DO NOT BACK FEED ALTERNATING CURRENT

[Dionne]

Mods...please find the correct location for this thread.

Areas in west central Mississippi experienced severe storms last Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Folks are still without power. Some may be without for several more days into next week.

Generators are selling out. Buyers are requesting quick fix back feed applications.

PLEASE....DO NOT DO THIS......!

You could kill a man on a pole trying to help you.

As our hurricane season ramps up this will be a continued problem.

Thanx for your attention.

[hial2]

Mods...please find the correct location for this thread.

Areas in west central Mississippi experienced severe storms last Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Folks are still without power. Some may be without for several more days into next week.

Generators are selling out. Buyers are requesting quick fix back feed applications.

PLEASE....DO NOT DO THIS......!

You could kill a man on a pole trying to help you.

As our hurricane season ramps up this will be a continued problem.

Thanx for your attention.

Dionne, how to you back feed?? You mean hook up to the home's electric grid? I'm a newbie generator owner..Thanks

[jordanmills]

Have a qualified electrician come out and install an accessory breaker box and automatic isolation circuit.

[DanKellFla]

You backfeed by hooking up the generator directly to the house without using a transfer switch AND not disconnecting the house from the grid. It is a bad idea. You can kill a lineman, burn down your house or fry your generator.
After one hurricane, one of my neighboors must have been backfeeding, because a low powered night light in my house was glowing. In my area, to disconnect your house from the grid, all you need to do is throw a master switch. It couldn't be much easier than that and it still wasn't done. It is expensive, but buy an 'extend-a-panel' cord and run it into your house.

[jordanmills]

When in doubt, just flip the main breakers off. Although that might not always work. Best bet (only bet?) is to get a licensed electrician out to sign off on it.

[Dionne]

Back feed applications can be done properly. I'm not going to tell you how to do it. Get an electrician. I will tell you this....in an emergency situation with electricity coming into your home.....pull the meter. If your not qualified to pull the meter yourself call the fire dept.

EDIT; By pulling your meter, you isolate your homes electric grid.

[DanKellFla]

When in doubt, just flip the main breakers off. Although that might not always work. Best bet (only bet?) is to get a licensed electrician out to sign off on it.

The problem is not all houses have this available. In that case, you have to disconnect the 200 Amp lines going into your house. When the power is out, that is easy and safe. The problem is reconnecting them when the power is on. That needs to be done the right way. You don't get a second chance if you do it wrong. (Death is possible, if you are lucky, you fry you panel) I know an electrician who will do it for his friends. But he absolutely refuses to accept to be paid for that. And, he won't disconnect the house if he thinks that you are going to try and reconnect it.