Residential Generator

I am considering adding solar panels to my home to generate electricity.  I will not add batteries however (to expensive) so when the grid goes down I won't get energy from the panels (you need a special inverter and batteries) so I want to add a portable gas generator for those, hopefully, limited cases.



I just wondered how the solar wiring gets interfaced into my system (breaker panel?) and can I later add a transfer switch or interlock switch when I add the generator?



Or should I do that at the same time (perhaps the interface is complicated)?



Thoughts?



Thx
      

OK, I took everyone's advice and ran a separate 6/3 w/50A male inlet receptacle back to the panel area so my RV generator can feed the transfer switch.



I'm ordering a Reliance 51406C (50A, 6 circuits).  The generator (Onan 5500) puts out 45A, but my house only needs a small number of circuits because it has mostly natural gas appliances and gas furnace with radiators.



I was wondering if anyone has hardwired one with 6/3 Romex?  The small compartment the unit has for hardwiring looks pretty tight for 6/3 plus the wire nuts.
      

I'm buying a 12 lead Stamford generator, engine driven, and have a question or two about over current protection and ground fault protection.  I will normally have it wired for single phase 120 and 240 in the double delta configuration.  I may occasionally rewire it for 3 phase 240 in the series delta configuration.



For the single phase setup, what I've read so far leads me to believe I should have a main circuit breaker of about 125% continuous ampacity; it's a 10 kw generator.  Is that correct?  What kind of breaker do I need?  Should this main be a GFCI?  Do I bond neutral and ground?  This is a portable unit so I need to package a load center on the generator frame.  Can I wire one 240 receptacle directly to the main and two or three 120 volt GFCI's on it as well?  Or do I need another 240 breaker downstream of the main?  What should I be thinking about for swithching back and forth between single phase and three phase?  Alot of questions, trying to get smart and be safe.  Thanks.
      

My brother-in-law has a Coleman 8750 Watt portable generator with a 13hp Honda engine.  Worked fine for a couple of years and then all of a sudden it wouldn't provide any voltage at the outlets.  So he called up Coleman and they said the problem was probably a $50 control board.  So he ordered one and installed it.  This temporarily fixed the genset but after an hour or so the electric quit again.  So it appears something is causing the control boards to go bad.  Any idea what could be causing this?
      

I have a 1/3 horse sump pump. I've read it uses 1300-2900 starting watts (or I guess that means surge watts)



The generator I can get is for $140 and has 1400 peak watts and 1200 continuous. Now this will only be used to power the sump pump when power goes out.



Is it powerful enough? I have no way of testing it out prior to buying.



Its this brand, but a lower end model.



http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-s...AdIdZ357888894



the above model is sold out.



thoughts?
      

Hi,



I need some help connecting a programmable electronic timer switch to an electronic door lock.  My goal is for the door to only unlock during a set period of time (when the timer is in the "on" position).



I have found two locks that I think may work, I just have no idea what wires to connect to what.



I attached three pictures.  Two of them are of the electronic timer (two different versions), and one is of the locking mechanism. 



Any help is greatly appreciated.
      

Hello,

We're installing a steam shower unit & need to run new electrical wiring.  We have a few questions & hope someone can help!



We have three power cords (water pump, heat pump, steam generator) & none of them currently have plugs.  The specs are as follows:  3000W steam generator 110v - 30 amp GFCI breaker, 12 v lighting, 1.2 hp water pump 110 v - 30 amp GFCI breaker, & a 1500W heat pump 110v 12.5 amps.  It says you can run the heat pump off the same circuit as the rest of the unit.



Ok, so.. we're wondering what the easiest & cheapest way of going about this is.  We want it to be SAFE first & foremost, but also want to keep expense at a minimum.



Thank you for any advice you have!




      

Why won't my Briggs and straton 5500 generator generate any electricity?
      

found a crazy deal today as im a 'picker' and have been doing this since before it was a tv show. heres what i found, generac backup generators that the output is 90 volts of DC current. they run on nat gas or propane via a switch. my question is how can i use these generators to run stuff on my catering mobile taco/food truck or backup power for my house? i need AC current and according to literature on the web, the generators are 14kw and some are single phase and some are 3 ph.  i know that i can just drop a leg on 3 phase to get single ph. but how to get ac i dont know.



im guessing the engines would be kewl on a go cart and use a propane tank for a gas tank, right? any help on elec conversion would be appreciated.
      

updating an older home (1927) and would like to replace all the receptacles/switches/plates with newer Lutron style white switches, where is the best place to order these or pick them up?  Not sure if its worth shopping online or if the big box convenience negates cost difference?

Thanks!