# Load Balancing



## Bluwolf (Nov 8, 2020)

Well, I said I have a lot of questions. And there seems to be quite a few electricians here. Good thing 'cuz I'm not one of them. I've often read that you should try to balance the load on the generator. But nobody seems to explain (or I don't understand what I'm reading) how to do that. I have a watt meter (see picture below) hooked up to the generator circuit.

I'm using the L14-30 (120/240V) outlet on the gen. When I'm running different 120 circuits off the generator they all seem to pull from one side of the meter. The only time the load seems to balance (pull off both sides of the meter) is when I turn on the water heater which is 240V. Then it shows it's pulling 2000-2200 off each meter.

Normally that's not a big deal because the 120V loads aren't much. But what if I were to use the microwave or some other large 120V starting amp appliance was to kick in when using a bunch of 120V? 

One, is it normal that 120V all comes off one side? And two, is there anything I can do to balance more? Or three, am I way over thinking this?

Thanks again,
Mike


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

You did not say whether or not you are back feeding the circuit breaker panel.
If you are you should have an interlock installed on your breaker panel to be safe.
So be sure to remove the utility power first.
Balancing loads are easy if you use caution.
What you should be aware of is that as you look at your breakers each one is 120 volts to ground, but breakers next to each other are on opposite legs of the power.
That being said, by swapping the wire from one to the other then the loads are changed.
To start:
If the Reliance meter is on the generator then of course it has to be running and your main in the OFF position.
Remove utility power and lock the breaker off.
Connect the generator.
Then turn on several or most of the appliances you wish to use.
Watch the reliance meter.
Then turn off any any SINGLE breaker of you choose but only one at a time.
Do this until the meter wattage drops.
Select another breaker that is on EITHER SIDE OF THE BREAKER you choose first.
Again watch the wattage to see if it is reduced.
If the wattage changes then leave the breakers off and swap the wires but first remove the generator power source.
Once you swap the wires, turn the breakers back on and you should see a reduction of the wattage.
You should be advised that each breaker is hot and any mistake can be met with severe shock or arcs if you do not remove the power source.
Keep in mind that every other breaker is on a different leg of your 240 generator feed.
If you feel uncomfortable doing this, get an electrician to help you.
There is a plus to balancing the power:
Your power bill should be reduced as one leg does not provide excess power to your 120 volt circuits.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

A couple hundred watts isn’t a big deal. What you dont want is a couple thousand watts difference Between legs.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

Bluwolf said:


> Well, I said I have a lot of questions. And there seems to be quite a few electricians here. Good thing 'cuz I'm not one of them. I've often read that you should try to balance the load on the generator. But nobody seems to explain (or I don't understand what I'm reading) how to do that. I have a watt meter (see picture below) hooked up to the generator circuit.
> 
> I'm using the L14-30 (120/240V) outlet on the gen. When I'm running different 120 circuits off the generator they all seem to pull from one side of the meter. The only time the load seems to balance (pull off both sides of the meter) is when I turn on the water heater which is 240V. Then it shows it's pulling 2000-2200 off each meter.
> 
> ...


mike take a look at this page below
click here for the generator connection pages
pm me if you have questions.
post pix of your generator connection for us.
are you using a proper interlock and generator inlet?
or do you have one of the small switch over systems?

meters on the gen side are good to have.. i prefer digital but that is just me.
i also like them on the grid side but i am fast setup manual interlock on the system here.

with a 240 vac system..... 120 vac load balance is a good thing.
and microwave is a short use load. but it needs to be planned on smaller gen systems.

what is the exact make and model of the generator you are using?
and what is the fuel?
yea 30 amp peak is not much..
so you do need to plan your power for meal time!
think scale back in other areas till the cook / prep is done.
things can be easy switched if your breaker panel is on the main level of the house.

I have mine now located just off the kitchen area...
great location for me. easy access and easy to switch over and read.


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## Bluwolf (Nov 8, 2020)

I have a Champion dual fuel model 100296. Here is a link to it on Champion's website. And a picture of my gen shed set up. I've got an automatic tank switch over on the propane tanks. I've run nothing but propane in it so far. I don't plan to use gas unless it's absolutely necessary. The gas cans are only in there for storage. They come out when the gen is running as does the wooden shelf.






