re: Multi-fuel generator - who here has one?

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Advice for if your natural gas feed is pretty far from your breaker box? Does the generator need to be somewhat close to the breaker box?

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The typical 30 or 50 amp cable that I have seen for a transfer box are 25 feet, so certainly distance is a factor if you have the transfer switch put in. You may have to have a gas line run to the location that you need. I don’t run a transfer switch to my breaker box.

The Firman isn’t nearly big enough to try to run my most circuits in my house. I have a twenty-five foot 220 volt 30 amp four prong twist lock cable to a four 20 amp socket splitter, and a 20 amp heavy duty 100 foot extension cord that connects to the 20 amp circuit on the generator. The 20 amp heavy duty cord goes to the freezer and second refrigerator in the garage. The 30 amp circuit powers my primary refrigerator, some lights and a couple fans. It’s a simple setup that runs on natural gas.

I had a gas line already run to the side of the house for a pool heater that froze a couple years ago when the power went out during a freeze. All I had to do was disconnect the dead heater and step the line down from 1 inch to the quick release for the rubber line to the generator. If needed the generator will sit on the same cement deck that the pool heater was on so the venting is fine. Right now it’s all in the garage until the next storm.

All you have to do is put a plug that runs to a dedicated breaker in your panel. In my case the panel is pretty much impossible to access in my garage due to the pitch of my roof. I put a 50 amp plug directly underneath it to a 60 amp breaker. Going to tee off the gas lines in my attic and run one inch pipe to a covered area behind my garage and drop down the gas line through the soffit and down the wall. Within range of my 30 foot cord and can use a short 3/4” hose to plug in gas to the generator.

You can definitely start making all of this as simple or complicated as you want. I think with this storm a lot of people (personal friends) figured out they didn’t have main breakers on their houses.

You might be able to purchase a cheaper gas only ginny and convert it to a dual fuel system. Plenty of DIY sites out there. Always good to have options.

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Or I may just go with propane, not lose as much power by using natural gas, because I have a good source of propane at a hardware store five minutes from my house. May look into a couple of 100 pound propane tanks

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Originally that was my plan as well. Costco is the cheapest on the 100 lb tanks at $139.99 plus tax shipped. It’s just the storage of them and the propane price. I figured I'd maybe run the pipe myself with a hand threader. My thought was for the price of the two tanks I could buy the kit then just need the hose and piping. My only concern is during the winter time if I tee off after the furnace if flow may be robbed going to the generator. And there is also the school of thought out there that when using these natural gas conversions that engine timing needs to be adjusted.

My friend that is using my 9500df ordered a brand new one and is giving me that one since he used mine for a week and it had 15 minutes of run time. Thought about trying to sell it and buying the factory tri-fuel champion generator.

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All you have to do is put a plug that runs to a dedicated breaker in your panel.

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Isn't it required by code that you have it set up so that the backfeed breaker cannot be turned on while the main breaker is turned on. A transfer switch accomplishes thus, but so does a generator interlock lockout system. That's what I'm now looking to have installed. But even then, it's not cheap because I have to move some breakers into my sub-panel because the infeed breaker has to be in a specific location relative to the main breaker.

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Isn't it required by code that you have it set up so that the backfeed breaker cannot be turned on while the main breaker is turned on

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I don’t think it is. I had the builder put mine in. They went through all the official processes and inspections to build the house. Not an expert here. It’s basically like I have a drier plug outside my house that’s on one switch. I have a main breaker box that powers a second box. The main box has all the big stuff like AC’s and ovens. The second box is all regular 15amp stuff with the exception of the generator plug. 30amp. I turn off the main breaker and all the big stuff in that box, flip the generator switch on after I turn on the generator and it all just works.

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Isn't it required by code that you have it set up so that the backfeed breaker cannot be turned on while the main breaker is turned on. A transfer switch accomplishes thus, but so does a generator interlock lockout system. That's what I'm now looking to have installed. But even then, it's not cheap because I have to move some breakers into my sub-panel because the infeed breaker has to be in a specific location relative to the main breaker.

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Technically yes, you are correct. But I am like another poster, I would have to move an entire row of breakers down in order to put my back feed breaker at the top and install the interlock. It would probably be cheaper to just put a sub panel with a manual disconnect than to move all of those with hopes they left enough wire to do it. We rarely lose power, and in the event I do have to hook up the generator it has its own dedicated breaker that stays off. I know people that have written procedures for their spouse, I have trained mine to do it. I much rather this than a suicide plug that if someone unplugs it from the house before the generator is off that side is live.

Anyone looked into generlink?