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mike

wrote:
Hello,
I have a desire to backup my refrigerator during power outages. Let's
say I buy a generator with sufficient power to do so. A whole house
transfer switch is not appropriate because the small generator is
nowhere near big enough to handle the whole house. The cord on the
refrigerator is very hard to get to because the refrigerator is built
in. If I were to run the 12-2 line that currently runs from the
outlet to the breaker box into a new box containing a SPDT switch and
wire it to connect the hot wire from the outlet to either the original
breaker or a heavy duty extension cord plugged into the generator,
would that meet code? (By code, I mean NEC, not local variations. I
don't want to ask a local inspector if the answer is going to be "no
way".)

If the above is not acceptable, how about cutting the line running to
the refrigerator outlet and then installing an outlet near the breaker
box and a plug to connect them back together? During a power outage,
I would remove the plug from the outlet and plug it into the extension
cord coming from the generator. Would having a plug and outlet in the
line violate code?

Here's a crude attempt at an ascii drawing (please view with a fixed
width font): == is 12-2 w gnd normal house wiring. -- is the
refrigerator cord plugged into the outlet behind the refrigerator.

Today:
Breaker-Box======================outletPlug-----Refrigerator

Idea #1:
Breaker-Box====SPDT-Switch=======outletPlug-----Refrigerator
||
||
||
Generator

Idea #2:
Breaker-Box===new-outletnew-plug====outletPlug-----Refrigerator

TIA for any advice,
Pat

I just went thru this exercise.
I found a new generator for dirt cheap at a garage sale.
I found another great deal on a DIY transfer switch that
hooks between the outputs of the breaker box and the house wiring.
I wish I'd been able to do the math before making the impulse purchase.

I discovered a couple of interesting things.
The NEC is subject to considerable interpretation.
There are at least two people you need to worry about.
1) the local electrical inspector.
2) the adjuster for your fire insurance carrier.
If you bypass #1, then #2 has grounds to deny your claim
when the place burns down. God help you if sparks
burn down the neighbor's house.

Life is a lot easier if you assume that the place will never
burn down. I've only been burned out twice in 63 years...what are
the odds????

The code pretty clearly states that anything ATTACHED to the structure
has to be permanently wired.
I asked my local inspector if I could put a plug on the furnace so I
could run the fans during a power outage. He said, "I don't see why not."
When pressed, he vacillated. I think he's the only one in the office,
so probably not an issue. In bigger offices, it may be a crap shoot
depending on who shows up for the inspection.
In your case, you could make a case for the built-in fridge not being
attached in the sense anticipated by the code, but the socket in the
wall is CLEARLY attached. Putting a plug on the other end of the wire
might be an issue.
You'll find many "projects" on the web that put regular wall switches
in circuits to facilitate generator connections. As I recall, you
must have switches actually rated for such service. Regular wall
switches ain't! I was gonna put a combo switch/socket
and back-feed just the furnace. I never found a combo SPDT switch
rated at the 20-amps required by that circuit. Would never have
passed inspection anyway.

When I had central air installed, I was amazed by the inspector.
He didn't look at the wiring at all. All he cared about was that
the breakers and switches all had the right stickers on 'em.
He failed the system and made the contractor replace a breaker
with one with the right sticker. So, it don't matter whether
the switches can actually do the job. What matters is that they
have a sticker that says they can do the job.

When I contemplated the transfer switch, I discovered that my house
has 30 feet of wire between the meter base and the first breaker.
This violates current code, big-time. There's some question about
what changes inside the breaker box might require bringing the whole
service entrance up to current code.
Even if everything turned out best case, the cost of the permits/inspection
was about the same as the cost of the generator.
Power doesn't go out much here.
And I have an unused freezer in the garage that could be pressed
into service in a food emergency.

If you have room, pick up a free fridge at a garage sale
and use it for emergencies on the generator...and for beer
when it's not an emergency.

Anybody wanna buy a new 5KW generator and an 8-circuit self-installable
transfer switch?