Portable generator location

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matt123

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Hey guys, just wondering what you are putting as cord lengths for portable generators. Typically the come with that 10' which I think it too short. Just checking what you guys are doing
 
Mine came with a 25' cord. I have the inlet adjacent to my shed where the generator is. Just keep in mind that a really long cord could give you some voltage drop.
 
kwired said:
Every install is different, and the things you mentioned are part of what makes them different.
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I've got a 50 foot cord for mine, I started out with a 30 foot but to use that one I had to take t out of the building I had it in and put it under my carport.
now I just have to pull it out into the floor of the shed plug it in and start it! I have a capped PVC nipple in the wall that I pull the cord through.
I'm going to eventually put louvers in the doors of the building (8X14) so I can shut them and run it if I have to. Maybe even an exhaust fan......:)
 
qcroanoke said:
I've got a 50 foot cord for mine, I started out with a 30 foot but to use that one I had to take t out of the building I had it in and put it under my carport.
now I just have to pull it out into the floor of the shed plug it in and start it! I have a capped PVC nipple in the wall that I pull the cord through.
I'm going to eventually put louvers in the doors of the building (8X14) so I can shut them and run it if I have to. Maybe even an exhaust fan......:)
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I would say that might be a violation of 400.8(2) :)
 
packersparky said:
I would say that might be a violation of 400.8(2) :)
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If it isn't a permanent installation Does NEC really apply to it? A "power inlet" is a permanent part of premises wiring, the generator and any cord that connects to it not so much. There are places that have a transfer switch(and may or may not have some sort of inlet) and no generator, until they have a need for one.
 
kwired said:
If it isn't a permanent installation Does NEC really apply to it? A "power inlet" is a permanent part of premises wiring, the generator and any cord that connects to it not so much. There are places that have a transfer switch(and may or may not have some sort of inlet) and no generator, until they have a need for one.
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Part VII of Article 440 has requirements for room air conditioners and I would not consider them to be permanent. If the 400.8 does not apply to the cord supplying an inlet, then someone could use whatever wiring method that they see fit (NM cable, MC cable, THHN conductors laying on the ground, etc.) from the portable generator to the inlet without regards to the wiring methods or ampacity of the conductors.
 
packersparky said:
I would say that might be a violation of 400.8(2) :)
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It might be, but when the cord is pulled through the wall that means the generator is running and power is out and I'm not too concerned about an inspector showing up and telling me to take it out. :)
When it's not in use the cord is inside the building rolled up and the nipple is capped.
Oh, and in 2017 that has become 400.12 (2)
 
qcroanoke said:
It might be, but when the cord is pulled through the wall that means the generator is running and power is out and I'm not too concerned about an inspector showing up and telling me to take it out. :)
When it's not in use the cord is inside the building rolled up and the nipple is capped.
Oh, and in 2017 that has become 400.12 (2)
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Not only that but when the power is out and the (portable) generator is running I'd say the cord is temporary wiring. The inlet is permanent wiring.

If one had a permanently mounted generator and ran a flexible cord to the transfer equipment- there you would very likely have misuse of a flexible cord, even if it doesn't pass through a sleeve in the wall.
 
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