Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and
5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for
our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to
a single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually
a plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into
a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the
wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be
able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my
freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would
keep me from having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an
open window in cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be
too obtrusive such as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your idea at
all.

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and
5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for
our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar
to a single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is
actually a plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You
plug the female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the
other end into a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with
the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then
be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my
freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This
would keep me from having to run the extension cord from the generator
thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it
wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire running thru the side
of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your idea
at all.
Let me make this easier for you:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3D189

On Sep 15, 8:20*pm, "Mark" wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. *I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on *the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. *This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. *You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. *Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. *I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. *This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. *Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? *Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

That's what I did. Works great.

KC

Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and
5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for
our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect
an extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks
similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover
is actually a plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector.
You plug the female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the
other end into a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement.
I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord from
the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it wasn't
in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire running
thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
Hi,
Easiest thing to do will be to go to your local RV shop and get an pid
tail adapter or whatever you need. I used to own a fair size 5th wheel.
I made an adapter with receptacles and proper gauge cable to get power
to the unit in any camp ground. It worked fine and was very convenient.

On Sep 15, 8:20*pm, "Mark" wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. *I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on *the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. *This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. *You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. *Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. *I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. *This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. *Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? *Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the outage.

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and
5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for
our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to
a single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually
a plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into
a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the
wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be
able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my
freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would
keep me from having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an
open window in cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be
too obtrusive such as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
Thanks everyone, and RBM for the link to exactly what I'm looking for! I
hacked around on the web and hadn't come across anything like that. I'll
check the local electric supply shops (now that I know what to ask for!) and
see if I can get one for the weekend! It's been 1 yr since Hurricane Ike
went thru Ohio and we were without power for a week. Wasn't all that much
of an issue then because the weather was warm, but I'm sure the next time it
will be 20 below and I certainly don't want to have a window cracked to run
the wire thru!

Thanks again....

Since it's not completely clear from your post, if that outlet is
normally powered from the house wiring, make sure you have a way to
disconnect the "inlet" from it when not in use, so you don't have
powered prongs outside that someone could touch...

I'm only going to bring a line in from this device to a duplex outlet
mounted on the basement wall. From there I'll bring my extension cords up
to the Refrig and living area. My generator isn't big enough to use a
transfer switch and try and power the entire house. (if our power was less
reliable I'd be going that route for sure).


"Eric in North TX" wrote in message
...
On Sep 15, 8:20 pm, "Mark" wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to
a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into
a
power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the
wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer,
refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the outage.

On Sep 16, 1:31*am, "Mark" wrote:
I'm only going to bring a line in from this device to a duplex outlet
mounted on the basement wall. *From there I'll bring my extension cords up
to the Refrig and living area. *My generator isn't big enough to use a
transfer switch and try and power the entire house. (if our power was less
reliable I'd be going that route for sure).

"Eric in North TX" wrote in ...
On Sep 15, 8:20 pm, "Mark" wrote:





Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to
a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into
a
power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the
wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer,
refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the outage.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think Mark is exactly 'on the mark'. The 220 volt comment is really
unnecessary and not what he is mentioning or requires.
His solution means that if/when the commercial power fails, he will
manually unplug his fridge etc. from their regular outlet/s and plug
them in to this special outlet which will be powered only from his
generator outside.
There would appear to be no chance whatsoever of having his generator
output be connected in any way with the 'normal' AC distribution of
the house. Hence no chance of electrocuting a linesman!
A neat way as Mark says of not having to run an extension cord through
a window during winter.

"Larry The Snake Guy" wrote in message
...
Since it's not completely clear from your post, if that outlet is
normally powered from the house wiring, make sure you have a way to
disconnect the "inlet" from it when not in use, so you don't have
powered prongs outside that someone could touch...

Sorry for the confusion Larry. This will be a 'closed circuit so to speak.
The flanged inlet mounted on the outside of the house with about 6 ft of
wire between it and the duplex outlet inside on the basement wall. It will
only be energized when a cord is attached to the flanged inlet from the
generator. I'll label the outlet appropriately so people will know why it
is dead most of the time, as well as put a sheet with instructions for it's
use near by. I.E. "Power from Generator only. Connect Generator to flanged
inlet on side of house to energize."

Which suggests that a proper transfer switch is a better
idea. He did suggest wiring the inlet to a socket in the
cellar, and then running cords from that. So, the OP didn't
sound like he was going to power up the wires in the walls
of his house.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Eric in North TX" wrote in message
...

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you
will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would
be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow
disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the
outage.

