Eli5: How do backup generators work?

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If I got a generator for my house to be prepared for a power outage (California wildfire country) – how does that work? Do I have to run extension chords from any appliances I want on generator power? Is there a way to connect a generator to the house so that lights work?

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18 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Speak to your electrician. There are basically two options.

One option is that you plug extension cords into the generator, so the generator is only powering the devices that you plug into it.

The other option is having the generator wired into your electrical panel, using something called a transfer switch. That way when the power goes out, your generator is providing power to all of the plugs in your house via your electrical panel. The transfer switch will automatically disconnect your generator when the power comes back on (which prevents you from backfeeding the grid and possibly electrocuting someone working on the power lines)

Anonymous 0 Comments

Speak to your electrician. There are basically two options.

One option is that you plug extension cords into the generator, so the generator is only powering the devices that you plug into it.

The other option is having the generator wired into your electrical panel, using something called a transfer switch. That way when the power goes out, your generator is providing power to all of the plugs in your house via your electrical panel. The transfer switch will automatically disconnect your generator when the power comes back on (which prevents you from backfeeding the grid and possibly electrocuting someone working on the power lines)

Anonymous 0 Comments

Speak to your electrician. There are basically two options.

One option is that you plug extension cords into the generator, so the generator is only powering the devices that you plug into it.

The other option is having the generator wired into your electrical panel, using something called a transfer switch. That way when the power goes out, your generator is providing power to all of the plugs in your house via your electrical panel. The transfer switch will automatically disconnect your generator when the power comes back on (which prevents you from backfeeding the grid and possibly electrocuting someone working on the power lines)

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s two options for this

Portable gas generators are meant for construction, being in the woods, etc but can be used to power appliances in an emergency. They are gas powered and you hook up to them using an extension cord.

A standby generator for your house will typically either be Diesel or natural gas and will be hooked up directly to your fuse panel using a transfer switch.

When it detects that power is out, the generator will start automatically (depending on the model) and once it’s running the transfer switch will cutover to the generator.

The generator will keep running until either the mains come back up, or the generator runs out of fuel.

The downside is there is 30 sec or so of power loss between losing power and how long it takes the generator to spool up and cutover.

In the IT + Medical world this is a massive problem because the equipment we work with can’t loose power. So to hold the equipment we also need a UPS or a battery backup system in addition to the generator.

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s two options for this

Portable gas generators are meant for construction, being in the woods, etc but can be used to power appliances in an emergency. They are gas powered and you hook up to them using an extension cord.

A standby generator for your house will typically either be Diesel or natural gas and will be hooked up directly to your fuse panel using a transfer switch.

When it detects that power is out, the generator will start automatically (depending on the model) and once it’s running the transfer switch will cutover to the generator.

The generator will keep running until either the mains come back up, or the generator runs out of fuel.

The downside is there is 30 sec or so of power loss between losing power and how long it takes the generator to spool up and cutover.

In the IT + Medical world this is a massive problem because the equipment we work with can’t loose power. So to hold the equipment we also need a UPS or a battery backup system in addition to the generator.

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s two options for this

Portable gas generators are meant for construction, being in the woods, etc but can be used to power appliances in an emergency. They are gas powered and you hook up to them using an extension cord.

A standby generator for your house will typically either be Diesel or natural gas and will be hooked up directly to your fuse panel using a transfer switch.

When it detects that power is out, the generator will start automatically (depending on the model) and once it’s running the transfer switch will cutover to the generator.

The generator will keep running until either the mains come back up, or the generator runs out of fuel.

The downside is there is 30 sec or so of power loss between losing power and how long it takes the generator to spool up and cutover.

In the IT + Medical world this is a massive problem because the equipment we work with can’t loose power. So to hold the equipment we also need a UPS or a battery backup system in addition to the generator.

Anonymous 0 Comments

2 ways:

1) have an electrician wire up a plug that connects to your house so all the plugs in your house work as if you’re on the grid when the generator is plugged into it. I assume they would make up a switch for safety reasons.

2) run a bunch of extension cords and plug in which appliances you want to power when you turn on your generator.

I haven’t done the first one yet but it has its advantages and disadvantages like convenience vs practicality

Anonymous 0 Comments

2 ways:

1) have an electrician wire up a plug that connects to your house so all the plugs in your house work as if you’re on the grid when the generator is plugged into it. I assume they would make up a switch for safety reasons.

2) run a bunch of extension cords and plug in which appliances you want to power when you turn on your generator.

I haven’t done the first one yet but it has its advantages and disadvantages like convenience vs practicality

Anonymous 0 Comments

2 ways:

1) have an electrician wire up a plug that connects to your house so all the plugs in your house work as if you’re on the grid when the generator is plugged into it. I assume they would make up a switch for safety reasons.

2) run a bunch of extension cords and plug in which appliances you want to power when you turn on your generator.

I haven’t done the first one yet but it has its advantages and disadvantages like convenience vs practicality

Anonymous 0 Comments

What you’re talking about is a whole house standby generator. They are installed with an ATS(automatic transfer switch) which automatically starts the generator and switches over when the power from the street goes out. You’ll need to have a fuel source, depending on your location, it could be Natural Gas or Propane. These systems are wired directly into the house so everything comes back on. (Some systems are set up to provide power to essential systems, food storage, some lighting, a few outlets, heat.)

There are also portable generators, which can be connected to the same fuel sources as above, or can run on gasoline. These can also be wired into the whole house, but more often you’ll see extension cords running to the important appliances.