Whole House - Back up generator

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Npstewart

Senior Member
When I said "moving selected loads from the panel to be backed up would be un-reasonable", I was actually thinking of a conversation I had with the owner. They basically wanted everything back up EXCEPT the pool panel, but, they want to run the filter. However, in order to run the filter you need to run the pumps, and they have (3) 1.5 HP pumps, which is the only thing on the pool panel because their heater is natural gas. So basically the only thing they didn't want to run is a fountain, and some landscape lights. In my opinion it wouldn't be worth re-arranging their equipment to avoid powering landscape lights.

With my experience, when a home-owner that owns a 8,000 or 9,000 square foot house says they want a generator, it means they want EVERYTHING backed up, even when they say they don't.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
When I said "moving selected loads from the panel to be backed up would be un-reasonable", I was actually thinking of a conversation I had with the owner. They basically wanted everything back up EXCEPT the pool panel, but, they want to run the filter. However, in order to run the filter you need to run the pumps, and they have (3) 1.5 HP pumps, which is the only thing on the pool panel because their heater is natural gas. So basically the only thing they didn't want to run is a fountain, and some landscape lights. In my opinion it wouldn't be worth re-arranging their equipment to avoid powering landscape lights.

With my experience, when a home-owner that owns a 8,000 or 9,000 square foot house says they want a generator, it means they want EVERYTHING backed up, even when they say they don't.

Hey if they want to spend the money then by all means let them.

Even if I could afford to do that for my own place I probably would only back up what is necessary, I just am not the kind of person that is wasteful in general.

A few years ago I was without power for 10 days after an ice storm. My normal monthly electric bill was around $200 at that time. The cost to keep a portable generator running (that could not even run everything that normally runs) was starting to look like it would be around $900 if it were to run for 30 days.
 

mikeames

Senior Member
Location
Germantown MD
Occupation
Teacher - Master Electrician - 2017 NEC
Don't forget not to put your service conductors in the same pipe as your feeders. Sometimes it's easy to think about one large nipple to go from meter to panel etc.... I have fixed situations like these when people retro fit xfer panels into existing situations.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Don't forget not to put your service conductors in the same pipe as your feeders. Sometimes it's easy to think about one large nipple to go from meter to panel etc.... I have fixed situations like these when people retro fit xfer panels into existing situations.

Is that even possible to do if he is doing this:


We are backing up the whole service, I already did a load calc and came up with about 54KW demand, so I went with a 60KW generator. We are backing up everything because moving selected loads from the panel to be backed up would be un-reasonable.


I ended up removing the existing service equipment and installing a service rated ATS to feed the existing panels. Attached is my new partial schematic.
 
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