Be Careful About Back Feeding Power Panel From Generator

[Bruce Wrenn]

Most larger (4000 watt +) generators have a 220 outlet. Unless your outlet is a four prong (including ground,) then you don't have a neutral. This means what goes out on one leg of 220 has to come back on the other. As an example, coffee pot is on one leg, and alarm clock is on the other, without a neutral, it's good bye alarm clock. You may substitute anything that draws less current than device on other leg (big screen, control board for fridge, computer, etc.) They will become a TOAST, and in short order. DAMHIK Please don't consider making a "suicide cord," the kind with male plugs on both ends. Remember that power company will pull meter from any house that has generator running and doesn't have it fed through a transfer switch. Better safe than sorry!

[Wade Lippman]

I agree that backfeeding an outlet is a bad idea. There are just too many things that can go wrong. But I am not sure this is one of them if your generator has a bonded ground.
The neutral and ground of your house are connected at the panel. If the ground is connected to the ground of your generator, then you effectively have a neutral in your generator.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Generators generally don't have a bonded ground, due to the nature of their windings. They have two sets of 110 windings which are connected together to make 220, with no neutral between them.

[Ed Labadie]

My welder/generator states on the front panel "neutral bonded to frame".

Ed

[Bruce Wrenn]

My welder/generator states on the front panel "neutral bonded to frame".

Ed

"Welder / Generator" key words. Not a dime store generator

[Ole Anderson]

"Welder / Generator" key words. Not a dime store generator

Dime store, now there is a blast from the past...

[John Lanciani]

Generators generally don't have a bonded ground, due to the nature of their windings. They have two sets of 110 windings which are connected together to make 220, with no neutral between them.

http://www.generlink.com/files/123356851.pdf. Actually, if you look on this list which is fairly comprehensive, it is about a 50/50 split between generators with a bonded neutral and a floating neutral.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Best I can remember NEC doesn't allow ground to serve as a neutral. Older dryers and stoves did though. Basically unless your generator has a four prong 220 plug, I wouldn't use it to feed thru a 220 breaker/outlet. I converted one of my generators to a four prong outlet, but requires some understanding of how wiring in generator works. Because I own several hundred feet of cords, I just use cords to connect up desired appliances. This way when power comes back on, the lights that were left on tell us "power's back!"