wrote in message
...
Jim & Lil wrote:

wrote:

I read a post suggesting that in a power outage, you could flip your
main breaker off to prevent anything going to the lines and killing a
line worker, and use a suicide cord from your generator to you clothes
dryer outlet (240 vac) and then your main panel would serve as your
switch for what circuits are using the generator--and that this would
power both 240 and 120 outlets.

As dangerous as this is, is this even possible?

Sounds possible, and safe, unless you guzzle too much beer. You might
hang a big tag on the generator that says "Turn off the main breaker!"

For the added piece of mind, a generator/main selector switch is a modest
investment.
Power failures can result in stress and confusion that make things like
leaving the main breaker on a virtual certtainty at some point. Why take the
chance to save a few bucks.


...One thing that was constructive in my replies is that even with your
main braker shut off, you may be still feeding power down the line via
the neutral wire...

That seems a very unlikely hazard, since it requires 1) a grid power
failure, and 2) a hot to neutral connection that doesn't blow your own
breaker, and 3) a neutral wire that doesn't end up attached to ground
somewhere outside your house.

Nick


Unless I'm mistaken, some 240V outlets do not have the neutral wire
connected to the mains. Only a ground wire, which is insufficient to power
the 120V circuits. This would result in 240 service only in the house
wiring, when feeding in from a generator.