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Unfortunately not. I bought that second generator for my neighbor and it's turned out to need much more work so I had to sell the first one so I can fix the other one for the neighbor. I'm not happy about having to do that but I had no choice. Until I get the next one running and have a working...

#8 is good for 40a. For 50a you will need #6 copper. Your electrcian should know the right stuff to use.

To connect that cord you will need to put a 30a breaker between the generator and the cord. It will be a code violation and a safety risk to directly connect the generator to an undersized cable.

That was pretty much what I was thinking.

Awesome idea. Unfortunately since mine is trailer mounted and used in multiple locations I have to go with a wireless solution.

When the generator is online I want to have a web based dashboard to show all the operating parameters. Its a pretty simple setup. I figured once the webserver was figured out anyone else wanting to build one could use whatever data connection that suited them (wifi or cell).

I'm not doing this to sell. Only for myself and to share a how-to if anyone else wants to try it. Since my background is more in line with PLCs I figured that would be the shortest learning curve for me.

Absolutely. If the transfer is automatic AND the load shed is automatic then you would still be in compliance.

I wouldn't expect you to do that. I'm just being silly on a Sunday morning.

Yep.. As long as the branch circuit is fused for 100a you can use a 100a manual transfer switch and overload the generator to your hearts content. :D

Are you planning for a manual transfer switch?

To look at it from a code compliance angle, there are a number of methods that will pass an electrical inspection. The thing is to break it down is whether the transfer is automatic or manual. If the transfer method is MANUAL then it is assumed that the load management is also manual. In this...

That is what I mean right there. Something that is harder to damage.

Install a switch you can reach on the outside. The coil side of the relay is low current.

During emergencies you can disconnect the defrost and emergency heat coils so you don't OL the generator during the defrost cycles. The HP will blow cold air during the defrost cycle but won't be harmed.

If you think the generator will be used by someone that doesn't understand load management then absolutely put in a generator load center that properly segregates what the generator can support.

I'll most likely use that or a Raspberry Pi as the controller and web server. I want to use hardened IO and preferably something modular so it can be customized for different gensets. The challenge will be to keep the cost modest.

I want to build something with robust IO. To keep it simple and reliable I'm looking at micro/nano PLCs. Going with a PLC it could start out as a monitoring system and grow into an autostart. One goal will be to keep it generic so it could be used with water cooled or air cooled machines...

That will be a nice looking rig when you get it all put together like you want it.

That looks like a nice one Jim. Great price on it. Thanks! I'm pretty handy with programming automation systems. I'm just glad they don't use FORTRAN. I had to learn that way back in the college days. Working on ABB DCS systems I got to do a lot of TCL programming. TCL isn't exactly a modern...