Suicide cord?

Wayne

Wayne

Administrator
Staff member
I just read about something called a suicide cord. Male plugs on both ends. It allows you to plug your generator into an outlet to power your house or RV. This seems quick and easy, but dumb as hell. If you touch an end when it's hot you're likely to get a heck of a shock. If you forget to isolate your house from the grid, you could kill a lineman working to restore your power.

Why not take the time to install an isolation switch if you are going to power your house in an emergency? Then nobody gets hurt!

suicide cord.jpg
 
Only going to power half the panel as well.

If you only have acces to 120v worth of generation, about the only thing I've found is a few transfer panels like the one I have. You basically pick the circuits you want to power (120v only) and when you throw the switch it isolates the main house panel from that circuit and sends power to it.

I won't lie, I have considered using a 'suicide cord' once upon a time, but never did. Of course I would pull the main and isolate the house first.

We haven't had a power outage since I installed my panel. Haven't had a chance to use it more than just testing.

I really wish there were an easy way to produce an opposite phase leg out of a 120v output. I'd love to be able to power my water heater in an outage. It only pulls 3-4 amps when it is running.

--Edit--

You can also use the cord for linking two inverter generators together if you don't feel like buying the cords with the shielded connectors.
 
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I'm surprised that you've only now heard about this, Wayne. It's been around since portable generators started becoming popular decades ago. It is, as you say, about as dangerous and stupid as any "tool" could be. Scares the doo-doo out of me when people talk about making one. Most people who consider using these have no business doing so; they are clueless as to the risks to life and property.
 
Wayne said:
I just read about something called a suicide cord. Male plugs on both ends. It allows you to plug your generator into an outlet to power your house or RV. This seems quick and easy, but dumb as hell. If you touch an end when it's hot you're likely to get a heck of a shock. If you forget to isolate your house from the grid, you could kill a lineman working to restore your power.

Why not take the time to install an isolation switch if you are going to power your house in an emergency? Then nobody gets hurt!

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I'm going to admit, i have a 240v version of this. I use a 14-50 outlet in my garage to back feed my panel. I use the same outlet to run my 240v air compressor, so a panel interlock won't work.

I have an order i do this in when running the genset, and i am aware of the dangers if done wrong.
 
spasm3 said:
I have an order i do this in when running the genset, and i am aware of the dangers if done wrong.
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With a proper safety ritual, I wouldn't have a problem doing it, but everyone needs to be aware that only the person who understands what they are doing will ever hook it up.
 
Wayne said:
With a proper safety ritual, I wouldn't have a problem doing it, but everyone needs to be aware that only the person who understands what they are doing will ever hook it up.
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I plan on a true standby genset, when i'm too old to use the roll out. By waiting, i won't have to replace a standby generator in my lifetime!
 
Wayne said:
I just read about something called a suicide cord. Male plugs on both ends. It allows you to plug your generator into an outlet to power your house or RV. This seems quick and easy, but dumb as hell. If you touch an end when it's hot you're likely to get a heck of a shock. If you forget to isolate your house from the grid, you could kill a lineman working to restore your power.

Why not take the time to install an isolation switch if you are going to power your house in an emergency? Then nobody gets hurt!

View attachment 1811
Click to expand...


I have a suicide cord... generally use it inside my trailer if I want to power up extra things that aren't hooked up to the inverter... I only have my bedroom area wired to the inverter as that was the main purpose of the inverter, but once in awhile when on the road I want to use an electric coffee maker, I just jump with the suicide plug and fire up the whole trailer...

when push comes to shove and you need electricity and dont have all the necessary first world contrivance you do what you have to do... so, those things will work... but if people dont know WTF they are doing and observe precautions, it is on them.
FWIW you don't need to do anything to the house but turn off the main breaker in the panel to kill power to the outside supply lines.. fact of the matter is if you dont turn off the main you will be powering up your neighborhood. :) ..
 
MSCH said:
you don't need to do anything to the house but turn off the main breaker in the panel to kill power to the outside supply lines.. fact of the matter is if you dont turn off the main you will be powering up your neighborhood.
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Exactly and of course someone would forget and kill a lineman working somewhere down the line past the step down transformer.
 
MSCH said:
I have a suicide cord... generally use it inside my trailer if I want to power up extra things that aren't hooked up to the inverter... I only have my bedroom area wired to the inverter as that was the main purpose of the inverter, but once in awhile when on the road I want to use an electric coffee maker, I just jump with the suicide plug and fire up the whole trailer...

when push comes to shove and you need electricity and dont have all the necessary first world contrivance you do what you have to do... so, those things will work... but if people dont know WTF they are doing and observe precautions, it is on them.
FWIW you don't need to do anything to the house but turn off the main breaker in the panel to kill power to the outside supply lines.. fact of the matter is if you dont turn off the main you will be powering up your neighborhood. :) ..
Click to expand...
Wayne said:
Exactly and of course someone would forget and kill a lineman working somewhere down the line past the step down transformer.
Click to expand...
My process its to kill shut off the mains to the line, then the breaker to the outlet. i connect the generator cord to the outlet and gen set. AFTER the cord is connected, i start the generator, let it warm up a bit as i check the ancilliary loads i don't want.

Then i flip the breaker for the generator, to power the house.

Shutdown is to flip the outlet breaker, shut off the generator, unplug the cord, then reconnect the main breaker.

I use a HF 4375 generator. I can run the gas furnace, the well pump( just not both at the same time) with the lights, TV and fridge.

If i want to cook, i shut off the well pump and furnace while using the cook top. I really only have to turn on the well pump for showers or after 2 flushes in each toilet to refill the toilet tanks.

I can go 16hrs on 4 gallons of gas. A five gallon can runs almost 20hrs, so 3 five gallon cans is almost 3 solid days running.
 
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