I hear you, about power cuts. I'm in NY, not far from Ohio.
We do power cuts in the winter, which are miserable. The
cold soaks into homes in a hurry, when the furnace is out. I
live in a mobile home. For me, the front door is loose
enough to run a cord under. I run the furnace off the
generator for about an hour and then let the generator cool,
and bring it indoors.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Mark" wrote in message
...

Thanks everyone, and RBM for the link to exactly what I'm
looking for! I
hacked around on the web and hadn't come across anything
like that. I'll
check the local electric supply shops (now that I know what
to ask for!) and
see if I can get one for the weekend! It's been 1 yr since
Hurricane Ike
went thru Ohio and we were without power for a week. Wasn't
all that much
of an issue then because the weather was warm, but I'm sure
the next time it
will be 20 below and I certainly don't want to have a window
cracked to run
the wire thru!

Thanks again....

He did write that he wants to wire the reverse socket into a
regular socket in the cellar. Run power cords from the
regular socket in the cellar.

One more thing to prepare in advance. Harvest an electrical
cord off an old appliance, such as dehumidifier, or AC.
Store that near the furnace. When the power is out, you can
open the connection box on the side of the furnace. Using
wire nuts, connect the old electric cord to the furnace
wires, and then you can plug your furnace into extension
cord. Please reconnect the hard wired power, later.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Larry The Snake Guy" wrote in message
...
Since it's not completely clear from your post, if that
outlet is
normally powered from the house wiring, make sure you have a
way to
disconnect the "inlet" from it when not in use, so you don't
have
powered prongs outside that someone could touch...

The plan needs a couple things. First, the power cord to the
furnace. Second, generators are a very high theft item
during power cuts. While running, they should be chained to
a tree, and preferably watched at all times.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"stan" wrote in message
...

I think Mark is exactly 'on the mark'. The 220 volt comment
is really
unnecessary and not what he is mentioning or requires.
His solution means that if/when the commercial power fails,
he will
manually unplug his fridge etc. from their regular outlet/s
and plug
them in to this special outlet which will be powered only
from his
generator outside.
There would appear to be no chance whatsoever of having his
generator
output be connected in any way with the 'normal' AC
distribution of
the house. Hence no chance of electrocuting a linesman!
A neat way as Mark says of not having to run an extension
cord through
a window during winter.

On Sep 16, 6:37*am, "Mark" wrote:

Sorry for the confusion Larry. *This will be a 'closed circuit so to speak.
The flanged inlet *mounted on the outside of the house with about 6 ft of
wire between it and the duplex outlet inside on the basement wall. *It will
only be energized when a cord is attached to the flanged inlet from the
generator.

I assumed that was what you meant, but thought it was worth making
sure.

Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such. This
device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source. Anyone
know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd
then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This breaker
will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your generator
puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your house
(lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the capacity of
your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

On Sep 16, 8:22*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
He did write that he wants to wire the reverse socket into a
regular socket in the cellar. Run power cords from the
regular socket in the cellar.

One more thing to prepare in advance. Harvest an electrical
cord off an old appliance, such as dehumidifier, or AC.
Store that near the furnace. When the power is out, you can
open the connection box on the side of the furnace. Using
wire nuts, connect the old electric cord to the furnace
wires, and then you can plug your furnace into extension
cord. Please reconnect the hard wired power, later.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"Larry The Snake Guy" wrote in ...
Since it's not completely clear from your post, if that
outlet is
normally powered from the house wiring, make sure you have a
way to
disconnect the "inlet" from it when not in use, so you don't
have
powered prongs outside that someone could touch...

A better remedy is to install a flanged inlet of the proper size in a
Jbox at the furnace and to place a double pole double throw switch
such as this offering from Hubbel.
http://www.hubbellcatalog.com/wiring...3,1205 0,1099
--
Tom Horne

"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such. This
device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd
then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This
breaker will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your generator
puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your
house (lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the
capacity of your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

Thanks folks for all these suggestions. I may apply some of them once I get
the wiring for connecting the generator installed (procrastinated as usual,
but want to do it before the weather turns cold!)

I had even looked into something like you're suggesting H-B. In fact I'm
really lucky that when I had a new panel put in a few years ago the
electrician actually put the circuits in in such a way that my furnace,
Refrig, and a lighting circuit in the family room / kitchen, Master Bedroom,
and bath all fall on the same side of the panel! (Purely blind luck I'm
sure since he didn't bother to label any of these and I had to go thru the
house figuring them all out!)

Mark wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my
basement. I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into
this, and then supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the
outlet in the basement. This would keep me from having to run the
extension cord from the generator thru an open window in cold
weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive
such as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these
lines?

Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This
breaker will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your
generator puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your
house (lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the
capacity of your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

Thanks folks for all these suggestions. I may apply some of them once
I get the wiring for connecting the generator installed
(procrastinated as usual, but want to do it before the weather turns
cold!)
I had even looked into something like you're suggesting H-B. In fact
I'm really lucky that when I had a new panel put in a few years ago
the electrician actually put the circuits in in such a way that my
furnace, Refrig, and a lighting circuit in the family room / kitchen,
Master Bedroom, and bath all fall on the same side of the panel! (Purely
blind luck I'm sure since he didn't bother to label any of
these and I had to go thru the house figuring them all out!)

Check the web site of your breaker box manufacturer. Some have a gizmo that
functions as an emergency disconnect. Here's how it works.

The circuit breaker(s) that connect to your generator plug is mounted in the
top-right slot of your box. The gizmo is a flat piece of metal that touches
both the mains switch and this circuit breaker and the gizmo slides back and
forth. The geometry is such that both the mains switch and the circuit
breaker cannot both be on at the same time.

The mains switch cannot be turned ON unless the circuit breaker is OFF.
Likewise the circuit breaker cannot be turned ON unless the mains switch is
OFF. The purpose is to prevent the service line from being energized by your
generator.

On Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:20:03 -0400, "Mark" wrote:

Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
Get one from yiour local RV dealer.

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:33:46 -0400, Van Chocstraw
wrote:

RBM wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs and
5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for
our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. This device looks similar to
a single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually
a plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into
a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the
wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd then be
able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my
freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. This would
keep me from having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an
open window in cold weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be
too obtrusive such as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your idea at
all.


I use an outside 220 volt dryer outlet to plug in my generator. I made a
cord with the standard 4 prong drier and put an L14-30 connector on the
other end to plug in my generator ( being sure to power off the MAIN
BREAKER before) That will power the entire house. Of course you want to
manage your loads and not run everything at the same time. You might
also want to shut off the (electric)water heater and (electric)oven
during generator time unless you have a really big one.


Officially illegal and dangerous, but often done.
I would not recommend it.

On Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:24:00 -0700 (PDT), Eric in North TX
wrote:

On Sep 15, 8:20Â*pm, "Mark" wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. Â*I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on Â*the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. Â*This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. Â*You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. Â*Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. Â*I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. Â*This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Â*Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Â*Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the outage.


From what he said he's only making a "feed through extention cord" to
get power INTO the hose. Sounds like a couple of extention cords to
connect selected important loads as required.

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:20:02 -0700 (PDT), Tom Horne
wrote:

On Sep 15, 11:24Â*pm, Eric in North TX wrote:
On Sep 15, 8:20Â*pm, "Mark" wrote:



Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. Â*I think on RVs and 5th
wheels, and I know on Â*the 'beer wagon' get from the distributor for our
church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle where you connect an
extension cord to power the lights and such. Â*This device looks similar to a
single receptacle with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a
plug (male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. Â*You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other end into a
power source. Â*Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a standard
exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house with the wiring
running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. Â*I'd then be able to
plug a cord from my generator into this, and then supply my freezer, refrig,
lights, etc. from the outlet in the basement. Â*This would keep me from
having to run the extension cord from the generator thru an open window in
cold weather. Â*Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such
as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Â*Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark

The suggestion of the RV shop is on the mark. A couple of
considerations, if you are energizing the house wiring, you will only
hit half of it unless you are putting in 220v, and it would be
required that you throw the main breaker or somehow disconnect from
the grid, so you don't fry linemen trying to repair the outage.

Eric
Please don't take this as a personal attack when I point out that many
homes do not have a single main breaker. There are literally millions
of homes in the US that have split buss panels for their service
equipment. I run into cross connected circuits all the time when I'm
doing trouble shooting and such a cross connection can provide a
sneak current path that can bypass one open breaker and back feed via
another one. Considering the variability of electrical service
installations it really is necessary to use only listed transfer
switches or interlock assemblies to supply a homes wiring from an
alternate source of power. To do anything else is to gamble with
lineman's lives.


Connecting to a DEDICATED duplex receptacle that is not connected to
anything else can in no POSSIBLE way result in cross-connections,
backfeeds, or ANY other illegal or dangerous eventuality. It is NO
gamble.

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:55:47 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such. This
device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source. Anyone
know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd
then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This breaker
will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your generator
puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your house
(lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the capacity of
your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

Still ILLEGAL and potentially dangerous.

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:22:44 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

He did write that he wants to wire the reverse socket into a
regular socket in the cellar. Run power cords from the
regular socket in the cellar.

