On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:10:02 -0600, Puddin' Man
wrote:
On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:23:34 GMT, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , Jim Redelfs wrote:
In article ,
Puddin' Man wrote:
I switch off the main breaker and use a gas powered 40A generator
to backfeed the 30A (220v) circuit for the elec. dryer.
What can I expect? Live circuits, dead circuits? Overload
conditions??
Dead linemen?
Yeah, yeah... You switched off the main breaker, but, in your urgency and in
the dark, flipped the WRONG breaker.
Oh, puhleeeze... don't be ridiculous.
If he has enough light (from a flashlight, candle, oil lamp, moonlight,
sunlight, cig lighter, Coleman lantern, jar full of fireflies, or whatever) to
connect the generator, how do you imagine that he can't see which breaker is
the main?
For that matter, even in the dark, how does he not *feel* which breaker is the
main?
And of course it should be obvious that, once the generator is on, there
*will* be lights available to check to make *sure* that the main is off.
Properly install and use a transfer switch or just run some extension cords to
essential appliances during the outage.
Or be aware of the difference between real and imagined hazards, take steps to
prevent the real ones (such as making sure the main breaker is off), and
ignore the imagined ones. Yes, a transfer switch is the right way to do it.
No, you can't just run an extension cord to a furnace or a well pump. In an
emergency, you do what you have to do.
Thanks, Doug.
I purchased/installed/wired the svc. panel 21 years ago.
Chose it for it's simplicity. One huge 200A main breaker
in the top, well segregated from smaller breakers.
The entire planet could be plunged into eternal darkness
at the same time that gremlins from outer space put out
my eyes. I could -still- find my way downstairs and identify
the main breaker and switch off with no difficulty.
Why do you expect perfection? Such a thing doesn't exist, and can't.
There is no way to be 100% certain of not making a mistake.
And if there were any doubt, I'd go outside, snip the seal,
pull the meter, and plop the damned thang down on my
workbench in the basement.
In an emergency, is a no-brainer.
Cheers,
Puddin'
PS: Who believes that linesmen just *grab* conductors without
testing for voltage, etc?
They could have just tested the line, found it dead, and touched it.
THEN you start your generator...
Who believes that 30A, 'tho admittedly dangerous, is really
likely to result in a fatality?
I suppose your generator outputs 240V/30A. Forget to disconnect from
the power lines, and that is connected to the lower voltage side of a
transformer with a ratio of around 80:1. Those "dead" main lines are
now carrying 19.2KV/375mA (somewhat less since the transformer won't
be 100% efficient). That's more than enough to be fatal.
Pease pudding hot,
Pease pudding cold,
Pease pudding in the pot
Nine days old ...
Was that supposed to be a sig? Where's the separator line?
--
3 days until the winter solstice celebration
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com
"Never underestimate the power of stupid
people in large groups"