# Using Inverter Power for Emergencies



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Material General asked me to explain how I set up an inverter to power the light circuits in my house.

Basically, . . . I moved the light circuits to an auxiliary panel right next to my main panel, . . . a few circuit breakers, . . . a three prong plug, and a short piece of extension cord, . . . we are in business.

In the top picture you see the aux panel, . . . the bottom two circuit breakers are the key to this whole thing. Only one side of the two circuit breakers is live at any one time. During normal times, . . . the "Reg Power" is powered from the main panel as in the little drawing where circuit breaker A powers circuit breaker B. In turn, . . . B powers all the circuit breakers above it in the panel.

When the power goes off, . . . the circuit breakers at the bottom of the top picture are both flipped to the left. The "Reg Power" will turn off before the "Emerg Power" breaker can close (works vice versa as well).

That closes the circuit to the top circuit breakers by the breaker labeled "C" in the little drawing. It is charged by the 3 prong extension cord you see hanging down in the second picture.

That extension cord is plugged into the inverter and the inverter turned on, . . . putting power to all the circuits.

NOW: I turn the furnace off, . . . as well as the Freezer and Fridge. If I need them to run, . . . I unplug the inverter and run an extension cord outside to my generator, . . . fire it up, . . . and chill down the freezer and fridge.

The key is the Reg Power is 240 volt supplied by the main power panel, . . . but when you set up the inverter, . . . you only have 120, . . . so you hook it to both sides of the 60 amp breaker Emerg Power. It is only single phase power, but you only have on single phase loads, . . . so it works out well.

Took me a while to find that bottom double/double breaker, . . . got lucky and found it on Ebay, . . . and it works great.

Holler back if you have any other questions, . . . I'll try to help as much as I can.

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Why are there two furnace breakers tied together with a piece of copper wire (serious safety issue)?

Also, have you actually tried to use this on your inverter? If not, you're in for a surprise.....


----------



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Why are there two furnace breakers tied together with a piece of copper wire (serious safety issue)?
> 
> Also, have you actually tried to use this on your inverter? If not, you're in for a surprise.....


The furnace breakers are tied together because that is an approved manner of making a 240 volt breaker out of two 120 volt breaker. No it is not a serious safety issue, . . . it is at least a 50 year old practice, . . . of which I have personal experience.

Yes, . . . I have used this arrangement on my inverter, . . . a number of times, . . . recently for about 2 hours one evening.

What is your concern???

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Why are there two furnace breakers tied together with a piece of copper wire (serious safety issue)?
> 
> Also, have you actually tried to use this on your inverter? If not, you're in for a surprise.....


Dwight made this thread at my request so that I could get some ideas. Please lets not pick him apart.

If anyone has any positive ideas to add to this idea then please mention them. If your just going to have negatives then just stop please.


----------



## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Double post


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

dwight55 said:


> The furnace breakers are tied together because that is an approved manner of making a 240 volt breaker out of two 120 volt breaker.
> 
> No it is not a serious safety issue, . . . it is at least a 50 year old practice, . . . of which I have personal experience./QUOTE]
> 
> ...


----------



## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Very cool. Good job. Those inverters are cool. Acquired one to spin rotess chickens on a wood fire back in the comp bbq hobby. It takes a rotess to get a good bird with crsip skin ya know? Hard to do without electicity. lol. Have used it at home a few times when the power went out. It will indeed light up a few lights when hooked up to the car battery and cord ran back ot the house.


----------



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Back Pack Hack said:


> dwight55 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not picking him apart. I'm trying to HELP him by identifying unsafe situations. But hey, it's not my life, my safety or my house. If my HELP in MAKING THINGS SAFER isn't welcome, I'll not offer it any more.
> ...


----------



## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> dwight55 said:
> 
> 
> > > I'm not picking him apart. I'm trying to HELP him by identifying unsafe situations. But hey, it's not my life, my safety or my house. If my HELP in MAKING THINGS SAFER isn't welcome, I'll not offer it any more.
> ...


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

dwight55 said:


> I'm not sure what electrical work you have done in your life, . . . or what experience you have.
> 
> I began my electrical career with the Navy in Jan of 1964, . . . and can honestly say I have never burned down a building, . . . burned up an inverter, . . . or been called on the carpet for any serious violation in the 55 years since then.
> 
> ...


Well, since you're bragging:

I began doing electrical work in 1972. I've been a _fully licensed electrician_ since 1982, and I don't 'just dabble' in it. It is what I do _every day_ to put food on my table and a roof over my head. I've wired houses, schools, hospitals, factories, military installations, fuel depots, apartment buildings, shopping malls, churches, nursing homes, offices, retail stores, gas stations, condos, government facilities, cattle milking facilities, ..........

But what do I know?

And bonding usually is NOT done with 'a green wire'.

BTW, bonding and grounding are NOT the same.

And no, I've never burned down a building either. And I'll be willing to bet I've got 10,000x more electrical work on my resume than you.

So if you want to 'pick me apart', go right ahead. Don't ask for any more help from me on the subject. I don't plan on fighting any more obvious ignorance.


----------



## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

While I'm not a licensed electrician I wired my subpanel similar to the way Dwight did and had an electrician sign inspect and sign off on the work before commissioning the system for insurance purposes. The electrician saw nothing wrong with how I ran the wiring and we did discuss the bonding as it was important to avoid GFI tripping. ( the inverter has a built in GFI built in )

I do have the inverter with a separate breaker/switch box between the main panel and subpanel because my inverter makes all of my power 95% of the time.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

When Irma hit Florida, I was in Kansas City and wife was home alone with the animals.
With the power out, she was unable to use the generator, so she parked her truck by the kitchen window, plugged an inverter into the cigarette lighter, ran an extension cord inside and was able to run the wi-fi modem, a light and a fan.
She was set until I was able to get home and get the generator out and powered up.

I need an electrician to set up my outside service panel with a 220 volt outlet I can plug the generator into and one of those switches that keeps my power from going back up the line, frying a lineman who is attempting to restore power. I was quoted a figure of $700 to do this.

It is very important to get 220 into the system, because that's what powers the well pump. No pump, no water.


----------

