Reminder: Never connect a generator to home wiring without transfer switch

Thu Aug 26 00:31:04 UTC 2021

>
> In theory, Jay is correct, but assuming that theory will always work in
> practice is, in this case, how linemen end up dead. We're all well aware of
> never assuming theory = practice, but admittedly the stakes tend to be a
> little lower in our world.
>

right. my grandpa was a high-voltage/wattage engineer. He always said, `an
engineer can make an error, but only once'.

Luckily, we can make many errors :)

-- 
Amir Herzberg

Comcast professor of Security Innovations, Computer Science and
Engineering, University of Connecticut
Homepage: https://sites.google.com/site/amirherzberg/home
`Applied Introduction to Cryptography' textbook and lectures:
 https://sites.google.com/site/amirherzberg/applied-crypto-textbook
<https://sites.google.com/site/amirherzberg/applied-crypto-textbook>

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 1:55 PM Matt Erculiani <merculiani at gmail.com> wrote:

> In theory, Jay is correct, but assuming that theory will always work in
> practice is, in this case, how linemen end up dead. We're all well aware of
> never assuming theory = practice, but admittedly the stakes tend to be a
> little lower in our world.
>
> Ensuring that a generator physically cannot backfeed is just one layer of
> protection against the already very high risk of the job of a lineman. Then
> there is, of course, checking for the presence of voltage before starting
> work, but it's possible for a generator to start AFTER this check.
>
> Another layer of protection is grounding all conductors prior to beginning
> work, so that if power does come back (via the grid or a backfeed) A: The
> lineman and bucket is not the best path to ground and B: The source is
> tripped.
>
> Reading through that forum post, it sounds like that particular contractor
> had a reputation for lacking proper safety precautions, so one or more
> safety layers may have been removed, making the risk/impact of any single
> mistake much greater than it should be.
>
> -Matt
>
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 11:25 AM Mel Beckman <mel at beckman.org> wrote:
>
>> Jay,
>>
>> No, because transformers work in both directions :)
>>
>> Plus, to the previous commenter that talked about “suicide cords”:
>> they’’re more correctly termed “homicide  cords”:
>>
>> “ The lineman killed yesterday was working for Pike Electric and picked
>> up a line that was connected to someones house that hooked up a generator
>> and did not disconnect from the distribution system. The linemans name was
>> Ronnie Adams, age unknown. He had two children and a wife. As far as I know
>> he was from Louisiana. They are trying to set up a fund for his family, but
>> nothing I have heard of yet. I will let yall know more as I hear of it. I
>> wish they would really teach folks the proper connection of generators,
>> this was a really tragic and preventable accident. Stay Safe and think
>> about it before you do it.”
>>
>> https://powerlineman.com/lforum/showthread.php?711-Storm-Death
>>
>>  -mel
>>
>> On Aug 25, 2021, at 10:12 AM, Jay Hennigan <jay at west.net> wrote:
>>
>> On 8/25/21 07:04, Mark Tinka wrote:
>>
>> On 8/25/21 15:59, Ethan O'Toole wrote:
>>
>>
>> How would this not load the generator or inverter into oblivion?
>>
>> Not sure I understand your question. Say again, please.
>>
>>
>> If you fail to isolate your generator from the incoming utility feed so
>> that you're back-feeding the utility and the power is out for your
>> neighborhood or the whole city, would not the load of trying to light up
>> the whole town completely overwhelm your little generator to the point that
>> it fails, stalls, or trips its own output breaker?
>>
>> --
>> Jay Hennigan - jay at west.net
>> Network Engineering - CCIE #7880
>> 503 897-8550 - WB6RDV
>>
>>
>
> --
> Matt Erculiani
> ERCUL-ARIN
>
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