Generator/No lights, not recomended

[Columbia,SC.]

Our power went off a couple of weeks ago (ice storm), not cool~ Well it was cool very cool actualy cold!
I have seen alot of setups to run a generator you wire into your main panel box that cost $$$$,
I did this instead, this is not at all recomended by me,,, but it works.
I already had the 30 amp plug for my 5250 watt gen, I also had the big 4 wire cord, all I had to buy was a MALE dryer plug. I wired it all up, unpluged the clothes dryer, turned OFF the MAIN breaker in the panel box, and EVERYTHING worked, Pump, lights, (water heater, not at the same time as the pump) our house has gas heat so all it had to do was run the blower for the central heat. Everyone around us was strugglin but we where in business!
If you are going to try this be SURE TO TURN OFF THE MAIN Breaker so you do not hurt/kill someone trying to get your lights back on!
Be sure to plug the dryer plug in FIRST!!!! then start the generator
The male end of the dryer plug will KILL YOU if the generator is running!
This is not for those that are STUPID about electricity!
Just a little help from a poor country boy that laughed at the city folks strugglin for lights and TV~!

[ace admirer]

Yeah, thats called "back" feeding. you gotta keep your head screwed on straight. or you might kill someone or at the least burn up your equipment.

by the way i recently saw a "generator feed" panel that does the EXACT same thing, except that there is an added little mechanical slide that prevents one from having the mainbreaker (utility feed) and the "backfeed" breaker, (generator) from both being switched on at the same time.

there is also a way to use three way switches made up in a sub pannel to safely swith certain circuits in your house from utility feed to generator feed. a person could make one up and it would be safe and legal. but i would perfer to have my whole house and shop running on generator.

[Esteban29304]

That is one of the MOST dangerous ways to use a generator !! &&&& you stated """This is not for those that are STUPID about electricity !!!"""""""

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/portgen.html

[Old Vet]

Make sure that the main breaker is thrown to the off positon before you plugh the cenerator in. Without it being turned off you fisk killing anyone who comes into contact with the lines. This is very dangerious but will work.

[Columbia,SC.]

Originally Posted by Esteban29304

That is one of the MOST dangerous ways to use a generator !! &&&& you stated """This is not for those that are STUPID about electricity !!!"""""""

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/portgen.html

Yes that is what I wrote, and I meant every word of it, it is not for the stupid,so be carefull! :baby04:

[Esteban29304]

From a Red Cross post;

Electrical Hazards

Follow these tips to protect against shock and electrocution:


Keep the generator dry and do not use in rain or wet conditions. To protect from moisture, operate it on a dry surface under an open, canopy-like structure. Dry your hands if wet before touching the generator.

Plug appliances directly into the generator. Or, use a heavy duty, outdoor-rated extension cord that is rated (in watts or amps) at least equal to the sum of the connected appliance loads. Check that the entire cord is free of cuts or tears and that the plug has all three prongs, especially a grounding pin.

""""""""NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known as “backfeeding.” This is an extremely dangerous practice that presents an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer. It also bypasses some of the built-in household circuit protection devices. """""""

""""""If you must connect the generator to the house wiring to power appliances, have a qualified electrician install the appropriate equipment in accordance with local electrical codes. Or, check with your utility company to see if it can install an appropriate power transfer switch. """""""

For power outages, permanently installed stationary generators are better suited for providing backup power to the home. Even a properly connected portable generator can become overloaded. This may result in overheating or stressing the generator components, possibly leading to a generator failure.

You may have "meant every word of it," but many see the " stupidity" in your original post & how dangerous it is to connect a generator that way!
GOOD LAWD !!!!!!

[JRS67]

There is a plate you can get from Square D that screws to your breaker box.
this keeps you from running the generator and back feeding the system. It cost around $30. Quick, cheap and simple.
I went the expensive route and installed a sub-panel with anti back feed.
The $30 plate will also allow you to run your whole house if your generator will handle it.

[Gideon]

I have a factory switching panel but have not installed it. We seldom need a generator and then not for long. I have a 10-3 extension cord that I simply run into the home. From it I run smaller drops to the fridge, TV, and a couple of lights. Another line goes directly from the gen. to the outside freezer. It is safe, simple, and easy to lay/dismantle, wc

[travlnusa]

On our power pole in the front yard, we have a steel rod that you pull down. When you pull it down, it disconnects you from the grid, and turns live, a plug that is on the pole.

