OK - living in the Northest USA is beginning to suck!!!

Given a standard SquareD main elec panel which include a main 200amp
breaker with the breaker in the OFF position, is there anything/anyway to
monitor the incoming line for energy?

Ideally one could install something across one or both of the lines that
glows a neon or led when energized.

Of course I'm being lazy as I'm running on generator. But with all the
outages this year I'm getting fed up with killing everything and retrying
the main, back and forth, back and forth, etc.

Ideas? Thanks

Ed: you should go back to Tuscany. I bet they have power there!!!

wrote:
OK - living in the Northest USA is beginning to suck!!!

Given a standard SquareD main elec panel which include a main 200amp
breaker with the breaker in the OFF position, is there anything/anyway to
monitor the incoming line for energy?

Ideally one could install something across one or both of the lines that
glows a neon or led when energized.

Of course I'm being lazy as I'm running on generator. But with all the
outages this year I'm getting fed up with killing everything and retrying
the main, back and forth, back and forth, etc.

Ideas? Thanks

Ed: you should go back to Tuscany. I bet they have power there!!!
You can buy a tester at home depot that senses the electrical field.
Depending on the configuration of your transfer switch, you might be
able to get enough isolation between the generator and mains fields
to make this work.

Wonder if the LCD indicator on a modern utility meter can tell you
anything useful. I'll check mine the next time the power goes out.

Hooking anything on the input side of your transfer switch is risky.
Once an arc starts, it's hard to get it stopped.

I did the experiment. Waiving my Fluke LVD1 flashlight/field tester
around near the utility meter, I easily determined presence of electricity.
Without a test case, I can only assume that I wouldn't get an indication
during a power outage.

wrote:
OK - living in the Northest USA is beginning to suck!!!

Given a standard SquareD main elec panel which include a main 200amp
breaker with the breaker in the OFF position, is there
anything/anyway to monitor the incoming line for energy?

Ideally one could install something across one or both of the lines
that glows a neon or led when energized.

Of course I'm being lazy as I'm running on generator. But with all
the outages this year I'm getting fed up with killing everything and
retrying the main, back and forth, back and forth, etc.

Ideas? Thanks

Ed: you should go back to Tuscany. I bet they have power there!!!

Voltmeter?

On Nov 2, 5:15*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
wrote:
OK - living in the Northest USA is beginning to suck!!!

Given a standard SquareD main elec panel which include a main 200amp
breaker with the breaker in the OFF position, is there
anything/anyway to monitor the incoming line for energy?

Ideally one could install something across one or both of the lines
that glows a neon or led when energized.

Of course I'm being lazy as I'm running on generator. *But with all
the outages this year I'm getting fed up with killing everything and
retrying the main, back and forth, back and forth, etc.

Ideas? *Thanks

Ed: *you should go back to Tuscany. I bet they have power there!!!

Voltmeter?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That would be too easy.

wrote in message
is there anything/anyway to monitor the incoming line for energy?


Fluke LVD1 Volt Light
-Non-contact AC voltage detector and LED flashlight combined.
-The voltage detector glows blue when it's near AC voltage, and glows
red when it's at the source.
-Detects voltages from 40 V AC to 300 V AC.
-Voltage detector glows blue 50 Hz - 60 Hz or 2.5 - 38 cm (1 - 5")
away from source.
-AAA battery included.

From the Manufacturer
Non-contact AC voltage detector and LED flashlight combined in one
convenient, compact design. With exclusive dual-sensitivity. The
voltage detector glows blue when it's near AC voltage, and glows red
when it's at the source. Detects voltages from 40 V AC to 300 V AC.
Voltage detector glows blue 50 Hz - 60 Hz or 2.5 - 38 cm (1 - 5") away
from source. Operating temperature 0 �C to 50 �C. Ultra-bright white
LED with 100,000 hour bulb life. AAA battery included.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-LVD1-Vol.../dp/B000B64ZDG

My transfer switch is a 12 switch panel that switches each (of 11)
circuits separately. When using the generator, I can leave one circuit
on the power grid with a light on. This will let me know when power has
been restored.

---MIKE---

In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44� 15' N - Elevation 1580')

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 19:28:53 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

OK - living in the Northest USA is beginning to suck!!!

Given a standard SquareD main elec panel which include a main 200amp
breaker with the breaker in the OFF position, is there anything/anyway to
monitor the incoming line for energy?

Ideally one could install something across one or both of the lines that
glows a neon or led when energized.

Of course I'm being lazy as I'm running on generator. But with all the
outages this year I'm getting fed up with killing everything and retrying
the main, back and forth, back and forth, etc.

Ideas? Thanks

Ed: you should go back to Tuscany. I bet they have power there!!!


I have considered the same thing. I am going to guess you are back
feeding the house and not using a transfer switch. I you want to pull
the panel cover off then any DVM or non-contact volt meter will work.
I'm sure none of the following is legal per the NEC, use at your own
risk.


