Using 2024 Lightning Flash During Power Outage

[clemmcbee]

Howdy all not real good at researching or posting yet so appreciate your patience with me I wanted to get input from the experts!
I have a 240v 30a 4 prong plug (nema 14-30 i think) generator connection on the outside of the house installed by an electrician to the main panel complete with a main utility disconnect. I have a 25 foot heavy duty cord that is generally used with a generator to this outside connect to provide power during an outage.

I dont have any of the Sunrun charging connections yet.

Can I just connect the 240 cable to the lightning thats in the bed to the outside connection above and flip the utility lockout and have some temporary power?

Thanks all for your help and insight!

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[Dino]

Howdy all not real good at researching or posting yet so appreciate your patience with me I wanted to get input from the experts!
I have a 240v 30a 4 prong plug (nema 14-30 i think) generator connection on the outside of the house installed by an electrician to the main panel complete with a main utility disconnect. I have a 25 foot heavy duty cord that is generally used with a generator to this outside connect to provide power during an outage.

I dont have any of the Sunrun charging connections yet.

Can I just connect the 240 cable to the lightning thats in the bed to the outside connection above and flip the utility lockout and have some temporary power?

Thanks all for your help and insight!

Usually there is a ground fault detected by the truck and it then cuts power to the PPOB 240v outlet. There are ways around this, research the forums, some are questionable but work for emergency situations.

 

[clemmcbee]

THANK YOU!!!

 

[blitzlinger]

What I did for my situation is have a short 30A (L14-30P) to 50A (CS6364N) generator inlet adapter to use with a longer 30A (L14-30P to L14-30R) generator cable, but on one end of the short adapter have the ground disconnected internally. I also labeled the short adapter without the ground connection for F-150 Lightning Pro Power use only, and essentially stays with the truck.

These trucks have a bonded neutral, so they need to be separated from the house panel ground or else the truck's GFCI trips and throws you a ground fault error.

 

[clemmcbee]

WOW that sounds like a good setup!!! Could I trouble you to post a photo of the ends and where you isolated the ground - I think I got it and this sounds like a simple deal without getting tangled up with the panel!!! OUTSTANDING AND THANK YOU!!!!

 

[chl]

If you remove the ground connection just remember, the neutral is bonded to the truck body.
In your house panel the neutral is bonded and grounded to earth ground.
If the ground you are standing on is wet, and you touch the truck body, you could be come part of a neutral return path (when there is current on the neutral which is the usual case in a split phase house panel set up).

Yes, it actually happened to someone who did that. Sure the GFCI will trip after you feel the shock.

The proper way to power a dwelling, according to code, from a bonded generator (which the Lightning outlet is) is to use a transfer switch that switches the neutrals so the utility neutral in the panel is not connected to the generator neutral and the neutral is only bonded in one place (at the generator). Also the bonded generator should be grounded to earth ground with a grounding rod.

Sure a neutral switching transfer switch will cost you about $400 (Generac 6853 for example), but you paid upward of $50k for your truck, so what is another $400?

You can still use an unbonded generator with such a transfer switch by plugging in a bonding plug into one of the generator's unused outlet (a plug that connects the neutral to the ground which you can buy for under $10 or make your self) thereby making it a bonded generator - just remember to use a ground rod when you use any bonded generator, including the Lightning.

Neutral bonding plug: https: // www.youtube.com / watch?v=671YtEJuydQ (have to go to link to play the video - I put spaces into the hyperlink which you should edit out in your browser)

About when to ground a generator:

 

[clemmcbee]

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

 

[chl]

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

De nada

 

[blitzlinger]

Could I trouble you to post a photo of the ends and where you isolated the ground - I think I got it and this sounds like a simple deal without getting tangled up with the panel!!! …

First, I have to say please do not mess with the home panel if you aren’t sure what to do and there’s really no need to do so unless you plan to add a generator transfer switch setup as @chl pointed out. And for that, hire an electrician. A house fire or worse is not worth saving some bucks.

That said, the process to remove the generator adapter ground is a simple affair; I used a user serviceable Marinco CS6364N plug, kept the ground wire disconnected and just wrapped with some electrical tape. I didn’t take any photos before I reassembled it, sorry.

Some folks with the 30A generator inlet just straight up cut off the ground prong, but that’s dangerous because you lose the locking functionality which can lead to a loose connection, and more importantly, now can insert it the wrong way.

 

[clemmcbee]

Fair enough and good advice!!! Thank you for the reply I think I got it figured out!!!

 

[chl]

First, I have to say please do not mess with the home panel if you aren’t sure what to do and there’s really no need to do so unless you plan to add a generator transfer switch setup as @chl pointed out. And for that, hire an electrician. A house fire or worse is not worth saving some bucks.

That said, the process to remove the generator adapter ground is a simple affair; I used a user serviceable Marinco CS6364N plug, kept the ground wire disconnected and just wrapped with some electrical tape. I didn’t take any photos before I reassembled it, sorry.

Some folks with the 30A generator inlet just straight up cut off the ground prong, but that’s dangerous because you lose the locking functionality which can lead to a loose connection, and more importantly, now can insert it the wrong way.

Not having a ground connected wire between your source and your load is a dangerous thing.

Disconnecting the ground wire between the source and the load (lightning to house) does not UN-BOND the neutral from ground at the source/truck.

Therefore, your neutral is still bonded at the truck, AND bonded in the house where it is grounded to earth as well.

This sets up a potentially shocking situation - touch the truck body to which the neutral is bonded standing on wet ground (to which the house neutral is grounded) and you could get a shock (a second return path for neutral current through the earth).

The shock may be small having traveled through the earth a relatively higher impedance than the neutral wire, and it should open the GFCI breaker, but it is not a hook-up that is in compliance with the NEC.

Not having ground protection on the wiring between source and load is not advisable either.

If disconnecting the ground was completely safe, the NEC would have mentioned it as an accepted way to power a dwelling house with a bonded generator - it doesn't.

I am not going to argue with the NEC, or try to out-think it, and I would not advise anyone else to either.

It's purpose is to protect against injury and death, and the rules have been created sometimes in response to injuries and/or deaths occurring.

 

[blitzlinger]

Not having a ground connected wire between your source and your load is a dangerous thing.

Disconnecting the ground wire between the source and the load (lightning to house) does not UN-BOND the neutral from ground at the source/truck.

Therefore, your neutral is still bonded at the truck, AND bonded in the house where it is grounded to earth as well.

This sets up a potentially shocking situation - touch the truck body to which the neutral is bonded standing on wet ground (to which the house neutral is grounded) and you could get a shock (a second return path for neutral current through the earth).

The shock may be small having traveled through the earth a relatively higher impedance than the neutral wire, and it should open the GFCI breaker, but it is not a hook-up that is in compliance with the NEC.

Not having ground protection on the wiring between source and load is not advisable either.

If disconnecting the ground was completely safe, the NEC would have mentioned it as an accepted way to power a dwelling house with a bonded generator - it doesn't.

I am not going to argue with the NEC, or try to out-think it, and I would not advise anyone else to either.

It's purpose is to protect against injury and death, and the rules have been created sometimes in response to injuries and/or deaths occurring.

I am with you there completely. Figured to explain how some of us have handled this in a pinch, but as you stated, not in compliance with NEC and is a hazard under certain conditions.

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