It is this plug on the pole where I can hook up a generator. You can either have the outlet hot, or the grid hot, you can not have both at the same time.

Now, just need to get the generator...............

[ponyboy123]

I don't think u r supposed to playing around with the switches on the power poles.

[Runners]

Originally Posted by ponyboy123

I don't think u r supposed to playing around with the switches on the power poles.

It sounded like a SERVICE DISCONNECT. Commonly used where a farmer has a transformer on pole (here or elsewhere) and one set of power lines goes to the house, another to the barn, shop or whatever - from this single feed point.

Next to the transformer, there's a big box with a knife switch in it. From the disconnect switch, all the overhead/buried lines feed power to other points. The handle on the disco switch is "extended" to ground level with a long metal rod/pipe, and attached to a lever, "UP" is line power, "DOWN" is disconnected.

Birds & bees love to make nests in them when a lazy electrician forgets to close holes... A pain to clean when can't be deenergized - ie., can't turn off the power!

It is illegal to lock them in an ON/connected position - and very unwise if you think about it. It's located AFTER the meter socket and is considered the customer's equipment.


As for the idea of using a dryer or stove outlet to backfeed the house - it only takes one mistake to kill you, burn down the house & blow up the genset.

A sub panel for essential circuits and/or a transfer switch is the ONLY way I would ever feed house circuits. Transfer switches are not expensive.

[tiogacounty]

Been an electrician for a lot of years now, and at my house I do it just as Colombia describes. Is it dangerous? Extremely, and not at all. It's no different than using a chain saw, a tractor without ROPS or an old belt driven firewood bucksaw. If you don't understand what you are doing you can burn you house down, kill a lineman, or kill yourself. And yes, all three possiblities are examples of things that have happened, not theorys. Would I recommend that anybody do it this way, absolutely not. But thats life. I spent exactly nothing hooking my generator up. I spend $400-500 on parts alone when I do a legitimate transfer switch for a residential customer. Big saving for somebody who is safety conscious and understands what they are doing. Big trouble for somebody, who "sorta, kinda, maybe thinks they know what they are doing".

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by JRS67

There is a plate you can get from Square D that screws to your breaker box.
this keeps you from running the generator and back feeding the system. It cost around $30. Quick, cheap and simple.
I went the expensive route and installed a sub-panel with anti back feed.
The $30 plate will also allow you to run your whole house if your generator will handle it.

Unless there has been a very recent change, this only works with the QO line of SQ.D panels, not the Homeline series. This eliminates a lot of newer homes out there. That said, if you can use one, it is a great way to get the job done. It interconnects a two pole breaker to the main disconnect breaker. When the main is on, the two pole is off, and visa/versa. This means you can backfeed the two pole from the generator and guarantee that the service is disconnected from the incoming line. Once you start the generator you need to manually switch a lot of smaller circuits off. This is because, typically, you are now feeding a 200 amp panel with a thirty amp generator.

[hornetd]

Originally Posted by ponyboy123

I don't think u r supposed to playing around with the switches on the power poles.

I believe he is describing what is called a yard pole. It might still be property of the power utility but that is becoming rather rare. In most cases it belongs to the customer. The splices at the top of the pole serve as the demarcation point between the customer owned wiring and the utility lines. With a single building service those same spices are located at the eave of the house were the utility service drop is attached to the building. The device he is describing is effectively a transfer switch although the outside wiremen or linemen would not call it that. It disconnects the customer owned wiring from the utility wiring and connects that wiring to the inlet for the generator. I is a very common arrangement in areas served by the electric coops that were set up by the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). It was originally intended as a place to connect a power take off driven generator to farm wiring to allow the farm to continue production even when the power was out. This type of set up is essential on dairy farms so that the cows can still be milked and the milk refrigerated.

--
Tom H

[Roadking]

Ironically, I was getting ready to ask the question that this almost 5 year old thread answered very clearly for me.
I had originally planned to set up a seperate breaker box (not tied to the grid) and additional wiring to certain locations for power outages/ or when the day comes that I actually go off grid. I wasn't fond of all the new wiring, cost being what it is, and had wondered about about the Square D or similar devices and their usefullness.
Thanks guys!

Matt