisstrong5114]

I was curious about that. So it shouldn't matter if the 2 pole breaker is installed top or bottom?

[@tomunderwood4283]

@@otisstrong5114The 30A breaker feed from the generator needs to be next to the main breaker so the interlock works as intended.

[@thunderbolt5354]

BA HA HA HA You sure the hell aint no Electrician !! Stupid way of doing that !

[@danielhanson4326]

What? A waste of everybody's time