My latest project getting ready for winter

[truckin88 104]

Last winter we got 4 feet of snow and lost power for 4 days, hoping that does not happen again, but this time I am prepared.

This is a very cool manual interlock kit, sold by generator technologies, it requires the modifying (3 drill holes drilled with provided drill bit) of the panel cover to mount a manual lockout for the main and generator breaker. You also have to move some breakers around and install a new dual pole 30amp (you could do a 50 amp and a 50 outlet box, it just did not meet my needs) This kit allows you to access all your circuits (of course you need to pick and choose because the gene will only handle so much) and since my builder put my panel in my finished sheetrocked first level, it eliminates the need for a sub panel. It is UL listed and meets the NEC. It is only simple metal pieces, but it does lockout the main and generator breaker from being on at the same time, preventing back feeding of the utility, which is what sometimes happens when people backfeed their dryer outlet, which can injure or kill linemen.

The kit cost me $170, then I had to get the outlet box, breaker, wire, and seal tight.

[truckin88 104]

And here is my power source, while looking for a gene on craigs, there was an add for an Ace Hardware about 50 minutes away blowing out DEK 5650 gene's. After a google search for reviews and finding that home depot had the second lowest price, but was $250 more, my old man and I nabbed 2. It is only pull start, but for $499, we are not going to complain.