30 amp Plug to 50 Amp

[EAGLES]

I have a generator that is marked 12000 watts which is why I bought it but when I received it said its 9000 under load ( ugg ) which to me seems a little deceptive in how its marked and listed. I bought by wattage and not Amps as I was not aware this size generator would only come with a 30 amp plug in. My electrician who wired the fuse box and installed the plug in for it said he never saw a Gen this strong with only a 30 Amp plug. Because of this of course I have a 30 amp chord and breaker. I found the Generator was not straining at all to run a few oil heaters , the water pump and well but after a little while it kept tripping the little breaker . He advised to get a Gen with a 50 amp plug in. My question is , since this one has the Watts where he has always seen a 50 amp plug. Can I get a 30 to 50 amp adapter to plug in to this and then have him rewire and change out the breaker to a 50 Amp so I can use more of its power ? Thanks

 

[pc1966]

It sounds a bit deceptive for sure, as 30A and 240V would be 7.2kVA, far short of the 9/12k figures you mention above. What make & model is the generator?

 

[EAGLES]

It sounds a bit deceptive for sure, as 30A and 240V would be 7.2kVA, far short of the 9/12k figures you mention above. What make & model is the generator?

ALLPOWER 12000 WATT DUAL FUEL GENERATOR. That is written in Giant white letters on the side but when you get it in way smaller writing you see its 9000 gas and 7250 on natural gas.

 

[Megawatt]

I have a generator that is marked 12000 watts which is why I bought it but when I received it said its 9000 under load ( ugg ) which to me seems a little deceptive in how its marked and listed. I bought by wattage and not Amps as I was not aware this size generator would only come with a 30 amp plug in. My electrician who wired the fuse box and installed the plug in for it said he never saw a Gen this strong with only a 30 Amp plug. Because of this of course I have a 30 amp chord and breaker. I found the Generator was not straining at all to run a few oil heaters , the water pump and well but after a little while it kept tripping the little breaker . He advised to get a Gen with a 50 amp plug in. My question is , since this one has the Watts where he has always seen a 50 amp plug. Can I get a 30 to 50 amp adapter to plug in to this and then have him rewire and change out the breaker to a 50 Amp so I can use more of its power ? Thanks

I bought mine on line and it’s 10,000 watt and it also has a 30 amp female plug rated at 30 amps but it runs my whole house plus my well. All you can do is for your big loads like your stove, hot water heater, dryer, and electric heat you have to turn them breakers off. You can run one big load at a time like your stove, hot water heater. Mine is wired with # 8/3 with ground using my 30 amp receptacle. I know that is very deceiving because I could not get any information on the plugs. If you have electric heat it will never run that. I have a 50 amp breaker in my panel. We just have to suck it up and got crapped, but I called them and after arguing with the stupid people who answer the phone I just quit making payments and I still have the generator

 

[EAGLES]

I bought mine on line and it’s 10,000 watt and it also has a 30 amp female plug rated at 30 amps but it runs my whole house plus my well. All you can do is for your big loads like your stove, hot water heater, dryer, and electric heat you have to turn them breakers off. You can run one big load at a time like your stove, hot water heater. Mine is wired with # 8/3 with ground using my 30 amp receptacle. I know that is very deceiving because I could not get any information on the plugs. If you have electric heat it will never run that. I have a 50 amp breaker in my panel. We just have to suck it up and got crapped, but I called them and after arguing with the stupid people who answer the phone I just quit making payments and I still have the generator

This does not answer the question if I can use an adapter on the unit that has a 50 watt chord adapter on the other side and re wire for a larger breaker . I turned off the heat , had three little oil heaters plugged in , had the fridge and well on and a few lights thats it . Turned off the heat pump furnace , and everything else and it would run it for a minute and then the little 30 AMP breaker flips off. All pro DOES NOT ANSWER THEIR PHONES , it blares at you every 10 seconds if you dont want to wait submit a ticket on line , they never answer that . I held to a message came on to leave a VM and they would call back in order received , they did not do that as well . The place i got it from is on credit and I dont want to screw up my credit by stopping payment but wish I could , LOL Anyway if anyone here knows if this adaption can be done I want to know the unit is strong enough even at 9000 I believe for a 50 amp ?

 

[pc1966]

Looking at pictures, etc, of that model (assuming it is this thing https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/87/87fff903-a505-4b0d-a644-3ca5f0dd6f60.pdf ) it has multiple outlets which would explain the 30A limit as you might be taking 10A or so from another outlet.

You can't fit a 40A breaker for the 30A outlet when you know full well you will be taking more than 30A.

