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Generator use ... just posted to Facebook

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Dick in Wisconsin

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Mar 3, 2012
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Location
Shawano, Wisconsin
I just posted to Facebook ...

FB friends out east without power. If you are fortunate enough to have a generator, please remember these simple rules:

1. NO generator running in house or garage. The carbon monoxide will kill you quickly and silently. Run the generator outside only.
2. Turn the generator off when you refuel. You've been running it under load for hours, the entire machine will be hot, and it will be easy to start a fire. Having a 5 gal bucket of water and a fire extinquisher close by isn't a bad idea.
3. Run extension cords into the house to the appliances. Every couple of hours grab hold a cord, if its hot the electrical load through the cord is too great. Unplug some stuff from the line. Otherwise you could end up with a fire.

4. If you or some well intentioned person rigged up a "special plug" to hook the generator directly into your house electrical system, usually using a heavy cable with pronged plugs (male ends) on both ends of the cable (call backfeeding) you MUST turn the main breaker OFF. If you don't, you can burn your house down, or worse kill the power company line man who is trying to restore your power.

We're hearing report of people in NJ and NY dying in their homes from generator carbon monoxide and reports of power company line men running into wires that are being backfed. The backfed lines delay restoring power because the linemen then must find the backfeeding house and disconnect it.

Please Share with all your Facebook friends. If we were closer ... we'd try to help.
 
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Shadowdog500

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#1 has killed almost as many people as falling trees according to the list of causes of deaths from sandy on CNN. To me that is unbelievable.

Chris
 
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D

Dick in Wisconsin

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Mar 3, 2012
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Location
Shawano, Wisconsin
Anyone who runs a generator inside their house or attached garage must be really stupid. I know that sounds blunt, cold, and callous ... but I don't know any other way to put it.
 
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Norcal

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Mar 16, 2008
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It is stupid, foolish, illegal to connect a genny without a proper transfer switch, and any neighborhood w/ a "suicide cord" in use should have to wait until 2025 or later to have power restored.

Turning off a main breaker is not a substitute for a transfer switch.
 
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HaroRider

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New York
Perhaps they are running it too close to an open garage.
And not directly inside it.

Be safe guys.
 
O

OccupantRJ

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Eastern North Carolina
Norcal said:
It is stupid, foolish, illegal to connect a genny without a proper transfer switch, and any neighborhood w/ a "suicide cord" in use should have to wait until 2025 or later to have power restored.

Turning off a main breaker is not a substitute for a transfer switch.
Click to expand...

Norcal, how do you feel about the breaker interlock kits for this purpose?
 
A

Alchymist

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Mar 1, 2009
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Location
Central PA
**** in Wisconsin said:
I just posted to Facebook ...

FB friends out east without power. If you are fortunate enough to have a generator, please remember these simple rules:

4. If you or some well intentioned person rigged up a "special plug" to hook the generator directly into your house electrical system, usually using a heavy cable with pronged plugs (male ends) on both ends of the cable (call backfeeding) you MUST turn the main breaker OFF. If you don't, you can burn your house down, or worse kill the power company line man who is trying to restore your power.
Click to expand...

Think you might want to delete this one - sounds like you are kind of advocating this. Not good.

Norcal said:
It is stupid, foolish, illegal to connect a genny without a proper transfer switch, and any neighborhood w/ a "suicide cord" in use should have to wait until 2025 or later to have power restored.

Turning off a main breaker is not a substitute for a transfer switch.
Click to expand...
!!! BINGO !!!
OccupantRJ said:
Norcal, how do you feel about the breaker interlock kits for this purpose?
Click to expand...

I've posted this a dozen times in recent threads: Not all AHJ (local code enforcement) will accept these - they want to see a real transfer switch. Best to check before buying!
 
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OccupantRJ

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Eastern North Carolina
For the people who are new at running a generator, if the unit shuts down, not only check the gas, but also check the oil. Most have a low oil protection switch to shut the engine down when oil gets too low. It does not take a lot for this to occur. Keep plenty of oil on hand. Check oil each time you refuel. A generator under load tends to consume some oil. If running a generator at night and it shuts down, better get your **** out quickly to check on it. Generators are sometimes stolen while running, easy for thieves to locate by the noise. The owner may assume it is out of fuel, and take their time checking on it. Chain it up to something substantial with a padlock to slow them down a little. These are my observations from living in hurricane territory all my life.
 
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nissan_crawler

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Jan 12, 2008
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Location
Wichita, KS
**** in Wisconsin said:
Anyone who runs a generator inside their house or attached garage must be really stupid. I know that sounds blunt, cold, and callous ... but I don't know any other way to put it.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but it happens. Two families here did it during the ice storm years back, because they didn't want them stolen. It worked I guess, the generators were still there when they found them...

I was worried because mine was 15' out from the house, but in the "L" the house makes. I taped the nearby windows shut, and put a two carbon monoxide detectors in, one on each side of the "L".

I need to see if Wichita removed their head from their behind about installing a transfer switch yet. Last I checked, they said in order to do a complete transfer, the generator had to be capable of powering the entire house. Otherwise, you could only pick a few circuits for the switch, that the generator could handle at once.

Well, that leaves me picking one of four "fridge, well pump, furnace, microwave". Not a very good choice.
 
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