AND HE SCORES!

[JoJo]

  Just got a great deal. I bought a brand new in the box $780.00 Champion 7,500 watt generator at BJ's for $630. They're on sale this whole month. Lowes wants $899.00 for a 7,500 watt Champion generator.

[Deathstyle]

 

[pkveazey]

Way to go. That sounds like a good price. I don't know how you plan to connect it to your house but I did mine by unplugging the clothes dryer and back feeding the 240 to the panel through the dryer plug. I used really heavy wire to prevent heat and voltage drop between the generator and the house. By making it an emergency non-permanent system, I avoided the National Electric Code. If its permanently connected, you have to abide by the NEC, and that gets real expensive. Don't forget to turn off the main breaker so you don't light up the neighborhood and the poor guy tying to repair the electric line.

[JohnyMac]

Yupper.

As pkveazey mentioned make sure you turn off your main breaker. My neighbor does this, I forget if he just uses the 120v plug or the 240 volt plug though. When the electric comes back on I text or walk over to tell him that the juice is back on.

From my generator to the cabin it is about 50 feet. I bought a 75' long 10 gauge power cord from my local Chandlery West Marine. The marine cords are indestructible as they are used on boat docks to power boats. Many times they hang in the water no no bad affect. I am sure a big box retailer would have the wire too. 

[JoJo]

 I bought an INTERLOCK kit. It has a switch that prevents both from being on at the same time. The way it works is the two top breakers are moved to the bottom of the panel and a 30 amp duel pole breaker replaces them, then a generator receptical is connected to the breaker. Far cheaper than a transfer switch and you can use every circuit where a transfer switch limits the circuits. 

[JohnyMac]

Cool beans JoJo. On both the purchase and the interlock kit. 

Here is a YT video on a Interlock switch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbtRxcb-cmA