Back feeding power to sticks and bricks from generator

[terry735001]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

They call these leads DEATH LEADS for a very good reason. [Moderator Edit]

Then you repeat it in another post as if it is the correct thing to do

"code goes put the window and practicality takes precedence."

What about safety and duty of care to others.

yes this is nuts

every one all so keep for getting the auto grounding system when the gen set is on or in inverter mood

it is ok for like what you did one item using the RVs ground system

but homes earth ground is not ok with the auto nutrol to ground that the RV has on when get is running

[Jimalberta]

When the world was getting ready for Y2K.....remember that?..... I was asked to set up furnaces here in Canada so that they could run them off of a generator. So what I did was disconnect the furnace from the house grid and install an electrical plug at the furnace and wired a male plug onto the furnace. Then when the power grid fails the home owner simply unplugs his furnace from the house and into an extension cord connected to his gen. and Voila....heat. This is what I would do as well as my fridge and freezer. one heavy cord from the RV gen should do it.

[Rich-n-Linda]

Originally Posted by TQ60

?..Powering a cable head end this way...the person responsible for the head end is a [Moderator Edit].

It should have been on a battery plant with standby generator and the ability to connect another one.

[Moderator Edit]

I'll bet you have never owned or operated a small business. I looked into a standby generator setup for this CATV headend. It would have cost us the equivalent of two months gross revenue at the time. It was absolutely impossible for us to spend that kind of money, especially when we could solve the problem with a $400 generator, an extension cord, a male plug and a written procedure for connecting it up. When you are a small businessman trying to survive, some times you have to improvise.

I honestly think we are becoming a nation of wimps. All some of you can think of is the SAFETY aspect of things. You have no ability to look beyond the supposed SAFE way to do things to see the PRACTICAL way to do the same thing. Sure there is some danger in a cord with male plugs on both ends. I get that. However, if you know what you are doing and respect the power in that wire, it can be done without any problems. I've done it many, many times.

I think some of you enjoy looking down from your ivory towers, citing code and telling us all how it SHOULD be done SAFELY with little or no regard for the practicality of what you propose.


Rich & Linda
'06 Mandalay 40E
Freightliner XC-R chassis
Cummins 400 HP ISL

[wa8yxm]

When it comes to electrical safety.. My position is this: I may know the proper procedure for transferring to generator using a "Cheater method" but .... I might not be there when the power fails.

AND I have been known to skip a step on a check list from time to time.
(And had to do repairs as a result) Now the step I skipped resulted in a bit of bent metal and all I had to do was bend it back.

But skipping the wrong step backfeeding can result in either a fried geneator (Much more expensive) or a dead person. Worse still) or a fire.

This is why I preach the safe way.

[zdomain]

I've lived through several disasters, both major and minor. Earthquakes, floods, dam bursts, blizzards, etc. There are people who die due to the disaster, through no fault of their own. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and didn't have a chance. Then there are the preventable deaths. The shopkeeper who accidentally shoots himself protecting his business, or the electrocutions of people messing with electricity and not knowing what they were doing.

You've got a generator. Plan now to do it right. As mentioned above, converting your furnace from a "hardwired" to "plugged in" isn't that hard, and would allow you to run it from the generator using a long cord. Refrigerators and freezers could be run the same way. You don't need to energize the house, or create dangerous cords. If you want to go all the way, install a transfer switch on the house. But plan now, so you don't end up one of the preventable deaths. It really isn't that complex.

[Dr4Film]

Originally Posted by zdomain

As mentioned above, converting your furnace from a "hardwired" to "plugged in" isn't that hard, and would allow you to run it from the generator using a long cord. Refrigerators and freezers could be run the same way. You don't need to energize the house, or create dangerous cords. If you want to go all the way, install a transfer switch on the house. But plan now, so you don't end up one of the preventable deaths.

It really isn't that complex.

But you would think is was by reading what a lot of people have posted to this thread.

I know what I would do and it would be the easiest and most simplest method using some common sense to get by in the emergency.

Since I don't own a house other than my coach which has been R HOME for over the last 10+ years I really don't have to worry about it. My power travels with me 24/7/365 days every year.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[ahicks]

Lee-
Stupid, irresponsible, dangerous, all pretty strong words supplied in a note with no back up documentation of any kind.

Regarding sharing experience on this topic in a public forum? We freely discuss a LOT of information that exposes a user to danger on this forum every day. From wiping down your jacks with WD40 or changing air bags, to lube oil and filter service or air line service on motor homes capable of squashing you like a bug, to servicing LP gas tanks and appliances for Pete's sake! Assuming people are too stupid to make up their own mind regarding something like this may not be in the best interest of a public forum either?

