Power Out - Day Two

[shvl73]

No doubt about it, a three way is best way, no way to back feed. Our power is out infrequently and I'm careful to flip main but mistakes can happen, I should get an electrician out to wire up a three way inbetween my panel and my generator.

I'm thinking I'd have to coordinate with PSNH as they'd need to kill at the street?

Joel

Joel, if you get the kind I have, that throws just certain circuits, it's fairly easy to hook up. Easy to follow directions included. I bought mine at CED in Concord. USA made and still competitively priced with the Chinese unit at Home Depot. The thing to remember is, when you throw the main and remove the panel cover, those main lugs coming in are still live! Do not touch! I'm trying to remember but, I think it was basically removing the hot from the breaker and hooking into the switch, then the switch back into the breaker, then tie in the neutrals to the buss bar. Do not take this as the gospel, as I may have missed something. Make sure you double check the directions if you take it on.

 

[Diamondpilot]

No doubt about it, a three way is best way, no way to back feed. Our power is out infrequently and I'm careful to flip main but mistakes can happen, I should get an electrician out to wire up a three way inbetween my panel and my generator.

I'm thinking I'd have to coordinate with PSNH as they'd need to kill at the street?

Joel

They will not have to kill the street, they or your electrician just needs to pull the meter. Once that is down no electricity can flow through.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

Could somebody in one of those houses get a jolt >>> ? ?

 

[coobie]

They will not have to kill the street, they or your electrician just needs to pull the meter. Once that is down no electricity can flow through.

Chris

The only bad thing about pulling the meter is that when you break the meter seal it raises questions on why it was broke when the meter reader comes around to read your meter.They then think you have jumpered the meter to steal power.coobie

 

[Steve_Miller]

Anyone that gets a transfer switch that controls the whole panel, beware that if you are tying in before your main breaker, the power is almost unlimited from the pole transformer. These transformers are fused on the primary side (usually 7200 - 25000 volts) and can supply hundreds if not thousands of amps on the secondary side if a dead short were to occur. So please if you are working anywhere in your panel remember there is enough power in there to create quite a severe explosion if you short something. Some of the older breakers in panels were not the best at tripping as fast as they do nowadays. The longer it takes for a breaker to trip, the more damage that can occur, once an arc occurs the area around the arc becomes a conductor as well because of the reaction that takes place. I can say that as I have a 600Volt contactor short out in front of me and explode. Luckily I had my safety glasses on but I got hair singe of the backs of my hands and arms. This was only a small contactor (good for 10000 watts), but the protection that was suppose to be protecting it failed, the circuit ended up tripping a 600amp breaker back at the main distribution because a thermal overload and a 70 amp breaker did not have any ground fault protection on them. I could go on with more detail but it is pointless to most people if they don't have the electrical theory behind them. For the first few seconds I thought I was blind from the fireball that circled my head, but then realized it was because the main breaker had tripped killing the whole plant. All I could see for the first few seconds was a yellow circle in front of me. This I realized was the sun shining in through a window. Anyhow, babbled enough, hope it gets the point across about safety around electricity. Oh yeah, the reason for the short was that a contract electrician that we hired to replace a wire harness had crossed a couple of wires that we had assumed he had checked. There is where I made my mistake, was by assuming and I got caught and was lucky to survive. Our plant is only small but can draw 2500amps at 600Volts (almost 2.6 million watts of power.

Steve

 

[LBrown59]

*The only bad thing about pulling the meter is that when you break the meter seal it raises questions on why it was broke when the meter reader comes around to read your meter.They then think you have jumpered the meter to steal power.coobie

*If they are billing you and have it in there records that service is active this is Irrelevant

 

[jake98]

I'd like to officially BAIL on this conversation.

Anybody that takes it lightly, that they may or may not give a shock to somebody else...

DON'T BACKFEED THE PANEL. Cheapskate, use an extention cord or three.

 

[jake98]

Don't misunderstand me, I think it is vital to protect the safety of power line workers. I think the chances of getting your genset fried when the power comes on is the more likely outcome of backfeeding.

That would depend upon who saw you being that stupid. Having discussed it with you, I'd say you should have your generator license revoked.

Is this 'white collar crime'?

Suppose you're shocking somebody down the street, and I'm bashing your generators carburator with a hammer, we're both armed, who goes to jail?

 

[JoelD]

That would depend upon who saw you being that stupid. Having discussed it with you, I'd say you should have your generator license revoked.

Is this 'white collar crime'?

Suppose you're shocking somebody down the street, and I'm bashing your generators carburator with a hammer, we're both armed, who goes to jail?

Not sure who's the cheapskate?

Thought you bailed?

I don't think anyone is taking the chance of shocking someone lightly.

All I know is, the lineman himself, who I spoke with personally, indicated he's wired his own home to backflush the panel. Doesn't make it right, just means that some, including lineman, wire it that way.

He used, what he refered to as a lightning stick to test the line, he told me, if he could see that it was hot as a result of someone not throwing their main, he'd ask them to shut down the gen, if they refused, which he said on occassion some have, he fries the generator (not sure exactly how, but sounded like he could do it from the pole).

I don't think there is any doubt that a three way set up or transfer switch panel is the best to ensure both main and gen are not on at the same time.

Joel

 

[Diamondpilot]

The only bad thing about pulling the meter is that when you break the meter seal it raises questions on why it was broke when the meter reader comes around to read your meter.They then think you have jumpered the meter to steal power.coobie

We just called our electric company and they gave my electrician the ok to cut the plastic anti tamper tag. A few days later they came out and put another plastic anti tamper tag on it.

Chris