# 30 amp vs 50 amp



## Mawilson (Jul 31, 2018)

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and have a question related to amperage. I have a Generac 15000 on order to use at my home for power backup. My home has a 30 amp outdoor outlet wired to my 200 amp main inside the garage. The wiring goes to a 30 amp breaker in the main. My generator will have both 30 amp and 50 amp connections. My question is whether i would benefit from replacing the 30 amp setup with a 50 amp setup (wire, box, breaker) and use the 50 amp connection on the generator. I look to power as much of house as feasible. Thank you!


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

I hope you are not talking about back feeding into an outlet. I have a Honda eb11000 , a bit smaller than the generator you are talking and I use a 50amp input. I had an electrician install a double throw switch between my electric meter and the breaker box, so I can completely disconnect from utility power. I have a male inlet plug that then connects to the generator and feeds my whole house. We are all electric so I have to be careful, I turn off hot water heater and emergency heat strips in the heat pump. So far it has been able to handle everything. Recently I picked up a larger portable propane stove top, and a couple of little dual fuel, propane/butane hot plates so I can further reduce load on the generator by eliminating use of the electric stove, reserving the generator for the heat pump, lights, refrigerators and freezers. Once, several years ago we had had some kind of storm, early summer, and a large crepe myrtle tried to fall over. My heat pump was going and the wife was cooking something and I needed something to prop the myrtle up, so I was going to cut a 2x4 and fired up my 3hp 220v table saw. The lights dimmed, but the generator caught and ran everything, but I vowed to always watch and never do anything like that again.


Be safe and get a proper set up so you cannot back feed power into the utility lines.


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## Mawilson (Jul 31, 2018)

No i understand about the backfeed. I have a safety mechanism which will not allow the generator breaker to be turned on without turning the main breaker off. Thanks for your reply!


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## Gizmo (May 21, 2013)

Why use only 60% of of your generator’s capacity? Install a 50 amp circuit and a transfer switch while your at it! That male end of the cordset could kill someone!


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

Yes, I forgot to mention that. I have a male plug for the input side, mounted into my transfer box, so the male end of my generator cable plugs into the generators female outlet plug, and the female end of my cable plugs into the inlet male plug on my transfer box. I still connect everything up before firing up the generator. I agree get the 50 amp circuit and switch, odds are that if you have it you can use it.


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