Theoretically you could modify it to disconnect all sockets except for one that you somehow manage to get a 50A socket in to the panel (similar to RV outlets), then a 40A double-pole breaker would be in keeping with the max sustained load it can handle of ~9kVA. Remember a 40A beaker will handle 50A for tens of seconds or more for peak demand, so you still get something close to what the generator claims.

Obviously that would invalidate the warranty on the generator.

While it is not a complicated change, it is not something that I could advise a DIY person to attempt as it could go horribly wrong with potentially fatal consequences. Also I don't know the USA wiring regulations (most folk on this site are UK-based) so you really should be asking a USA-based electrician if that is something they would be willing to do.

 

[EAGLES]

Looking at pictures, etc, of that model (assuming it is this thing https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/87/87fff903-a505-4b0d-a644-3ca5f0dd6f60.pdf ) it has multiple outlets which would explain the 30A limit as you might be taking 10A or so from another outlet.

You can't fit a 40A breaker for the 30A outlet when you know full well you will be taking more than 30A.

Theoretically you could modify it to disconnect all sockets except for one that you somehow manage to get a 50A socket in to the panel (similar to RV outlets), then a 40A double-pole breaker would be in keeping with the max sustained load it can handle of ~9kVA. Remember a 40A beaker will handle 50A for tens of seconds or more for peak demand, so you still get something close to what the generator claims.

Obviously that would invalidate the warranty on the generator.

While it is not a complicated change, it is not something that I could advise a DIY person to attempt as it could go horribly wrong with potentially fatal consequences. Also I don't know the USA wiring regulations (most folk on this site are UK-based) so you really should be asking a USA-based electrician if that is something they would be willing to do.

It says it has a total output of 66.7 amps so that is what i was thinking to combine all into one . I did not know this was a UK group . Thanks

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It seems that the total output of the generator is greater than any one of its outlets, but there is no safe way to utilise more than one outlet and combine them to feed one panel. The solutions would be either to modify the generator as PC1966 says above, or to separate out one or more appliances and plug them directly into the generator outlets, reducing the load on the main 30A feed to the panel.

Portable generator power ratings are often either deceptive or at least difficult to establish exactly. There are usually at least two separate limits, the power rating in kilowatts determined by the engine horsepower, and the electrical kVA rating determined by the alternator windings, and then perhaps different ratings for different duty and in your case different fuels. It is odd that they have imposed an artificial limit on feeding your panel simply to save the cost of a 50A outlet.

 

[littlespark]

Yes, we are mainly a UK forum but we welcome and encourage members from all over.

@Megawatt would be best to advise you, as I see he has.

 

[pc1966]

It says it has a total output of 66.7 amps so that is what i was thinking to combine all into one .

The best case rating of 12kW is 50A, so that is the most you could used for a short term. The 9kW rating is 37.5A

As Lucien says, you can't safely combine outlets for various reasons, not least that removing one plug would reveal live pins.

These units are generally designed for use on a building site with several loads plugged in, not for home backup power where it all goes via a transfer switch in to your main panel.

I did not know this was a UK group . Thanks

It covers the whole world, though the majority of the folk on it are UK based.

 

[Megawatt]

This does not answer the question if I can use an adapter on the unit that has a 50 watt chord adapter on the other side and re wire for a larger breaker . I turned off the heat , had three little oil heaters plugged in , had the fridge and well on and a few lights thats it . Turned off the heat pump furnace , and everything else and it would run it for a minute and then the little 30 AMP breaker flips off. All pro DOES NOT ANSWER THEIR PHONES , it blares at you every 10 seconds if you dont want to wait submit a ticket on line , they never answer that . I held to a message came on to leave a VM and they would call back in order received , they did not do that as well . The place i got it from is on credit and I dont want to screw up my credit by stopping payment but wish I could , LOL Anyway if anyone here knows if this adaption can be done I want to know the unit is strong enough even at 9000 I believe for a 50 amp ?

The best case rating of 12kW is 50A, so that is the most you could used for a short term. The 9kW rating is 37.5A

As Lucien says, you can't safely combine outlets for various reasons, not least that removing one plug would reveal live pins.

These units are generally designed for use on a building site with several loads plugged in, not for home backup power where it all goes via a transfer switch in to your main panel.


It covers the whole world, though the majority of the folk on it are UK based.

my friend you can install a 100 amp plug but as long as you are plugging it in the 30 receptacle on your generator it still won’t help. Let’s face facts, all you have is a 30 amp receptacle and that’s all the amperage you are going to get out of your generator no matter what size plug you install