Running An Entire House On An Amazon Generator

I will walk you through how to select the right generator and inlet connection to power your whole house with a Westinghouse generator I purchased on Amazon. This is something you should plan for and install before you need it as in a large power outage parts are hard to get and you and the whole town will be looking for the same thing.

Chapters
0:00 My Whole House Backup Setup
2:01 How Large Of A Generator To Buy
8:54 How To Connect A Generator To Your Home
12:14 How Much Does A Whole House Backup System Cost

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DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[truth]

It’s easier on the generator if you flip the circuits on one by one after the generator is running

[avalon]

Pro tip - keep a magnetic led flashlight on the breaker box because in a power outage you may not be able to see the breakers.

[cliffkinsel]

ive been a electrician for 40 years. the system you are showing in my opinion is the best route you can go. everything is much more cost effective. the interloc will never fail. going to the $10k option has more options that can fail. Also when you use the generator for emergency situations it could be years before its needed

[johnstraley]

Years ago I bought a similar portable generator and had a manual transfer switch installed. Critical circuit list includes the well pump, boiler/indirect water heater, sump pump, smoke detectors, fridge, freezer, microwave oven and a few lighting circuits. Just enough to call it "indoor camping" :)

[michaeliverson]

Based on your videos I installed an Interlock, 50amp breaker, and the 9500kw Westinghouse. It works like a charm! Runs the entire house plus one my central ACs. I have a window AC that can be installed easily for the master bedroom if the power is out for more than a few hours.
I run the generator in a detached shed to keep it out of the weather (had to install an attic fan in the shed to exhaust the carbon monoxide).

[wholeNwon]

Many years ago I bought a very small generator just adequate to run the heating system. Of course, since then there have been no power failures at all and the generator is still in the box.

[patricksimone]

Verry clear and useful instructions. You did cover everything needed. The only thing that I would do different is to open all of the circuits in the house before turning on the generator. Then turn on the circuits one at a time. This is how the electricians would bring on a large building where I worked. Thanks again.

[scottanderson]

I have the same exact setup, including the same Westinghouse generator and it powers my house perfectly. My area just got hit with a Cat 4 Typhoon 2 months ago and we were without power for about 3 weeks. This generator setup kept us comfortable during that time. We were easily able to run lights, AC and refrigerator to keep food from spoiling.
If money is tight, this is an excellent option for home backup power.
Great video and the detailed explanation is excellent for those who may be looking for a similar option. 👍🏼

[billk]

I installed a 50-amp interlock with a 11, 500-watt portable generator. I regard my system as an insurance policy. Sure a permanently installed natural gas Generac would be nicer and less bother during an infrequent outage, but at roughly 10-times the total-installed-cost I could not justify it. Nice video.

[bdkbdk]

If you leave a generator near a road at night, when you wake up it won't be there. Last hurricane in Houston (in a nice area) people had a lot of generators stolen out of their back yards with locked fences in the middle of the night.

[johnrademeyer]

You should NOT power all critical circuits at the same time. Proper sequence is largest circuit load fist, then next largest circuit load and so on and so forth. Large loads would be freezers, refrigerators, window AC, electric cook top.

[tighecrovetti]

I use tiny little magnets and place them next to the circuit breakers I want to turn in during a backup. Can easily move them around if you change your mind or move breakers at some point.

[clifftrue]

I know I am late to this video. I have a question and some other suggestions.

Q: What do you do with the dirty power for your electronics you run like your laptop, cell phone, etc? I am always worried about this being an issue for a non-inverter type generator. The Inverter type are about double the price and I was not aware of this concern when I got my generator. So far this has not been an issue the one time I used it for about 4 hours.

I have a 9500 Watt (12500 Watt peek) Westinghouse dual fuel generator that included regulator for propane. (50 amp option)

1) Keeping gasoline is an issue but I found during the last hurricane I could still get propane when the gasoline was not available. So have enough gas to get by a few days. Then propane until gas is available again. I live about 50 miles inland so normally it is a couple of days with no access to gas depending on how bad it gets.

