I agree that this is not considered acceptable because it depends on
you to remember to flip the main. Strictly from an educational point
of view, however, I don't understand what the big risk is. If I
forget to flip the main, I will be attempting to supply power to all
my neighbors on the same transformer. My generator will not be up to
the task, and the generator's breaker will trip. A utility worker
would have to be working right near my house, on wiring after my
transformer, to be at any risk. It is my understanding that a
utility worker would routinely jump the wires to protect himself
before working on them if he wants to have a long career and life.
Safety rules don't work when they're too hard to follow. A transfer
switch installation can cost more than the generator, and greatly
limit the circuits that can be served by the generator. I think
their goal is admirable, but they need to come up with a better way.
At 03:41 PM 12/29/2006, Pat Horne wrote:
>If you have you generator plugged into your panel, wouldn't just flipping
>the main breaker prevent it from back feeding up the line?
>
>My idea would be to shut off devices you don't need, flip the main breaker
>off, and then feed the generator into the downstream side of the panel.
>That way, all your outlets are "hot" and you can used what you need without
>having to run cords or other expensive wiring.
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