Easy way to safely access backup power for home and free (for some PG&E customers)

[Wsh68]

As some of you may know, PG&E has been in the headlines for flipping the breaker when certain areas are under threat of fire. Usually during high wind events in CA. We live in the country and depend on a water well. PGE has tried to mitigate the issues by offering free powerwalls (I missed that one), free 240V generators (meh, got that already) but recently they’ve offered a device like this one. https://www.generlink.com/ for free to us. I read the specs and signed up. a Few weeks ago they showed up and installed it on our meter in under 30 minutes. Their guy had me sign the paperwork, he briefly explained it, handed my a 35 foot cord and instructions and took off. Although the plug should fit our 240V bed outlet, it’s too fat and hits the dust/rain flap so it cannot be inserted properly. So I ordered an 8 foot heavy duty extension here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JJPS7D?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details and it’s perfect for the job. So now for under $50 I have exactly what I need to power our house (I’ll have to shut off the spa, one water heater and not run the dryer) but otherwise we should be good to go for the winter. I know not everyone can get One of these from their utility but in some states you can purchase one and the utility will install it for you. For us, it’s really a great solution. We lost power for a week a few years ago and playing Games with a noisy generator and extension cords, gas cans etc for old real quick. Hope this helps others. The whole setup takes me under 2 minutes to connect in the event we lose Power. Some pics and few relevant links.
https://www.pge.com/en_US/residenti...ngs-programs/backup-power-transfer-meter.page

A

 

[frautumn]

Thanks for this info, I had not heard of this device or the PGE program to provide them for free. Note that the PGE link you provided mentions that the program is over for 2023 but will be resumed again in 2024.

I am in a Tier 2 Fire threat area, so should qualify. For anyone wondering, I found the Tier map here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5bdb921d747a46929d9f00dbdb6d0fa2

Do you know what the max power usage can be when using the 240 outlet? I assume it's about 7.2 KW (30 amp x 240V), does that sound right?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Sounds like you've already done a test, no problems with main panel bonded neutral tripping the PPOB GFCI?

 

[Maquis]

Do you know what the max power usage can be when using the 240 outlet? I assume it's about 7.2 KW (30 amp x 240V), does that sound right?

Yes.

 

[zeus2023]

The Generlink website has a list of compatible generators which indicates it is not compatible with F-150 (which I assume includes the Lightning.....

 

[sd25]

Hi @Wsh68 thanks for posting!

Have you had a chance to test it out yet? Just wondering if it actually works without throwing any faults.

If it works well, then this looks like exactly the solution I've been looking for!

 

[bmwhitetx]

Watched the video. I'm guessing he can't test until power actually goes out. The auto-transfer switch is internal to the device and between the meter and main breaker.

 

[Wsh68]

Watched the video. I'm guessing he can't test until power actually goes out. The auto-transfer switch is internal to the device and between the meter and main breaker.

I asked the PGE installer if I could do a quick test. He said “not really since it’s grid dependent“. I think the biggest challenge will be for me to calculate what I can leave on and what I need to turn off in order to not pop circuits on the Lightning. We are 100% electric so there’s lots of things to leave on and or turn off until we get full power back. We also have a 14KW solar array but that won’t be of any use when the grid Is down.

 

[Wsh68]

The Generlink website has a list of compatible generators which indicates it is not compatible with F-150 (which I assume includes the Lightning.....

Interesting that they even list it. I won’t know until we lose power and if need be I’ll haul out the big Yamaha genset we have.

 

[davehu]

will be interesting to see

Interesting that they even list it. I won’t know until we lose power and if need be I’ll haul out the big Yamaha genset we have.

will be interesting to see. have bookmarked this thread and waiting until you can report. thanks for the info

 

[Henry Ford]

Holy cow that is so much easier than the neutral switching transfer switch I installed!

 

[Maquis]

Holy cow that is so much easier than the neutral switching transfer switch I installed!

But you know yours will work.
If I had to place a bet, my money would on GFCI trip for the Generlink.

 

[Henry Ford]

But you know yours will work.
If I had to place a bet, my money would on GFCI trip for the Generlink.

I think you are probably right. There's no getting around the fact that branch circuit neutrals are bonded to ground at the main panel. The Lightning really hates that.

 

[Wsh68]

will be interesting to see

will be interesting to see. have bookmarked this thread and waiting until you can report. thanks for the info

See below.

Interesting that they even list it. I won’t know until we lose power and if need be I’ll haul out the big Yamaha genset we have.

FYI…see below. Had the chance this morning to test it.

 

[Wsh68]

I figured we would go all season without a power outage. Some bozo hit a pole around 8 AM this morning and took out power to our side of town. I didn’t know how long it would be out so I raced to set it up. Took me longer to back the truck up than anything else. 3 minutes and we were powering our house with the Lightning. We are still out of power and I’ve played Around a bit to pressure test it. Tesla charges no problem, well runs fine, water heater all good and the coffee maker does its thing All at the same time and we didn’t even get close to the limit. Granted, we won’t fire up the hot tub nor the electric clothes dryer but this is perfect for our situation. Basically, our house is fully functioning. my wife signed up for PG&E text alerts so we know when it comes back on. Otherwise, we’d have no idea And that’s how I like it. Anyway, this is the ticket to getting power in to your house and it was FREE from PG&E. I think the off the shelf system is about $600 in other states.