7500-Watt Dual Fuel Generator - Champion Power Equipment


Powering Your Life




www.championpowerequipment.com














I'm using an inlet box on the outside wall that comes through into the garage where the breaker box is. I have an interlock in the box. The watt meter is attached to the generator circuit. I also have an alarm on the utility power to tell me when the the main power comes back on. The breaker label is highlighted with the circuits I would mostly use during a power outage. See pix below.







































ToolLover said:


> Then turn on several or most of the appliances you wish to use.
> Watch the reliance meter.
> Then turn off any any SINGLE breaker of you choose but only one at a time.
> Do this until the meter wattage drops.
> ...


When you say, "On either side of the breaker" do you mean above and below the breaker that is off? And you say that every other breaker is on a different leg on the gen feed. But when I've had all the breakers on that I want to run off the gen, I only see wattage movement on one of the meters. The only time I've seen movement on both is when I turn on the 220 water heater. Maybe, when I'm just running 120 circuits, I'm not running enough power (i.e. TVs, lights, microwave, etc.) on different circuits to register a reading on the meter, that would show up on the other meter?

I have a healthy respect for the dangers in the box. I had an electrician friend help me with big stuff. I'm comfortable moving things around in there but I know just enough to be dangerous, not enough to fully grasp the concept your explaining. 

Mike


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

ty for the pix!
first things first.
well done on the interlock!
i would add the meters like on my system so you could see the loads during grid power...
that helps you see the house real time digital numbers.
click here for the generator connection page
basic you have 2 sides of 120 vac on a standard single phase breaker panel.
L1 and L2
so
if you balance the 120 vac loads for even draw you are doing the best for the power provided.
i would also change out the analog generator meter for a digital set.
here is a set of videos on the balance
click here for the you tube balance box search
the gray furnace guy videos are pretty good.
turn off you power to the box
and open up the cover and snap some pix of the inside..
it looks like you need to break up some of the branches some more..
or have your electrical guy open up the panel so you can doc the inside.
they make tandem breakers to help split up branches and free up space in the panel.
click here for the tandem breakers at menards
also add a whole house surge protector
that will work for when you are on gen set as well.
it is listed on the generator connection page.


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

@Bluwolf: Take a moment and go to either Lowes or Home Depot and look inside one of the breaker boxes there.
Take time to look at the copper bus and how the breakers connect. You will see that the busses are arranged to provide the electricity to the breakers in a staggered fashion.
Once you get a handle on the arrangement of the breakers and how they are situated in the panel, you will then be able to balance your loads.
Your statement about one meter not showing wattage surely indicates that the loads are not balanced, or go ask your electrician friend for a lesson. He will be happy to show you.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

Sounds like you need a clamp style multimeter. It’s a digital read out which is far clearer then reading the needle on the analog meter. You can clearly determine your loads on each leg, and move the breaker as need to balance to your liking.

The buss bar in panels are configured where one leg feeds the two breakers across from each other, and the legs alternate down the rows. For example, one leg is X and the other leg is Y. Breakers 1&2 are fed from X. Breakers 3&4 are fed from Y. And it alternates X&Y for each row down.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Bluwolf said:


> And you say that every other breaker is on a different leg on the gen feed.





ToolLover said:


> Take time to look at the copper bus and how the breakers connect. You will see that the busses are arranged to provide the electricity to the breakers in a staggered fashion.


Looks something like this behind the breakers:


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## Bluwolf (Nov 8, 2020)

This video from the Youtube balancing search that iowagold 



 posted along with the other stuff you guys discussed was very helpful in understanding this. I thought that all the 120V ws being pulled from one leg of the generator because that's the way the gen was set up, that it was a shortcoming in the gen. But if I'm understanding this right then it's because the breaker box itself isn't balanced.

It must be excruciatingly painful for you guys who know what you're talking about to watch me slowly come to some sort of understanding😏. I do appreciate it. Now I've got to look into what one of those clamp style multimeters costs...


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

Bluwolf said:


> This video from the Youtube balancing search that iowagold
> 
> 
> 
> ...


see the test tools page for clamp meters
click here for the test tools page
you need to open up the breaker panel to test the branches..
sooo..
if you are good with working with live electrical then ok with the clamp meter inside a breaker box or load center!

i have several clamp meters we use in the shop.
most range from 90.00 to 500.00 depending on the brand and the current and voltage range.
fluke is the best! and has real good resale!

but i use sperry also!
sperry makes a dandy little one for 108.00 shipped and it is on that page.
it will do ac and dc to 400 amps so it works well for testing alternators and starters on cars and small trucks!
and does all of the other meter stuff as well.
I have 4 of those lol!


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