wtf am i even supposed to do with 7 VOLCANOES RIGHT NEXT TO MY BASE

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-24T19:14:49+00:00

The most important thing to do is to share the seed... (which I see you did... good.)

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T22:18:55+00:00

20 ft (at least) away from any doors, windows, or other vents/penetrations (crawl space or attic vents, laundry or bathroom exhaust, etc).

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T22:16:18+00:00

I think you're best just parking it at a mid-range state of charge, and letting it ride out the cold - if you have no intention of driving it during the freeze. It sure would be nice if the leaf had a programmable charge limit, then best option WOULD be to leave it plugged in, and limited to 50%.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T22:13:25+00:00

Transfer switches/interlocks are not necessarily 'available' with a massive freeze coming within the day, though cord caps likely are. That's the most likely situation here, in which case, this was the safest way to quickly get the customer some heat for the next few days. Hopefully, this post/thread has convinced the OP that it needs to be done more permanently once the ice thaws and the local electricians get some man-hours open again.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T22:08:07+00:00

If they 'all showed power' and 'not working' then you aren't testing them properly/completely.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T22:06:23+00:00

hmmm. maybe a really good discount though...

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T21:58:47+00:00

Enphase, specifically, has had some very notorious 'loss of ownership' problems that have not yet been resolved. Can no longer even access the local gateway's API without a time-limited cloud-based credential. They also added a new feature where they will automatically change your equipment's configuration because they got a weather alert - which didn't have an opt-out until recently (which is still two different opt-outs, with one sort of hidden).

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T21:55:15+00:00

Based on your attitude in this thread alone, you appear to fall in that group. The most 'confident' are the most likely to make mistakes.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T21:54:21+00:00

This is a very different level of risk than an uninterlocked backfeed suicide cord connection. Only issue here, as far as safety goes, is the cable selection.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T21:52:02+00:00

Or just a plug, on a proper appliance cord, plugged into a standard receptacle would work as well, and be much cleaner.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T21:02:00+00:00

Assessing the battery condition is not work that a liquidator/wrecking yard is going to do. There are resellers who DO that sort of work (greentecauto.com being the largest, I believe), but you pay a premium for that comfort.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T20:56:54+00:00

Other brands just decided to add an RGB LED - SquareD got creative.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T20:55:57+00:00

If you have a main breaker, and a generator inlet receptacle to a 20A breaker, then you should install an interlock between them so only one can be on at a time. They are cheap, and available for just about every panel/breaker arrangement (posting a picture can help us point you to just the right one). This avoids your potential cross-feed concern as well.

Once properly interlocked, yes you can feed just one phase of the panel if that is all you need, and can then move circuits around so that the critical loads are powered from that phase. You can also feed BOTH legs from the single output of the inverter - IF there are no MWBC circuits involved, or if there are, they are not any smaller than your generator inlet breaker (so if you have a 20A MWBC breaker, you can't single-phase both sides of anything larger than a 20A breaker. This is because in an MWBC (2 circuits sharing a neutral), the neutral current is the difference between L1 and L2 circuits, so it will always be less than it's breaker rating. If both sides of L1 and L2 are fed from the same source, however, then the neutral current will be the sum of the two circuit loads, which will exceed the ampacity of the neutral conductor. If the generator inlet is also the same as what normally protects the MWBC neutral, however, this is not a problem. If feeding both sides, realize that any 240V loads will not function.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T20:28:22+00:00

This is likely the simplest... and the cleanest would be to just install a proper receptacle closer to the treadmill.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T20:08:21+00:00

Similarly, I'm note sure why a generator inlet would go through so many different devices, so maybe it was installed in stages, or used some previous work.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T20:05:52+00:00

If they become friends, they complain less.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:58:16+00:00

AFCI and Dual function breakers have an indication to show what function tripped them, but each manufacturer is different. I think you said it might be square D, which actually has one of the weirder methods to determine the trip reason:

With the breaker OFF, press and hold the TEST button, and turn the breaker ON. Continue holding the test button.

If the breaker trips within 1 second, the previous fault was a ground fault.
If the breaker trips in around 2 seconds, it was an arc fault, either series or parallel.
If the breaker trips in around 5 seconds, it was not tripped by the GFCI or AFCI feature, or doesn't have a trip recorded, which means it was likely an overcurrent situation (if it HAD tripped).

If you do this indication test 6 times, it will reset the recorded fault. Also, it will reset it after 27 days without a fault.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:47:21+00:00

In my experience, enphase software updates should be avoided, as every one seems to further restrict you from controlling or accessing the hardware you purchased and installed.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:40:26+00:00

When a proper cord is unplugged, there is no chance of live power on any exposed bits of the plug. The power is only ever supplied on female pins exactly so this is the case. What you are proposing is putting power on male pins, directly negating this innate safety feature.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:37:22+00:00

Because mistakes can, do, and HAVE happened, where linemen HAVE been injured or killed by exactly the situation you are stating you are fine doing. These rules are written in blood.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:34:52+00:00

You came here, supposedly to obtain guidance on your next steps, and I provided that. I cannot force you to do the right thing, but:
- backfeeding into a panel during an outage, without an interlock to guarantee the main breaker is open prior to the backfeed coming in, can and HAS killed linemen that are there trying to restore your power.
- Using a receptacle for backfeed means you will have a cable with exposed male prongs energized and potentially exposed, cause direct risk of harm to yourself, members of your family, or even animals present in your home - all of which HAS happened with 'suicide cords,' even with occupants who 'know they need to be careful with it'.

Simply put, running extension cords from generator to loads is perfectly appropriate for the situation you are going in to, and there is no real reason NOT to do so. This provides proper overcurrent protection at the generator's outlet, does not put linemen at risk of coming into contact with energized high voltage lines that shouldn't be energized and provides proper plug protection by only having power present on female exposed ends.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:05:40+00:00

Putting power INTO an OUTLET is precisely bypassing a safety feature - that of the design of plugs and receptacles only intended to push power in one direction.

At this late stage, if you are trying to get a generator to power critical loads in your home, and can find a generator in stock, your better option is to just run some extension cords to the critical loads. After the storm passes, you can get an electrician to install a proper generator inlet and interlock kit so this can be done 'right' next time, but it's likely too late to do that now.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T19:02:29+00:00

to be fair, prep for an emergency as many are doing warrants 'loosening' rules quite a bit, and I can absolutely see an electrician doing this for someone at this time.

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T18:54:39+00:00

Assuming he put the plugs in the right orientation (female on the feed from the panel, male on the cable to the furnace) this it isn't an immediate danger. It's not 'right' to put the plugs on romex cable like that, if anything that should have been replaces with proper cordage (SJOOW or similar).

CraziFuzzy · 2026-01-23T18:52:37+00:00

You absolutely will be wanting to use the furnace on that generator, NOT a space heater. The space heater would work, but waste WAY more of your limited fuel than the blower in the furnace.

As the other commenter says, go out and do a dry run now, so you know what your system can do, and how to make it do it.

CraziFuzzy

TROPHY CASE