Can I plug a portable power station into a dryer outlet to power the house?

No. That is backfeeding. It can kill a lineworker and start a fire. Use a listed inlet plus interlock or a transfer switch, installed by a licensed electrician.

Do I need Smart Home Panel 3 for a portable?

No. SHP3 is the EcoFlow Ultra X automatic-panel path. Portables use cords, a $399-class transfer kit, an inlet/interlock, or an Anker transfer / Home Power Panel kit.

Home / Guides / Connect a portable

How-to · not a substitute for a licensed electrician

How to connect a portable power station to home circuits

A box on the garage floor is only a backup if the loads you care about can reach it. There are three honest methods. One of them is illegal.

Diagram of portable, extra battery, then house connection

Decide cords vs selected circuits vs automatic house Fridge, CPAP, and a router can live on extension cords rated for the load. That is a real backup. Selected house circuits need an inlet and transfer method. Automatic whole-home is a different product (Ultra X + SHP3, Powerwall, or EP900 + a panel).
Never backfeed a dryer or range outlet A suicide cord that feeds the panel through a dryer plug can energize utility lines. Do not do it. If a seller demonstrates that method, close the tab.
Pick the hookup that matches the battery you already own EcoFlow lists a home backup transfer-switch kit at $399 for portables in that family, and Smart Home Panel 3 at $3,299 for Ultra X. Anker documents a 10-circuit manual transfer kit, inlet box, and Home Power Panel on the F3800 Plus page. Generic 30 A inlets and panel-specific interlocks live on Amazon — match your panel, not a photo.
Hire the electrician before you buy a second battery Inlet, interlock, and transfer-switch work is a permit job in most cities. Budget labor. A $399 kit plus a $400 visit is still cheaper than guessing.
Test on a planned afternoon, not during landfall Flip the interlock, start the battery, walk every kept circuit. Note what you forgot (furnace control, well pressure switch, garage opener). Then write the order on the checklist.

What this page will not do

We will not publish a wiring diagram for your specific panel. Panel type, bonding, and local code vary. The product links below are categories and brand kits, not a promise they fit your enclosure.

Must-run loads before kits

Write the circuits you will keep first. The hookup method follows that list — not the other way around. Kits below only matter after you know fridge, medical, heat control, water, and networking are covered.

Load	Typical path	Why it decides the kit
Refrigerator / freezer	Heavy-gauge cord, or a kept circuit	Food loss in 1–2 days if doors open — high value, modest average watts
CPAP	Cord to the bedside	First-night medical; humidifier adds Wh — CPAP + fridge
Router / ONT / phones	Cord or a kept circuit	Tiny Wh, high value for alerts and family
Furnace control / blower (gas)	Usually a kept 120 V circuit	Pipe-freeze risk; control + blower is not a heat-pump compressor
Sump pump	Kept circuit (often 120 V)	Start surge on each cycle; energy is usually small
Well pump (if present)	Often 240 V + LRA gate	Fails closed on surge before Wh — well pump

Match path to the list:

Cords — fridge, CPAP, router, and a few 120 V plugs. Real backup. No panel work.
Inlet + interlock — selected house circuits through a listed inlet; electrician and permit in most cities. Generic 30 A gear must match your panel. Full guide: inlet box & generator interlock.
Transfer kit / Smart Home Panel — brand 6–32 circuit paths (EcoFlow $399-class kit or SHP3; Anker transfer / inlet / Home Power Panel on the F3800 Plus). Still not a wiring diagram for your enclosure.

For a cold 2-day must-run worksheet, see ice-storm 2-day backup. Tick boxes on the checklist.

Decision gate

Must-run → surge → outage length → hookup path

Must-run loads — write the circuits above first (fridge, medical, heat control, water, networking).
240 V / surge honesty — well pumps and compressors fail on LRA before Wh. See well pump.
Outage length — usable kWh for ~4 h vs 2–4 days. See generator vs battery vs hybrid and ice-storm 2-day.
Hookup path — cords vs inlet/interlock vs automatic panel (below).

Path	Pick when	Next read
Cords	Fridge, CPAP, router, a few 120 V plugs. No panel work.	Stay on this page · CPAP + fridge
Inlet + interlock	Selected house circuits; manual flip; electrician + permit in most cities.	Inlet & interlock guide →
Automatic / brand panel	High circuit count or near-seamless transfer (SHP3 + Ultra X, Anker HPP, installer systems).	SHP3 notes · kits below

Deep dive on inlet boxes, panel interlocks, AHJ limits, and no-backfeed rules: Generator inlet & interlock guide.

Kits that match the batteries on this site

EcoFlow home backup transfer switch kit, official packshot

Manufacturer images · EcoFlow US 1 / 1

Portable house hookup · $399

EcoFlow transfer kit

Reliance-style 6-circuit switch EcoFlow sells for DELTA Pro 3 and DELTA 3 Ultra Series. Not SHP3. Electrician required.

Kit: 306A1 (EcoFlow US)
Circuits: 6
Pairs with: DELTA Pro 3 / DELTA 3 Ultra Series
Listing: cULus 1008
Install: Licensed electrician · indoor panels
Warranty: 5 years (page)
Price snapshot: $399

View transfer kit on EcoFlow All house-circuit extras

EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3 closed official packshot

EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3 second official angle

EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3 with door open, 32-circuit interior

Manufacturer images · EcoFlow US 1 / 4

Ultra X automatic house

EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3

32 circuits, 10-year page warranty, NEMA 3R. EcoFlow’s FAQ is explicit: SHP3 does not talk to DELTA Pro 3.

Circuits: 32 independently controlled
Transfer: <20 ms with Ultra X
Grid: 120/240 V split-phase · 120/208 V
Enclosure: NEMA 3R (indoor/outdoor)
Weight: 88.8 lb (EcoFlow)
Compatible: Ultra X — not DELTA Pro 3
Warranty: 10 years (EcoFlow page)
Price snapshot: $3,299 · Ultra X + SHP3 $10,999

View Smart Home Panel 3 Full SHP3 notes

EcoFlow home backup transfer switch — Manufacturer image

ECOFLOW PORTABLE

Transfer kit · $399

EcoFlow US list. Electrician install. Indoor breaker panels. Not SHP3.

View transfer kit on EcoFlow

EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3 — Manufacturer image

ULTRA X ONLY

Smart Home Panel 3 · $3,299

32 circuits, <20 ms. Pairs with Ultra X, not DELTA 3.

View Smart Home Panel 3 Full SHP3 notes →

ANKER

F3800 Plus transfer / inlet / HPP

The F3800 Plus page is where Anker documents inlet, transfer, Home Power Panel, and generator bypass. Anker’s F3800 URL opens that page.

View F3800 Plus on Anker

Diagram of portable then house connection — Diagram · not a product photo

GENERIC

30 A inlet · interlock · 10-ga cord

Panel-specific. Search, do not assume one SKU fits.

View inlets on Amazon All house-circuit extras →

If you do not own a host unit yet, pick the battery first. The hookup follows the family.

View F3800 Plus on Anker View DELTA 3 Ultra Plus on EcoFlow View Ultra X on EcoFlow

How-to guides

Connect to the house Add an extra battery Add solar Smart Home Panel 3