Off my rant stool now, and after brushing the impending doom smoke and mirrors aside, agreeing there are lots of great ideas being supplied.

And I'll add you can pick and choose among those that make sense to you....

[bdickson]

Ok folks, please quit bashing each other and stick to discussing the topic. Several posts have been edited.

[wa8yxm]

I will admit,, Before I decided to add the transfer panel (So I could do several circuits not just one or two or three, and so I could avoid a "Rat's Nest" of extension cords) I considered a plug in mod for the furnace.

Was easier to do it right, and neater too.

I was amazed at how LITTLE power the house was using.

[TQ60]

In past lives I mananaged telephone networks and was responsible for power engineering as well.

We had a fleet or generators and sites that had generators had a MTS to allow a portable to be connected when the standby failed.

It is very expensive but having a switch go dark is not acceptable...period.

Building the network properly includes the power system.

Uptime us included in the metrics used for maintaining the network...not having the head end properly backed up with battery and heat management is just not good.

Running a death cord would be a final task to earn a pink slip.

If the cable head end was too cheap to properly design their head end power system then it should have went dark.

Or the portable generator should have been properly wired in.

Management should then react and do it correctly.

This has been beat to death.

Yes a death cord can be used and many are able to safely do so but they do so at their risk and loop other folks into the pool if they make a mistake and it simply is a real stupid thing to do under any circumstance.

So please do not consider one as a solution to any problem when a simple extension cord can be used for critical things like fridge and freezer.

You can watch tv in the mh.

[dvmweb]

We live where we lose electric power to the house often, 2-4 times per year. Before we installed a whole house ng generator I used the MH generator a couple of times by just running heavy extension cords to the 110 outlets in the MH. We would do three or four. I figured out the different 110 circuits in the MH and would rotate the freezer and refrigerator, and leave the water pump amd furnace plugged in. Did this for a week one winter, hence the back up whole house gennie.


2013 FleetWood Expedition 38B

[gemini5362]

Originally Posted by bdickson

He gave you incorrect and possibly dangerous advice. The 50 (or 30) amp cable on the MH is one input to the Transfer Switch. The generator is on the other input. The switch determines which feed goes to the MH circuits, but in no circumstances should the generator power come "backwards" through the hookup cable. In any hookup where a portable generator is used to power a house there is a possibility of the power being fed out to the supply lines which is very dangerous for the linemen who are restoring power.

I disagree with your verbiage. While I realize that usually there is a danger in my hookup for my stick and brick house it is a physical impossibility for power to backfeed. I have a separate breaker box in my garage. I run power to it from my main circuit breaker box. The power to the garage breaker box runs from two separate air conditioner disconnect switches. The input to one A/C disconnect is from the Main circuit breaker panel. The input to the other A/C disconnect is from a receptacle that I plug the output of my generator into. In order to energize the switches they have a handle with copper connectors that have to be plugged into complete the circuit between input and output. I threw away one of these handles when I mounted the switches and only have one available. In case of power outage I move the switch from the one hooked to the main ckt breaker and use it to connect the receptacle for the generator. This is a physical disconnection and you cannot have both switches activated at the same time. It is an impossibility to have it backfeed to the main line.

[GA Navigator]

This is an interesting thread.
Last winter with ice in the forecast, I went and filled my propane, diesel, and water tanks and planned to stay warm and comfy in the motorhome. Fortunately we only lost power for about two hours.
My onan 10kw KDKAG does appear to generate 240V between legs. I haven't studied much on the wiring of it but did measure 240v one time in the breaker box while troubleshooting something else so I would think it's possible with my unit to power much of the house if I desired. I think the easier and safer solution would be to run an appropriately sized extension cord from an outside receptacle on the coach straight to any critical loads in the house like a refer/freezer. Then stay comfortable and worry-free while camping in the yard/driveway.


1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator
Cummins 8.3
Allison MD3060

[Southpark]

I sure don't have a problem with people risking their lives or property for fun or profit. Have at it. I do have a problem, however, with people putting others' lives and property at risk without their knowledge or consent. If I were a lineman and someone could be putting me as risk by putting current through a line by forgetting a single step in a crises -- all in violation of laws designed to protect me -- I could give a rat's posterior what their excuse was, financial or otherwise. JMO, and there are no insults contained herein.