Stony Powered up - Gen Tie-in

Cottaging is a uniquely Canadian pursuit. To drive two hours out of the city to sit on an island may sound relaxing, but shlepping food, toiletries, and wares is a little more strenuous. Canadians will endure these trials for the long-lasting family memories and bonds these experiences these times create.

Malcolm Gladwell describes Canadians as having an inferiority complex to the Scandinavian countries, cemented by Volvo's Candinavian ad campaign. It could be our inferiority complex or something more profound that makes us want to connect to the land for four months of the year. Canadian's passion for cottaging is so deep I'm sure if you asked finically stable Canadians over the age of 40 what the most significant point of contention is among their siblings, it would be rooted in an argument about "The Cottage." These little shacks on the side of a lake compete with pets to win the hearts of Canadian families.

About a decade and a half ago, my Mom and her Father collaborated to build a cabin. It was his last completed project and is a stunning 1,800 sqft building. Despite being small, it has all the comforts anyone needs when electricity is available. Once the power goes out, it's a different story entirely. Without electricity, no water, light or other creature comforts we've become accustomed to.

Once every two years, the area will have a storm that will knock out several trees at a time, creating multiple failures in the electrical grid. It can take days or weeks for power to return to our cabin. The pace is unhabitable during that time since you'd need to take a boat to go to the washroom. Last year we were out of power for two weeks, so this year, my dad bought a generator and tasked me with installing it.

Note: this is only about the construction. It will be very technical. (I only recommend the read if you need to undertake this yourself.)

The Generator

Ideally, I would have liked a 2P.30A.120/240V Generator. (the boss dog)

What I got was a 1P.30A.120V Generator.

Let me explain the jargon. Let's start with the easy bit our electrical system is voltage-dependent, meaning the voltage coming from your wall will always be the same (120V), but the current (Amps or A) will change depending on the power demand of the device.

Small example: A 120W device will draw 1A | 120V*1A = 120W

The more nuanced part is the voltage and poles potion.

When you plug in a two-pronged wall plug, one of the prongs will be the live 120V wire, and the other will be the neutral wire. What you don't see is that there are two of those 120V live wires in your house. The two live wires are 180 deg of phase; thus, when you go line to line, you get 240V.

For the layman still with us, I'll summarise my issues with installing a 120V generator to a 240V panel:

• Our pump is wired via a 240V installation

• Only have 1P; thus, only half the panel will be connected.

• I have less current than expected (Nice to have, not need to have)

What's a breaker interlock?

Panel w/ breaker interlock

You get an Automatic Transfer Switch(ATS) if you have a proper generator from Generac, this switch alternates between line or Gen power depending on what's available. That's a little rich for our blood, so we did the hacker's version, a breaker interlock. The interlocking design turns the first two breakers on the right of your panel into the generator feed-in with an aluminum plate that prevents the line and generator breaker from being on simultaneously. It creates an ATS in the aggregate without needing an ATS, larger Gen or additional panels.

Getting current on both rails (Only 120V)

The generator tie-in is future-proof. It's a 2P.4W.#10 (I'll explain the jargon) connected to a Generator Inlet Box.

Jargon Explanation

• 2P refers to the two poles mentioned before

• 4W: (2) Live, (1) Neutral, and (1) Ground Wire

• #10 - The wire size required for 30A

Panel Gen Interlock Wiring Diagram

I made a small hack to ensure I was getting power to each rail. With the wire that connects the 1P Gen to the 2P house plug, I added a wire so the generator would feed each of the two rails on the panel. This only allows you to use 120V loads on the panel and uses the generator's breaker as a means of overcurrent protection (Not ideal if your Gen uses fuses). But I wanted the setup to be turnkey if we ever upgraded to a larger Gen.

Getting the power to the pump

Since we only have 120V From the generator, I'll need to connect a 120-240V transformer with a mini-transfer switch to toggle between the 2P.240V line power breaker and the transformer. I'll add photos of the system when complete.

More updates to come later.

If you're trying to complete a project independently and looking for some help. Please feel free to reach out.