Hurricane Irene left with my power

[whistlepig]

You are making assumptions that were NOT present in my post. The fact is that as long as the main is turned off there can be no backfeed into the transmission lines, unless the breaker is malfunctioning which is highly unlikely.

Another fact that is never mentioned is that even if you did not turn off the main, the power load on the generator from trying to feed the entire transmission line and any people that are on it would most likely overload the generator instantly causing the circuit breaker on the generator to trip immediately anyway.

By the way my linemen friends do not want to die any more than the next guy. They know in power outages that lots of people run generators and use appropriate care.

I am not advocating any mis or improper use of generator hook up systems, and I do endorse the main disconnect which is the proper method of course. But the fact of the matter is that it can be done safely without the disconnect if the proper steps are taken.

This is simply the not the right way to hook up a portable generator. It should not be recommended to others.

 

[JB4310]

If the linesman doesn't get electrocuted it won't be because of any effort on your part.

I'm sure he switched off his main.
Maybe a lock out, so no one could throw the switch back on. That wouldn't be a bad idea.

I was talking to some linemen last week on a job and I told them this subject always comes up in our discussions on home brew generator hook ups.
I asked what they thought of the proliferation of back up generators out there, and if they felt their lives were in any danger. They didn't even bat an eye, and said they simply treat every line as if it's hot, and before working on any line they ground it out.

In the perfect world everyone would have a fail-safe transfer switch. but when one Home Depot sells 300 generators in the week leading up to the big advertised storm, there are very few transfer switches going out the door with them. How many thousands of generators were sold this past week on the East Coast???

The line men are well aware of the dangers and are not going to take risks.
No it's not ideal, but that's the way it is.

JB

 

[whistlepig]

I'm sure he switched off his main.
Maybe a lock out, so no one could throw the switch back on. That wouldn't be a bad idea.

I was talking to some linemen last week on a job and I told them this subject always comes up in our discussions on home brew generator hook ups.
I asked what they thought of the proliferation of back up generators out there, and if they felt their lives were in any danger. They didn't even bat an eye, and said they simply treat every line as if it's hot, and before working on any line they ground it out.

In the perfect world everyone would have a fail-safe transfer switch. but when one Home Depot sells 300 generators in the week leading up to the big advertised storm, there are very few transfer switches going out the door with them. How many thousands of generators were sold this past week on the East Coast???

The line men are well aware of the dangers and are not going to take risks.
No it's not ideal, but that's the way it is.

JB

Or we could let the power companies babysit us. In some places they won't even attempt to repair a power outage if they can hear a generator running. They will bypass it and come back to it later when they have time to haggle over the possible back feed. If there was any reason for them not to do this I would like to hear what it is.

 

[cdaigle430]

So the "tropical storm" Irene came through my way early Sunday morning into late evening. We lost power around 9:30 am on Sunday still don't have it back and CMP says probably won't for another 4-5 days. Thank goodness for camping gear and small generators!! Wife and daughter are going nuts but I'm kinda enjoying it.
Sorry to all those that have it worse than us ( new jersey area). Good luck and enjoy the beautiful night sky that folks can actually see now!!

What!!!

another 4 or 5 days!!!

Oh man-I'm in the next town over from you-thats really disheartening news. I really would like to get off the grid teet.

 

[JB4310]

I just saw in the paper today that 65% of RI is without power!
The storm didn't even hit RI as far as I know. I think it's due to where they are on the grid.

JB

 

[Storm56]

This is simply the not the right way to hook up a portable generator. It should not be recommended to others.

You need to read the last paragraph of my post and stop taking things out of context.

 

[Storm56]

I'm sure he switched off his main.
Maybe a lock out, so no one could throw the switch back on. That wouldn't be a bad idea.

I was talking to some linemen last week on a job and I told them this subject always comes up in our discussions on home brew generator hook ups.
I asked what they thought of the proliferation of back up generators out there, and if they felt their lives were in any danger. They didn't even bat an eye, and said they simply treat every line as if it's hot, and before working on any line they ground it out.

In the perfect world everyone would have a fail-safe transfer switch. but when one Home Depot sells 300 generators in the week leading up to the big advertised storm, there are very few transfer switches going out the door with them. How many thousands of generators were sold this past week on the East Coast???

The line men are well aware of the dangers and are not going to take risks.
No it's not ideal, but that's the way it is.

JB

Excellent post and it reflects some of the sme ideas that I was trying to convey. Whistlepig is simply uninformed.

 

[jonyyuma]

If linemen and groundsmen did not secure the lines with grounding equipment, then they would become a statistic...Hi voltage is very un-friendly, and a back fed transformer is just that...Likely hood ???High voltage detectors find power from feet away, not by touch any more.So how do the linemen die? The same as pople whom poison them selves with engine exhaust, a very real possiability. You read about them at every event. " "Family dies from unvented genset in attached carport?"

 

[EagleTDL]

Spent 11 years in the FL panhandle, rode out many a Tropical Storm/Hurricane with a Craftsman 4200W generator! Being without power was an annual occurence...

Agreed, transfer switch is the way to go to be safest, but throwing the main on your outside box is the next best thing. Most of the newer homes in our last neighborhood had an open slot in the breaker box because the builders knew people were going to wire generators in.

Buy a double-pole double-throw breaker that matches the amperage of your generator and install that into your box. Pull a run of 10-3 romex (or 8-3 if you have a "big" generator) from the breaker down the wall of your breaker panel and attach it to a 3 or 4 prong (amperage dependant) dryer receptacle. Buy the matching plug and get 20-25' of 3 or 4 wire armored cable and attach it to the dryer plug and generator plug. That length of cable will allow you to snake the line under the gargage door or through a window to your panel. Run the generator outside, C02 poisoning sucks! Now you're ready to test...

Throw the main on the outside box and turn off all the breakers in your panel. Attach your generator/cable rig and once it's up and running, then throw the gen breaker to on. From there, it's a matter of flipping the individual breakers for the rooms/circuits you want to energize. Choosing wisely, you can power most of a moderate sized house this way. You just have to remember that it's all about remembering to turn off things you're no longer using, that way you get that power back to energize other things.

As far as the lineman go, the Utilities Supervisor would drive up and down the streets and listen for running generators. He'd stop and let us know when the power was ready to come back on and we'll all kill our generators. They treated all the lines as hot all the time, so everyone was on the same page...

One last thing... Chain your generator to something, lots of cases about 'em being stolen! My nickel's worth...

 

[Financegal]

May those w/o power get it restored soon. I am SW enough of I-95 in DC, that our power stayed on. After blizzard of 2010 and 5 days w/o power, I feel your pain and last fall struggled long and hard before I spent money to have transfer switch installed/buy emergency generator figuring it'd be years before another such winter storm might occur.

But gee, the past week has brought weather issues RARELY seen in our area of VA - the quake and hurricane all within the same week. I never needed to hook up the generator but it is my new security blanket, there if needed. As the commercial says - - "priceless". As to the repeated backfeed discussions that continually come out during these times, I'll let those to everyone else to fight. I know for a fact that I've spent so much more over the years on "useless, questionable what was I thinking type purchases" than the cost to protect us and any others by buying the generator and having a switch installed by electrician, permitted and inspected.