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Flexible cable for generator backfeed use?

R

Richard

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard wrote:


How do you 'backfeed' a house?

You cable the generator to a 220V outlet which then feeds the panel
backwards, rather than the panel feeding the outlet under normal
conditions.

And, as everyone knows, make sure you leave the main open so you fry as
many linemen as possible. Well, that's what most of the geniuses here
assume will happen to everyone who uses a generator in this manner.....LOL!
 
G

Gail Storm

Jan 1, 1970
0
And, as everyone knows, make sure you leave the main open so you fry as
many linemen as possible. Well, that's what most of the geniuses here
assume will happen to everyone who uses a generator in this manner.....LOL!

I do not have a generator but in reading the various posts I have a question. If
you backfeed and leave the mains closed wouldn't that destroy the generator when
the power was restored? Just curious, Gail Storm.
 
I

Ignoramus9118

Jan 1, 1970
0
The above makes no logical sense. Most likely, that person mixed up
the open and closed state of the breaker.

To "fry linemen", one would need to keep the main breaker closed.
I do not have a generator but in reading the various posts I have a
question. If you backfeed and leave the mains closed wouldn't that
destroy the generator when the power was restored? Just curious,
Gail Storm.

Yes, it would.

An even more likely consequence would be your generator trying to
power your neighborhood, and thusly stalling or popping its breakers.

i
 
S

Steve Spence

Jan 1, 1970
0
Gail said:
I do not have a generator but in reading the various posts I have a question. If
you backfeed and leave the mains closed wouldn't that destroy the generator when
the power was restored? Just curious, Gail Storm.

Might pop the breaker on the generator. What the concern is if your
breaker si closed, and a lineman is working on the lines, your generator
is feeding power to the transformer on your pole, and stepping up the
voltage (lowering the amps, as watts is watts). Not likely to do any
damage with the small generators most folks use, but it is a risk.
 
R

Richard

Jan 1, 1970
0
The above makes no logical sense. Most likely, that person mixed up
the open and closed state of the breaker.

To "fry linemen", one would need to keep the main breaker closed.

Yep. I typed that out so quickly I got the terminology wrong.
Yes, it would.

I would think there would be a good chance of fire, never mind just
destroying the generator.

An even more likely consequence would be your generator trying to
power your neighborhood, and thusly stalling or popping its breakers.

I my case, there are 5 other houses sharing the same transformer, so it
would surely overload the generator immediately. However, I have yet to
test that and never will.
 
D

Derek Broughton

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ignoramus9118 said:
The above makes no logical sense. Most likely, that person mixed up
the open and closed state of the breaker.

Not fair, ig. Gail didn't write what you just quoted her as writing.
 
V

Vaughn Simon

Jan 1, 1970
0
Steve Spence said:
.... What the concern is if your
breaker si closed, and a lineman is working on the lines, your generator
is feeding power to the transformer on your pole, and stepping up the
voltage (lowering the amps, as watts is watts). Not likely to do any
damage with the small generators most folks use, but it is a risk.

For a lineman to be hurt from a backfeeding generator, four things must
happen simultaniously:

1) Some idiot runs a generator connected to his house wiring with no proper
transfer switch and with his main breaker still closed. and...
2) Our idiot happens to have an isolated pole transformer that is so lightly
loaded that his generator does not somehow trip. and...
3) There happens to be a line crew working outside our idiot's house.
and...
4) That line crew is ignoring proper procedure and working in a criminally
negligent manner.

I think that #1 and #3 are possible, and #2 and #4 are vanishingly
unlikely. The possibility of all four of the above happening simultaniously
is barely worth our time to discuss...yet we do.

Vaughn
 
S

Steve Spence

Jan 1, 1970
0
Vaughn said:
For a lineman to be hurt from a backfeeding generator, four things must
happen simultaniously:

1) Some idiot runs a generator connected to his house wiring with no proper
transfer switch and with his main breaker still closed. and...
2) Our idiot happens to have an isolated pole transformer that is so lightly
loaded that his generator does not somehow trip. and...
3) There happens to be a line crew working outside our idiot's house.
and...
4) That line crew is ignoring proper procedure and working in a criminally
negligent manner.

I think that #1 and #3 are possible, and #2 and #4 are vanishingly
unlikely. The possibility of all four of the above happening simultaniously
is barely worth our time to discuss...yet we do.

Vaughn
It's enough of a risk, that the powers that be mandated specific
millisecond disconnect rates in grid tie inverters to prevent this from
happening.
 
D

Derek Broughton

Jan 1, 1970
0
Vaughn said:
For a lineman to be hurt from a backfeeding generator, four things must
happen simultaniously:

1) Some idiot runs a generator connected to his house wiring with no
proper
transfer switch and with his main breaker still closed. and...
2) Our idiot happens to have an isolated pole transformer that is so
lightly
loaded that his generator does not somehow trip. and...
3) There happens to be a line crew working outside our idiot's house.
and...
4) That line crew is ignoring proper procedure and working in a criminally
negligent manner.

I think that #1 and #3 are possible, and #2 and #4 are vanishingly
unlikely. The possibility of all four of the above happening
simultaniously is barely worth our time to discuss...yet we do.

We keep discussing it because of Murphy's law. Besides which, I don't
believe #2 is vanishingly small. After our local hurricane experience I
drove down a rural road where practically _every_ pole transformer was
isolated. The whole reason it needs discussing is that the rules exist to
try to ensure that #4 never comes into play.
 
D

daestrom

Jan 1, 1970
0
Steve Spence said:
It's enough of a risk, that the powers that be mandated specific
millisecond disconnect rates in grid tie inverters to prevent this from
happening.

The grid-tie inverter dis-connect timing isn't about this particular issue.
It is there to prevent 'islanding' of a small section of grid and the damage
your inverter would see if the grid power came back on while the inverter is
still 'pumping power'. Highly likely that it would not be in phase with the
returning power, and the results could be 'spectacular'. But your inverter
would lose all its 'magic smoke'.

daestrom
 
D

Dale Farmer

Jan 1, 1970
0
Vaughn said:
For a lineman to be hurt from a backfeeding generator, four things must
happen simultaniously:

1) Some idiot runs a generator connected to his house wiring with no proper
transfer switch and with his main breaker still closed. and...
2) Our idiot happens to have an isolated pole transformer that is so lightly
loaded that his generator does not somehow trip. and...
3) There happens to be a line crew working outside our idiot's house.
and...
4) That line crew is ignoring proper procedure and working in a criminally
negligent manner.

I think that #1 and #3 are possible, and #2 and #4 are vanishingly
unlikely. The possibility of all four of the above happening simultaniously
is barely worth our time to discuss...yet we do.

ANd it happens often enough that linemen are injured and killed doing
it. ( News articles were cited previously in the thread of such incidents)
Very small possibility indeed. But when you multiply that small possibility
by the hundreds of thousands of downed power lines in the hurricane
affected areas, it's probability gets quite high.

--Dale
 
M

Me

Jan 1, 1970
0
Solar Flare said:
It is not an excuse to do it but a proof that the legend is just crap.

The reason Electrical utilities don't want you to backfeed is the neighbours
will be getting crappy power to burn out their motors and they delivered it,
making them liable.

Now here is a "Load of Crap" spewed by a another "Know Nothing"... Just
which Utility Official, did you get this from?....or is this another one
of your socalled "Opinions"......


Me who still wonders, where this stuff comes from.......
besides the back end of a cow.......
 
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