One more thing to prepare in advance. Harvest an electrical
cord off an old appliance, such as dehumidifier, or AC.
Store that near the furnace. When the power is out, you can
open the connection box on the side of the furnace. Using
wire nuts, connect the old electric cord to the furnace
wires, and then you can plug your furnace into extension
cord. Please reconnect the hard wired power, later.


Connect the furnace with a plug into a receptacle to start with and it
becomes as simple as "pull the plug, plug it in".

wrote:
On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:55:47 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my
basement. I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into
this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when
it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old
wire running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these
lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This
breaker will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your
generator puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in
your house (lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed
the capacity of your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

Still ILLEGAL and potentially dangerous.

Absolutely legal.

Breaker-box manufacturers even make interconnect lock-outs to facilitate
this sequence.
http://stores.interlockkit.com/-strs...O-&/Detail.bok

These kits mechanically tie the main power switch to the circuit breaker fed
by the generator.

Such is true. The NEC specifies hard wired, not sure why.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:22:44 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"


Connect the furnace with a plug into a receptacle to start
with and it
becomes as simple as "pull the plug, plug it in".

"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up cover,
but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a receptacle
(female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of an extension
cord into this, and the other end into a power source. Anyone know
what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement.
I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your
idea at all.
I use an outside 220 volt dryer outlet to plug in my generator. I made a
cord with the standard 4 prong drier and put an L14-30 connector on the
other end to plug in my generator ( being sure to power off the MAIN
BREAKER before) That will power the entire house. Of course you want to
manage your loads and not run everything at the same time. You might
also want to shut off the (electric)water heater and (electric)oven
during generator time unless you have a really big one.

What is an "outside 220 volt dryer outlet" ? I would expect that most
people keep their electric dryers inside, no?
You just get a dryer outlet and put it in an outside box. Put an L14-30P
instead if you like.

Truthfully, I find either, just as dangerous

RBM wrote:
"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up cover,
but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a receptacle
(female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of an extension
cord into this, and the other end into a power source. Anyone know
what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement.
I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your
idea at all.
I use an outside 220 volt dryer outlet to plug in my generator. I made a
cord with the standard 4 prong drier and put an L14-30 connector on the
other end to plug in my generator ( being sure to power off the MAIN
BREAKER before) That will power the entire house. Of course you want to
manage your loads and not run everything at the same time. You might
also want to shut off the (electric)water heater and (electric)oven
during generator time unless you have a really big one.
What is an "outside 220 volt dryer outlet" ? I would expect that most
people keep their electric dryers inside, no?
You just get a dryer outlet and put it in an outside box. Put an L14-30P
instead if you like.

Truthfully, I find either, just as dangerous



Anything that heats main breaker box without a proper transfer switch is
stupid, and should be illegal. (probably is in some places.) This has
been discussed multiple times on here before. Sure, YOU know what is
going on. But what if you are gone, sick, injured, or dead, and some
helpful neighbor comes over to help your wife and kids? And then, around
0200, the borrowed out-of-state lineman truck finally makes it through
to your neighborhood, and reconnects that dropped line down the street
that feeds your can? Hopefully he checks the dropped line and follows
all the safety procedures, but when the calls are stacked up and he has
been on duty for 18-20 hours, well, sometimes things happen. It just
ain't worth the risk.

If you aren't willing/able to spend the money for a proper setup, put
the critical devices (furnace, well, etc) on pigtails, and have a
completely separate set of wires out to the genset. OP is doing it the
right low-buck way.

--
aem sends....

HeyBub wrote:
Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such. This
device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source. Anyone
know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement. I'd
then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This breaker
will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your generator
puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your house
(lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the capacity of
your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

That is completely illegal and very unsafe. Use this rule of thumb when
hooking up generators... If you can accidentally send power from the
generator to the mains coming into the house, (forget to turn off the
main off) it is dangerous, illegal, and can kill someone. Why not just
do it safe and legally? It's really not that difficult.

Mark wrote:

"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Mark wrote:
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement.
I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.
Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?


Once you find the outlet, wire it to a new breaker in the box. This
breaker will normally be left in the OFF position.

When the power fails:
1. Flip the main switch to OFF
2. Flip this new breaker to ON
3. Start the generator

You now have power to half your house (or all your house if your
generator puts out 220 and you used a dual breaker).

You can modulate the load on your generator by keeping things in your
house (lights, microwave, etc.) powered off so as to not exceed the
capacity of your generator.

When the power returns:
1. Power down the generator
2. Unplug the cable
3. Turn OFF the new circuit breaker(s)
4. Turn the mains back ON

Thanks folks for all these suggestions. I may apply some of them once I
get the wiring for connecting the generator installed (procrastinated as
usual, but want to do it before the weather turns cold!)

