> 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.
No ... transformers work just fine either way. If you pump 220v into the
secondary, the primary will put 4kv (or whatever) back out into the main line.
They do not act as "one way" valves.
> 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.
Might well vary by region, but the folks I've watched working don't do that.
They typically just shut off the switch for their segment (like throwing the
breaker to work on your house wiring) and usually (tho not always) put a padlock
on it.
> Safety rules don't work when they're too hard to follow.
Right, and leaving a main line shorted by accident can cause some serious
damage. Locking out the switch is much safer, because nothing is harmed (and
people complain plenty quick) if it gets left that way.
> 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.
Frankly, I'm speechless. This is their power you are buying ... if you are
going to be on their grid then you need to play by their rules. If you don't
want to play by the rules, then just fire up that generator and get off the grid
altogether.
Even if, for the sake of argument, we say the workman is supposed to short the
line ... what if he forgets ? YOU are breaking the rules, and therefore still
at least partially responsible for what could be his death. In most states,
that's negligent homicide and you could well do prison time with Bubba for a
cell mate ...
I cut a lot of corners with my own safety (although somewhat less so since I
almost got blown off a roof by the 440 line I was too lazy to turn off), but not
with other's safety. And even though your genset's breaker will trip fast, it
might not be fast enough.
Randall
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