1. put LED or neon light across incoming mains. maybe using Pico
fuses as lead wires to stuff in the main lugs. drill small hole for
light to shine through cover.

2. Sonalert across incoming mains. maybe with a switch on it so you
can leave it connected with panel cover on and just switch it on when
you turn main breaker off.

To be sort of on the safe side since anything across the mains is
totally unfused, use very small wire or pico fuses to make connections
and keep all wires short. If they do go up in smoke you do not want
enough insulated wire to start a fire. Maybe slide some of that
nomex/asbestos insulation from stoves over your wires.

Remove 333 to reply.
Randy

On 11/4/2011 6:52 AM, Randy333 wrote:

I have considered the same thing. I am going to guess you are back
feeding the house and not using a transfer switch. I you want to pull
the panel cover off then any DVM or non-contact volt meter will work.
I'm sure none of the following is legal per the NEC, use at your own
risk.


1. put LED or neon light across incoming mains. maybe using Pico
fuses as lead wires to stuff in the main lugs. drill small hole for
light to shine through cover.

2. Sonalert across incoming mains. maybe with a switch on it so you
can leave it connected with panel cover on and just switch it on when
you turn main breaker off.

To be sort of on the safe side since anything across the mains is
totally unfused, use very small wire or pico fuses to make connections
and keep all wires short. If they do go up in smoke you do not want
enough insulated wire to start a fire. Maybe slide some of that
nomex/asbestos insulation from stoves over your wires.


The minor problem is that as the pico fuses and wire are vaporizing they
form a "plasma" conductive path that can turn into a line-to-line arc flash.

There is a real good reason to leave the service conductors alone.

--
bud--

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:30:01 -0600, bud--
wrote:

On 11/4/2011 6:52 AM, Randy333 wrote:

I have considered the same thing. I am going to guess you are back
feeding the house and not using a transfer switch. I you want to pull
the panel cover off then any DVM or non-contact volt meter will work.
I'm sure none of the following is legal per the NEC, use at your own
risk.


1. put LED or neon light across incoming mains. maybe using Pico
fuses as lead wires to stuff in the main lugs. drill small hole for
light to shine through cover.

2. Sonalert across incoming mains. maybe with a switch on it so you
can leave it connected with panel cover on and just switch it on when
you turn main breaker off.

To be sort of on the safe side since anything across the mains is
totally unfused, use very small wire or pico fuses to make connections
and keep all wires short. If they do go up in smoke you do not want
enough insulated wire to start a fire. Maybe slide some of that
nomex/asbestos insulation from stoves over your wires.


The minor problem is that as the pico fuses and wire are vaporizing they
form a "plasma" conductive path that can turn into a line-to-line arc flash.

There is a real good reason to leave the service conductors alone.

240 don't arc that much. In my younger days I played with all kinds
of stuff to blow it up. Pico fuses should not let anything arc or
even get hot. Can you get a 240 volt pico fuse????

Remove 333 to reply.
Randy

On 11/8/2011 7:41 AM, Randy333 wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:30:01 -0600,
wrote:

On 11/4/2011 6:52 AM, Randy333 wrote:

I have considered the same thing. I am going to guess you are back
feeding the house and not using a transfer switch. I you want to pull
the panel cover off then any DVM or non-contact volt meter will work.
I'm sure none of the following is legal per the NEC, use at your own
risk.


1. put LED or neon light across incoming mains. maybe using Pico
fuses as lead wires to stuff in the main lugs. drill small hole for
light to shine through cover.

2. Sonalert across incoming mains. maybe with a switch on it so you
can leave it connected with panel cover on and just switch it on when
you turn main breaker off.

To be sort of on the safe side since anything across the mains is
totally unfused, use very small wire or pico fuses to make connections
and keep all wires short. If they do go up in smoke you do not want
enough insulated wire to start a fire. Maybe slide some of that
nomex/asbestos insulation from stoves over your wires.


The minor problem is that as the pico fuses and wire are vaporizing they
form a "plasma" conductive path that can turn into a line-to-line arc flash.

There is a real good reason to leave the service conductors alone.

240 don't arc that much.

I saw the remains of a 208V service that burned down. Some of the
service wires burned back into the supply pipes.

In my younger days I played with all kinds
of stuff to blow it up. Pico fuses should not let anything arc or
even get hot. Can you get a 240 volt pico fuse????


Fuses for power circuits will have an "available fault current" rating.
The available fault current for a residential service is likely 5,000 -
10,000A.

If you use an unrated fuse (which pico fuses will be) with 5,000
available fault amps the fuse can disappear in a flash. That flash will
be conductive plasma, which can wind up line-to-line, an arc flash.

Meters used on high energy circuits should be "category" rated (3 or 4).
The Fluke meter I use has fuses with 10,000 and 20,000A available fault
current ratings.

--
bud--