I had even looked into something like you're suggesting H-B. In fact
I'm really lucky that when I had a new panel put in a few years ago the
electrician actually put the circuits in in such a way that my furnace,
Refrig, and a lighting circuit in the family room / kitchen, Master
Bedroom, and bath all fall on the same side of the panel! (Purely blind
luck I'm sure since he didn't bother to label any of these and I had to
go thru the house figuring them all out!)


From your other post "My generator isn't big enough to use a transfer
switch and try and power the entire house."

Why not do it safe and legal? A transfer switch isn't as complex as you
think. You can run the above mentioned circuits through the transfer
switch easily and safely. Only a very large generator would use a
transfer switch to power the entire house. You can get a transfer
switch that powers only 4, 6, or 8 or more circuits. Sounds like you
only need 4 or 6.

Van Chocstraw wrote:
RBM wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on RVs
and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse' receptacle
where you connect an extension cord to power the lights and such.
This device looks similar to a single receptacle with a flip-up
cover, but under the cover is actually a plug (male) rather than a
receptacle (female) connector. You plug the female 'outlet' end of
an extension cord into this, and the other end into a power source.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my house
with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my basement.
I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into this, and then
supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the outlet in the
basement. This would keep me from having to run the extension cord
from the generator thru an open window in cold weather. Also when it
wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive such as a plain old wire
running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with your
idea at all.

I use an outside 220 volt dryer outlet to plug in my generator. I made a
cord with the standard 4 prong drier and put an L14-30 connector on the
other end to plug in my generator ( being sure to power off the MAIN
BREAKER before) That will power the entire house. Of course you want to
manage your loads and not run everything at the same time. You might
also want to shut off the (electric)water heater and (electric)oven
during generator time unless you have a really big one.

It isn't very difficult to do the job safely and legally. Why risk
killing a linesman?

aemeijers wrote:
RBM wrote:
"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Van Chocstraw" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Kind of hard to describe what I'm looking for here. I think on
RVs and 5th wheels, and I know on the 'beer wagon' get from the
distributor for our church festival, there is a 'reverse'
receptacle where you connect an extension cord to power the
lights and such. This device looks similar to a single receptacle
with a flip-up cover, but under the cover is actually a plug
(male) rather than a receptacle (female) connector. You plug the
female 'outlet' end of an extension cord into this, and the other
end into a power source. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

What I want to do, if I can find such a thing that would fit on a
standard exterior electric box, is mount one on the back of my
house with the wiring running to a standard outlet mounted in my
basement. I'd then be able to plug a cord from my generator into
this, and then supply my freezer, refrig, lights, etc. from the
outlet in the basement. This would keep me from having to run the
extension cord from the generator thru an open window in cold
weather. Also when it wasn't in use it wouldn't be too obtrusive
such as a plain old wire running thru the side of the house.

Any thoughts on this? Or other ideas for something along these
lines?

Mark
It is called a flanged inlet, or motor plug. Nothing wrong with
your idea at all.
I use an outside 220 volt dryer outlet to plug in my generator. I
made a cord with the standard 4 prong drier and put an L14-30
connector on the other end to plug in my generator ( being sure to
power off the MAIN BREAKER before) That will power the entire
house. Of course you want to manage your loads and not run
everything at the same time. You might also want to shut off the
(electric)water heater and (electric)oven during generator time
unless you have a really big one.
What is an "outside 220 volt dryer outlet" ? I would expect that
most people keep their electric dryers inside, no?
You just get a dryer outlet and put it in an outside box. Put an
L14-30P instead if you like.

Truthfully, I find either, just as dangerous


Anything that heats main breaker box without a proper transfer switch is
stupid, and should be illegal. (probably is in some places.) This has
been discussed multiple times on here before. Sure, YOU know what is
going on. But what if you are gone, sick, injured, or dead, and some
helpful neighbor comes over to help your wife and kids? And then, around
0200, the borrowed out-of-state lineman truck finally makes it through
to your neighborhood, and reconnects that dropped line down the street
that feeds your can? Hopefully he checks the dropped line and follows
all the safety procedures, but when the calls are stacked up and he has
been on duty for 18-20 hours, well, sometimes things happen. It just
ain't worth the risk.

Hopefully the linesman is careful, sees the danger, but hooks it up
anyway... instantly destroying the generator. :-) (The grid power will
hardly flicker as the generator is destroyed) If I were the linesman
I'd do it purposely just to **** with the cheap ass idiots who don't
give a **** about the law or the life of the linesman.