2) For running my 3.5 ton AC I added an EasyStart Micro-Air 368 so the startup amps are much less and can add life to my AC unit. So AC from the generator does not overload and trip the circuit breaker when it starts.

3) I have generator tent running cover that is "windproof." I found this on Amazon for about $140 and allows it to run in the rain but covering much of the unit and stakes to hold it down.

4) In my case when a hurricane is coming I will get the generator in place in my back yard enclosed by a solid fence away from the house. This does a couple of things. Dampens the sound for the neighbors a little and also it makes it harder for someone to be notice it and keep it from being stolen. The remote starter makes it so I will not need to go outside to start it and I just have to go to the garage and flip the interlock.

5) Find a fuel pump for a gas can to move the gas much quicker than pouring it in to minimize time out in the elements. I found one that moves 5 gallons of gas in about 2 minutes. Found that on Amazon for about $60 that runs on AA batteries. There are manual pumps for cheaper but I wanted to not have to lift and hold the can while in the wind and/or rain.

[laurielammi]

Got the same setup generator at my house. 2 years now with several outages, and westinghouse works as i hoped. Perfect. You will be happy with your purchase.

[lj]

That's basically what I did. Except I installed a sub panel for a critical load panel. Than all my criticals to that with an interlock. Than used 6awg copper to a CS6365 for a 50 amp plug. Only have a 30 amp 8250 Gen right now, but I'm in the process of ordering a 16k fuel injected portable generator. That should be very efficient fuel wise and easy on the generator for wear and tear.

[nickles]

Place a laminated "critical circuit list" and how to do each step by step next to the breaker box. Attach a grease pencil to the list with boxes to check each step as it completed.
Teach your wife to do each step by step and work it through in real steps.
Instead of her calling you or the neighbors in a panic mode.
I should know. I've received calls with my wife in a panic mode before even with minor issues.
That when I call my older daughter and have her walk through the steps.
It's the panic mode that kills people.
Or better yet. Teach your family to work the list through.
Have an emergency kit prepared. Complete with flashlight. Tools if needed.

[eosjoe]

It's silly to sit that generator out in the rain. There are many types of inexpensive coverings that will help keep the rain/snow off the running generator. I also question the 25-feet thing. As long as it is out in the open and not near any open windows you will be fine. If in doubt, install a CO detector near the window nearest to where you plan to sit the generator. I use the same type of Interlock system for a whole house solution using a Honda 6500W generator. I have bright orange stick-on dots next to the breakers that need to be turned off when running a generator. I also keep a magnetic flashlight stuck to the panel so I can see to throw breakers during the outage. Even with my 6500W unit I can run the whole house except for the central air and water heater. In an emergency I can run the water heater if I turn off a few additional breakers. Don't forget an alarm to tell you when power comes back on. This is very important for daytime power failures when you can't just look out the window and see the neighborhood lights on. :-)

[hajjdawood]

While what you did in the beginning works, its recommended to run the motor first with everything on and then slowly turn everything on with the biggest loads first. This will ensure the generator can keep up and avoid dangerous drops in power.

[RM-rjok]

Please note, regular generators can damage in a long run your AC compresor!! Regular generators produce electical distortion THD above normal safety for sensitive equipment. Get a mini split AC system 110 volt and inverter generator instead! Inverter generators are 5% THD, while regular generators are above 23%. Make sure to avoid wet conditions, keep the generator above wet surfaces!! Never refuel when engine is running wait until is cool!!

[shenmisheshou]

The interlock is the absolute best approach other than a full standby generator, but a full standby generator only really works where there is natural gas. We have had two serious long duration power outages where I live (Texas) and the 4 day outage two years ago was brutal. I swore I would never be out of power for days again so I put in an interlock and a 5KW generator. This will not run my AC, but my summer outages then to be short (2-3 hours at most). The last ice storm knocked out power for 3.5 days, and I was one of the only people in the neighborhood that had a generator. I lived a normal life. Since then, 5 of my neighbors have put in interlocks and bought 5KW generators. They may never use them, but the know that if they needed power during a long freeze, they won't have to worry.