Off Grid Portable Generator Hook UP Original Message Dec 5, 2012 10:03 am
I've mentioned in the past that I have a fairly large diesel generator at camp. There is no electrical power service out there and no "grid" to hook up to. So the camp is entirely independent of any other power source. With that said, I've recently purchased a small 2kw inverter generator that I would prefer to use to watch TV and provide some lighting rather than cranking up the big diesel unit. I calculate that I will need less than 500 watts from the generator to provide the power for light duty applications.
The camp is wired as per normal North American code. It has a panel with main breaker and I have fuses instead of breakers. My intention is to plug the small generator into an external outlet to feed the camp. From what I've read, there may be a problem supplying all of the outlets/lights in the camp due to only "one leg" only being powered due to using the 120 volt outlet. I don't have any 240 volt outlets in the camp and the generator doesn't have a 240 output.
My question is: If it's correct that I will only be able to power half of the electrical panel/camp circuits, is there an easy way around this? I.e. running another extension cord from an activated outlet to a non activated outlet?
