When an Inconvenience Becomes an Emergency

[Art]

I am pretty sure this method (using a 220 volt plug as an inlet) is illegal where I live. So is rigging some sort of "suicide plug" and running it into your 30 amp clothes dryer plug. Anytime you run auxilliary power into your house by whatever method the main breaker needs to be "off" for safety reasons including the possibility of electrocuting power company workers. As you said a Generac or other whole house system does this automatically if you have a portable generator plugged into your house with an inlet jack the transfer switch box or interlock plate needs to be in the correct position to cut off the public utility power.

All of this is common sense but as we all know that can be in short supply. In every hurricane down here there are people who die from carbon monoxide poisoning due to running generators indoors despite warnings all over the news not to do that in the storm run up. In an attempt at "idiot proofing," our current generator actually has a CO sensor that shuts it down if carbon monoxide levels around the machine rise above a safe level.

[Allen]

Many users will simply plug their generators into a 220 volt receptacle and open the main circuit breaker. This should be unlawful because it can be dangerous if their breaker panel is wired in the older split bus configuration that is no longer in compliance with the electrical code.

I suppose pulling the meter would be the safe route in this regard if people would do it.

[Johnny P]

If a power company has any type of safety program they will ground the primary to the neutral after the circuit is denergized before starting restoration. If someone has a generator tied directly into the system it will fry the generator. A transformer doesn't care which way it works, put 8000 volts primary in and get 120 volt secondary out, or put 120 volt secondary in and it will put 8000 primary volts out at the transformer.

[Merc]

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Generator, 250 gallon propane tank and the isolation switch.

[Vern Humphrey]

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Generator, 250 gallon propane tank and the isolation switch.

That's almost exactly the setup I have.

[Merc]

It was not cheap but was worth it.

[Vern Humphrey]

It was not cheap but was worth it.

Right on both counts. I strongly recommend a backup generator for people who live out in the boonies like I do.