Runaway Tractor
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This has been my project for the last two weeks, in between chemotherapy and deer season. Installed a 125 amp subpanel in the garge. Powering my Ford Charge Station Pro (FCSP), a 14-50R receptacle, a 20 amp receptacle, and power outside to my patio. Also integrated a generator inlet in the garage, so I can power up my house with Pro Power Onboard without having to go outside park the truck on the lawn at my existing generator inlet. BLUF: It all works and I am confident it will not burn down my house!
FCSP operating at maximum power (80 amp). I torqued all terminals and lugs to spec. Then after it was running at full 80amp load for an hourse, I checked every terminal, lug, and breaker with my FLIR thermal camera. Breaker lugs are rated max 75C. All other terminals and wires are rated max 90C. All were 30-40C! I plan to check them all again in a month to make sure nothing has gotten loose. But I don't forsee finding anything wrong in a month or years.
Generator inlet powering my house as I type this post. Since I already have a generator inlet on the side of that house, I needed to use a manual transfer switch (MTS) to select which inlet I want to use. If I just put them two inlets in parallel, the male prongs of the unused outlet would be energized for some idiot to stick their fingers in. It would also allow some idiot to accidentally hook up two sources at the same time, which would probably be exiting to watch from a distance. So I put in that double-throw switch to select which inlet gets sent to the interlock breaker on the main panel. In the spirt of simplification by elimination, I hard wired the generator cable rather than putting in another inlet. For the code nazis, close your eyes for 30 seconds. The ground is disconnected where the generator cable enters the subpanel. This prevents the truck's GFCI protection from tripping due to the house's ground-neutral bond. The truck and the cable are protected by the truck's ground and GFCI. The subpanel onward are protected by the house's ground-neutral bond as it always is. It is perfectly safe, there is absolutely no loss of protection of any kind anywhere. If you're going to make 2 page long rambling comment about how this is wrong, save your keystrokes please.
This also required rewiring my flagpole lights and an existing outlet on the side of the house. That old hot mess is now done up all nice with a photocell, switch, and the new 20 amp duplex in an in-use cover. Those are all on a new 20 amp GFCI breaker no the main panel. The conduit trough made wiring all those connections very simple.
Pictures from the work in progress.
FCSP operating at maximum power (80 amp). I torqued all terminals and lugs to spec. Then after it was running at full 80amp load for an hourse, I checked every terminal, lug, and breaker with my FLIR thermal camera. Breaker lugs are rated max 75C. All other terminals and wires are rated max 90C. All were 30-40C! I plan to check them all again in a month to make sure nothing has gotten loose. But I don't forsee finding anything wrong in a month or years.
Generator inlet powering my house as I type this post. Since I already have a generator inlet on the side of that house, I needed to use a manual transfer switch (MTS) to select which inlet I want to use. If I just put them two inlets in parallel, the male prongs of the unused outlet would be energized for some idiot to stick their fingers in. It would also allow some idiot to accidentally hook up two sources at the same time, which would probably be exiting to watch from a distance. So I put in that double-throw switch to select which inlet gets sent to the interlock breaker on the main panel. In the spirt of simplification by elimination, I hard wired the generator cable rather than putting in another inlet. For the code nazis, close your eyes for 30 seconds. The ground is disconnected where the generator cable enters the subpanel. This prevents the truck's GFCI protection from tripping due to the house's ground-neutral bond. The truck and the cable are protected by the truck's ground and GFCI. The subpanel onward are protected by the house's ground-neutral bond as it always is. It is perfectly safe, there is absolutely no loss of protection of any kind anywhere. If you're going to make 2 page long rambling comment about how this is wrong, save your keystrokes please.
This also required rewiring my flagpole lights and an existing outlet on the side of the house. That old hot mess is now done up all nice with a photocell, switch, and the new 20 amp duplex in an in-use cover. Those are all on a new 20 amp GFCI breaker no the main panel. The conduit trough made wiring all those connections very simple.
Pictures from the work in progress.
