petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
I beelong to another forum where the subject of portable generators comes up pretty regularly. Unfortunately, the insane cost of installing a transfer siwthc is usually not something that is popular, so the ever popular suicide cord is ofetn suggested and many think it is a great solution.
I udnerstand the reluctance to spend the money on a proper transfer switch, but the suicide cord idea just leaves me shaking. I usually suggest extension cords. This seems like a safe solution, but does not address just how one gets the power through the outside wall into a home.
A thought that occurred to me on my way to work this morning was to install a male receptacle on the outside that a standard extension cord could hook into a portable generator, and wire the male receptacle to a female receptacle on the inside, extension cords to power things inside.
I can't really think of a downside to this, although it does not address things like water heaters and furnaces that technically cannot be plug and cord connected, but when your power is out, no one is really going to care.
I udnerstand the reluctance to spend the money on a proper transfer switch, but the suicide cord idea just leaves me shaking. I usually suggest extension cords. This seems like a safe solution, but does not address just how one gets the power through the outside wall into a home.
A thought that occurred to me on my way to work this morning was to install a male receptacle on the outside that a standard extension cord could hook into a portable generator, and wire the male receptacle to a female receptacle on the inside, extension cords to power things inside.
I can't really think of a downside to this, although it does not address things like water heaters and furnaces that technically cannot be plug and cord connected, but when your power is out, no one is really going to care.