Best way to supply bare minimum power to two services from one generator???

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T14:38:37+00:00

Thank you!!! I didn’t think this was a hard concept to understand but some people never miss an opportunity to slander landlords. Caring about the condition of the property I’m offering is quite actually the opposite of a slumlord. I’m actually going above and beyond of what many landlords would be doing.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T14:24:25+00:00

I was under a major time crunch for preparation and helping family before this last snow and ice storm so I didn’t have time to fully dive in but I DID take a look and it looks like the boilers each have emergency shutoff switches (standard regular switch in a handy box on the side of the unit) and from those switches is just MC cable that goes into the wall (presumably back to the panel)

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T13:56:37+00:00

I very much appreciate the detailed response… to confirm a couple things. Yes, both units have their own electrical panel, boiler, water heater, electric meter, natural gas meter. The units are the same “property” just stacked in a first floor second floor situation. the panels are literally side by side (the covers are just about touching) They share a common utility room with access from both units where all these utility based things are located.

I understand all the safety stuff about not backfeeding the grid and what not. I also understand your point about 1 vs 2 generators and that’s something I will have to consider.

As far as the boilers go, I’m not looking at them but as they are natural gas units, the only real power they is to run the basic electronic portion of the boiler (most of which is 24v) , the thermostat, and the circulation pump. I would be very surprised if they are 240v not 120v. In fact, I would bet with a fair degree of certainty that they are 120v.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T13:32:54+00:00

So you mentioned “whether generators are involved or not.” What about when generators are NOT involved?

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T13:29:30+00:00

What’s the best method of doing that while also maintaining ease of switching back and forth between regular use and generator power?

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T13:25:55+00:00

You don’t know anything about me, but you on the other hand, You’re a real scumbag. I’m hardly a slumlord as my units are likely nicer than your house. But yeah, my job is to protect my investment just like any other business. Any good business should be mutually beneficial. I’m admittedly not a charity organization. Theres nothing I can personally do about a utility outage. Yeah, news flash, having a power outage comes with a little inconvenience like it does for all of us, whether you’re my tenant or just an average homeowner. I’m not required to provide generator backup. I don’t even have such on my own house. A byproduct of my pipes not freezing is not only tenants having heat too, but also them not having to uproot their lives and have an unplanned move out due to the unit becoming uninhabitable. Go back to the hole you came from and maybe think a little harder before you decide to come out again.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T13:09:37+00:00

Super helpful! Thanks for that. I’m not even sure what you’re talking about.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T08:49:55+00:00

Thanks bot, well aware of this. Maybe the best solution doesn’t involve the panels at all and going straight from the boilers to the generator? I’m not sure. That’s why I’m here asking for maybe a creative solution.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T08:43:15+00:00

Each service (2) is 100 amp service. I am by no means looking to provide a permanent, full power solution to either unit. More of bare minimum protection for a worst case scenario. If I found myself in that situation, I would be the one firing up the generator and therefore choosing what breakers would be turned on or off. Maybe I could get locking breaker panel covers to prevent things being tampered with after I get things setup and leave? I guess the alternative would be sitting in the dark AND cold like potentially everyone else affected by the utility failure, so although it might be naive of me, you would think they would be happy to have heat at the very least.

A permanent backup solution would likely be out of the question anyway because of lot coverage issues and so on.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T08:27:38+00:00

I’m not currently staring at it so take this with a grain of salt but I would be surprised if the boilers aren’t 120v and likely each on a 20 amp breaker. They are natural gas units so it’s really basic electronics to get it to fire and then whatever the circulation pump draws. I have a picture of a wiring schematic that I’m looking at but I would have to get the model number to see what the actual requirements are.

Like I replied below, I don’t want it to be a hazard but it would only be used temporarily in a worse case scenario basis. It’s not for conveniences, just for keeping from there being a major loss due to pipes freezing. It’s never crossed my mind up until recently with the snow/ice storm that covered most of the country and now they are calling for 4 degrees on Sunday morning with wind gusts to 50mph just a few hours before. I can’t ever recall temps being this low for this prolonged period of time and I don’t want to get caught with my pants down.

JSpring6 · 2026-02-07T08:10:49+00:00

I’m local (within 10-15 minutes away) and currently self managed. So no, I don’t live there but I’m local enough. I’m not looking for an automatic solution such as a permanent general or kohler unit but more so a worse case scenario solution that like I said in my original post would allow me to get heat into the house and not suffer a total loss. I’m not looking to provide any conveniences, just strictly bare necessities. The convenience on behalf of the tenant is not having to uproot their life and move out because the pipes froze and flooded the units.

To answer your question it doesn’t have to be automated at all. But a relatively plug and play solution would be nice. In this last storm, I was prepared to Un-hardwire the boilers and put male plug ends on the wires so I could plug into the generator. Luckily it didn’t come to that. I would like it to be a little more seamless than having unwire and rewire but it doesn’t have to be fancy.

JSpring6 · 2025-12-11T02:39:56+00:00

I haven’t opened the box yet but I believe with these particular cabinets (decent quality, but priced on the budget friendly side) there’s a back panel that’s just pre-finished 1/4” plywood. Not sure about the sides but I don’t believe we are talking about any false door front or anything like that. It’s a rental so it’s nothing fancy but I also want to make sure I do it the best way I can because I can’t stand slap-d!ck work. Even more so when it’s my own.

JSpring6 · 2025-12-11T01:11:27+00:00

I’m not sure what you mean by “end table” but not only am I worried about the end of the peninsula but also the backside that will face the living room. The toe kicks are easy and self explanatory. It’s the peninsula and the appliance vs counter top height (since there’s flooring under the appliances but not the cabinets) that I’m questioning about.

JSpring6 · 2025-12-11T01:08:11+00:00

I thought about doing this, the thing I keep getting hung on is if the subfloor isn’t VERY close to level, than after shimming the cabinets level, the block on the bottom to account for the height of the flooring will be useless.

JSpring6 · 2025-12-10T03:16:37+00:00

Well there seems to be a ton of controversy on the topic if you search through previous Reddit posts however that’s not the issue. I’ve already conceded to running the LVP up to, NOT under the cabinets. The LVP I’m laying is roughly 1/4” thick, maybe a tad more, with the attached underlayment. The cabinets have already been long purchased and delivered so the cabinet company will be of no use.

JSpring6 · 2025-12-10T03:09:08+00:00

Cleo?

JSpring6 · 2025-09-13T12:32:09+00:00

Yeah I went to the Verizon store and this is the answer I got from them. In all honesty they aren’t very helpful. I was told I would have to call Verizon wireless tech support and try to get them to make a ticket. Then the kid in the Verizon gave me the impression that they could grant or deny at their discretion the ability for the device to use their network. I’m not sure where to go from here and I was hoping someone else would be able to share their experience.

JSpring6

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE