Feeding power from a generator to electrical outlet

If you disconnect all the breakers, and connect the output of the generator to a cord with a male plug on the end that you plug into a socket? If that's what you're asking, then probably yes. But you will only supply power to the outlets on that circuit. (Each breaker in your box, aside from the main breaker, supplies a single circuit - a number of outlets strung along a line.) So, the trick would be to find an inside outlet on the same circuit as the outside outlet. I suppose that if you closed the breaker on that circuit (not the main breaker) the power would be available to the other circuits, through their circuit breakers - assuming the circuit breakers are bidirectional, which I think they are, but some else here will need to back me up on that.

And I'd be careful to get the HOT, NEUTRAL and GROUND wires on the right pins.

Keep in mind that if you do this, and flip the main breaker you might destroy things. In particular, if the main power line is down, and a lineman is working on it while you're running your generator, and you flip the main breaker on, you might kill him.

Void where prohibited. Your mileage may vary.

The easiest thing to do is to disconnect the electric meter, and put aligator connections on the feed wires to the bus bars, and connect the generator to the aligator clips by feed wires.

Thats tantamount to suicide!!!

I have heard some dodgy practices in my time (like making a single phase outlet out of a plank of wood and a coke can, or running a factory's overhead gas discharge lighting off of Bell telephone wire). This is another one. Really, really dangerous. Please leave the electrical side to the professionals, we know what we are doing (well most of the time anyway).

As a side note, the telephone wiring glowed when the lights were on, and the factory did not burn down for a whole 6 months! (and then it did).

Now you've got my attention! Please provide additional info if any on making a single phase outlet out of a plank of wood and a coke can.

Necessity, the Mother of Invention

I have lost the link and the picture. I must have not saved the email.

The general idea was you take an old plank of wood, slot 3 rectangular holes in it (the same and position size as a domestic 230V three pin single phase socket). Then you take your coke can, cut strips off it that act as pins for the single phase plug. Jam these pins into the board (press the sides down over the front of the board to ensure that the pins will not be pushed out of the holes when you push the plug in to them). Ensure that the metal strips are a bit longer than the board. Now, wrap around a few turns of 1.5mm2 conduit wire to each of the pins (carefully ensuring polarity colour). Twist the tails of metal pins around the wire to ensure a snug fit. Wire other end to your buildings fixed wiring. Show electrical inspector when he comes around to inspect the building.

Hey presto, a single phase wall outlet. I also need to make it clear that the manufacturer of this death trap was trying to save money and obviously had no electrical knowledge. Strange thing is that they are dirt cheap to buy.

This incident occurred a few years ago and was posted on one of our New Zealand electrical safety (or regulation) sites. The socket indicated this occurred in either New Zealand (or possibly Australia). I would appreciate it if someone can provide the link for me again so I can save it in a more secure place.

Although I would agree with the above post...

If you don't know much about electricity might I suggest you don't mess around with it?

What you're planning on doing needs to be safe for users, what you're planning on doing will therefore need to be undertaken by someone who knows the risks involved of getting it wrong.

So please get a qualified electrician to do it for you.

John.

This is the correct advice: don't play the electrician.

Purchase the appropriate sized transfer switch. (yes, they are expensive in comparison to a 5KW genetrator, but cheap in comparison to a 20KW generator...)

Select your circuits.

Have an electrician wire it up for you.

Throw the switch and Fire up your generator.

If you do it wrong, and kill a lineworker, you could be held liable for murder (in the USA, elsewhere, I'm not certain...)

Don't do it. Very dangerous. Too many people killed down here doing it. For some reason can only talk in short sentences this morning. Tea required.

Although possible it will be dangerous and would most probably be illegal.

The electricity supplier will / may have regulations regarding connection of emergency power supplies.

Apply for authorization.

An approved electrician must be used.

Actually, this is what I do at home. I have a 2200 watt generator, and have an heavy duty extension cord rated at 150A (i dont remember the exact gauge, but they are really heavy, no pun intended).

Turn off the main breaker first....

Unplug the heavy loads (refrigerators, air conditioners, heaters, etc.)

I plug this in to the oven outlet (biggest rated outlet in the house)

Turn on the generator

And I have power in all my outlets and lights.

Of course I only use this for necessities: Electric fan, TV, PS2, PC

Local electrical codes do apply of course (In my case, Ignorance is Bliss?)

But in all seriousness, do this only if you have experience with handling electricity. If you are not sure of what you are doing, hire a professional. Cheaper than having to rebuild after a fire.

Is that a typo or do you really have a single-phase extension cord rated at 150A? If so, could you provide more details and perhaps a manufacturer or website.

First, I have to say that I agree with the other posts regarding safety. A separate breakout box with interlocks to not allow simultaneous connection to mains, installed by an electrician is the only good advice. Nobody has asked what type of power slong has, so this is doubly important.

That being said, I also do what solrac does. Here in the US, 115 power is supplied by two 115 V lines coming into the house, supplying two branches in the circuit breaker box. These lines are out of phase. Each will supply 115 V when connected hot to neutral through an appliance. When connected together (through an appliance), they supply 220 V for running high current devices.

If you simply plug 115 into a wall socket, you only supply power to the circuits on that branch of the circuit. However, since return is common, some power bleeds over to the other branch and lights will light but be dim, blink etc. This seems very dangerous as power is not being distributed as it should, return circuits will be hot etc. Definitely not advised.

However, supplying 220 V back through a 220 V plug, (I use the drier plug) after disconnecting from the mains supplies power pretty much like the power company, and all wall plugs etc. work fine. The cord that I use is one designed to go from the generator to a breakout box, so it is rated for the current.

Now I know this is not legal by code, dangerous etc. However:

1. I am very careful to disconnect the main circuit breaker form mains.

2. All cords are rated for the current drawn, and do not get warm.

3. All circuit breakers that would be used during normal operation from the power plant are in line. In addition, there are circuit breakers on the generator.

So, the only dangers that I see are that:

a. The main circuit breaker is left on accidentally, which could kill a line worker, destroy the generator, start a fire etc.

b. Someone knocks the male plug out of the drier. Now you have live 220 exposed which could kill, short out and cause a fire etc.

Certainly dangerous enough (and again, not recommended). But other than a and b above, does anyone see additional dangers that I have missed?.

This is a very temporary setup, used for a couple hours at a time. Before I got the generator, power used to go off for long periods frequently. Since I have gotten the generator, it almost never happens (murphey's law).

Tad

What is technically possible and what is safe and legal are 2 different things.

As engineers we are sworn to protect the public and have a professional responsibility.

Anything outside that is malpractice and liable for loss of license, fines, and censure.

In industry, it is always the short cuts and screw ups that injure people. We just cannot condone using a practice that has definite risks and is definitely illegal.

Well said and put, many thanks for your correct contribution.

I would not put my name on such a setup and publish it on CR4........as you have done.

I knew I would get replies such as those from GW and Andy. Even though I repeatedly stated that feeding back though the system is dangerous, not advised, not to code, not condoned by me etc. somebody would have to say I was reckless and stupid.

So be it, guilty as charged from a legal/safety input.

Being legal does not always mean something is totally safe.

Perfectly safe things are not always legal.

Safety requires identification of potentially dangerous situations, and eliminating the possibility of the situations occurring which could cause harm.

I have identified the potential hazards that I see for something that I do, (but do not recommend others to do). I have asked for input on dangers that that I have not identified.

Good engineers would identify other potential hazards, rather than attacking my character. This would possibly change the comfort level in what I am presently doing, and make it safer (or not doing it at all). Unfortunately, you two have decided to attack rather than enlighten..

Sorry. I'm sure you two are good guys, but.....

Tad

Sometimes telling the truth hurts, as in this case, but for the safety of all, not just CR4 members, the truth is the only way in such situations. I was not the only one trying to point out the inherent dangers of such installations, but you persistently tried to justify the dangers in some way.

If you read that as a personal attack (when I have no idea who you are or where you are!), look inwards for the problem, not outwards!

The Darwin Awards web pages are full of such similar situations that went deadly wrong! Take a read !

www.darwinawards.com/

None of the people concerned intended to injure or kill themselves or anyone else, it just went all wrong because they did not think the situation out fully....

If we on CR4 have prevented you (or someone near you) being put on this web page, then we have done a good job.

Have a great day.

Please remember Tad, this forum is for engineers, but anyone can read the content and maybe think,

"Hmmm that sounds easy I will try that....", with possibly dire consequences.

Even the questioner states that he knows little about electricity, that is why my first post was to say don't do anything without a qualified professional person at your side etc...

What concerns me even more is that you never know who is going to read these posts...

For instance Google might take a snapshot of this thread and then someone Googling for answers to a power supply problem might in a few months time be reading this and thinking I will try that!!

I wouldn't like that on my conscience, would you?

John.

Its OK until I get caught?

Sorry if we disagree on this point.

"I have asked for input on dangers that that I have not identified"

I note you made a human error in your phrase "that that", so I see you do make human errors. Not life threatening this time.

Yes, but don't do it without and approved transfer switch.

I have a similar problem, with long periods of outages, up to 36 hours at a time. It gets terribly cold here in the winter. So I put a plug and socket on the supply to our furnace and now I unplug it from the outlet and plug it into an extension cord from the generator. Toasty warm now. I also have enough power left over for several CFB's so I don't grope around in the dark. (Yes, the extension cords are all over the floor).

At a local business I also installed a 35Kw standby diesel generator, automatic start panel and transfer switch. Now the lights are out for no more than 30 seconds! But it was very $$$$.

Where? In many U.S. states, if not all, it would be unlawful. And you cannot do it yourself...licensed electrician needed.

The method implied is really dangerous and not to be recommended, although theoretically it would work.

How about a changeover switch for the items you need to power with a generator and feed the generator, via correct cables and of course a socket (not a plug!) to allow these items to be powered.

that way, the changeover switch can select between mains power and generator, but you cannot accidently connect the generator to the mains!!!!

Get an electrician to do the work...

In the UK - connecting a external supply to the same installation as a power company supply can only be connected by two means.

1/ A manual changeover over switch which is both electrically and mechanically interlocked to prevent both supplies feeding the installation at the same time

2/ An automatic changeover switch which automatically detects the presence of the supply company power and disconnects the external generator via mechanical and electrically interlocked contactors..

With portable generators becoming cheaper there is a dangerous trend developing where people are being encouraged to put a plug top on the end of their generator lead and plug that into the socket circuit to back feed the installation.

This is illegal and very dangerous.

...a real Killer!!!!

This will not matter, as long as the main breaker is off and the plug with correct polarity checked in the first place. This is not going to be a problem.

Nuphea

I think the point we are all making is that by reverse feeding the household there is a huge risk of inadvertently having the mains breaker in the wrong position. It is set up to have human error kill a lines man.

There are many commercial transfer switches available (even from our local hardware store!) to handle a few circuits. The big mains transfer switches are costly, but it is well worth the expense.

If the correct equipment is not going to be used then just use extension cords and pick up the lamps and small appliances as required. It is too easy to make it fool proof to meddle with the risk of killing someone.

Only the MAIN-MIAN breaker (220V) fed to the house. For those whose was not prepared and does know how with temporarily emergency needs. by the way, the wall outlets are wired parellel anyway once the main-main break is off. Either the comercial switch fed the same from the power generator (blk-blk, wht-wht and grd-grd) that only detecting if line voltage is present.

I know of one occasion where the emergency generator was connected with a switch over system to the building network.

One moment the main power went out and the generator started. Then the main power came back at the moment that the switch over started.

The generator contacts closed before the mains were broken, the phase order was not correct and the result was a big short.

The installation was feeding the emergency circuitry in a big hospital. All high care units went dark and the normal care was normal working.

The repair did take hours.

Grace to the correct and adequate reaction of the nursing staff no patients got into trouble. They started ballooning while others grabbed every extension cord and started feeding the high care apparatus with power from normal plugs.

Good luck if you think that you can do better, phase order can change (and does) with works in the street, normally you don't notice it. (unless you have 3 phase machinery)

But breakers can be on, too, don't you see. And not too many people know about tagouts, and fewer still would know what to do or not do when they see one. So that's why transfer switches, properly installed, neither of which is cheap, is de rigeur, and the only way to integrate a generator without breaking the law. Another thing: cause a fire, or an injury to utility company worker or anyone else, don't bother filing an insurance claim. You will find your policy has become null and void. Best advise is to save time and money and find something else to tinker with. While you're saving for the transfer switch installation because you didn't take that into account before getting a generator, just get the proper guage extension cord and energize whatever you need directly off the generator--but not via building's wiring.

You are absolutely right! the tagout system was indeed not for everyone. The idea of applying power into the outlet that considering some risk, but this can be done for those know how. Age of the home is the main factor, if the frige I'm not recommended because each time it came on, power surge and power might drawn 3kW or more which is leading the contact or old contact became getting hot or might burn the house..Not the linemen.

Recommended use an extension cord for whatever you're need to be energizing.

I've understood of having some avalanches effect when you tried to push 25 Amps or more into an oven socket (this may only 10 gauge-wire) that is only applied very small power appliances ( radio, small tv, frige?). the risk is connection contact was not suitable for such power drawn. Of course, you should connect at the main breaker. Also, other alternative is just use extension cord from power generator to what you're trying to use, why to the whole house?

It's shocking how in the dark some people are about common sense ( pun intended). You wouldn't hook your neighbor's hose up to your spigot would you? That's why they have backflow preventers.

Try using a transfer switching system, and save a linesmans life. It works with any generator and connects to the circuits in your electrical panel and runs the things you need most like lights, furnace, pumps, irrigation controls, things like that. start googling or go to gen-tran dot com.

Much wisdom already given.

HAving lost power in Georgia from downed wires in my "all underground utilities subdivision" in 1992 or 1993 when a huge blizzard dropped a foot of snow, I've had a 5Kw generator ready. five days no power and no water with little kids was not fun.

We had a licensed electrician install a box beside our main box, and he wired the circuits that we wanted to have powered to it . we could not afford an automatic cutover switch, but when the power is out for more than half an hour we follow this simple process.

1) throw main switch panel main breaker to off. our house is now isolated from the grid.

2) hook generator up to ground wire goes to buried rod

3) turn on generator

4) plug massive jumper cable into generator and through the garage wall pass thru to matching socket that is wired direct to the secondary box

5) Turn on main switch at secondary box to accept juice from generator.

We taped up instructions so we don't fry any linemen. MUst have main breaker off in main box before hooking up generator.

milo

Its not legal and open to operator failure.......sorry.

Surely you can find a changeover switch somewhere, ebay maybe?

Good advice.

milo

Milo,

You have alots of wisdom yourself or from within you....

somebody jump in and explain how you can have a solar system that sells power back to the utility company and that is legal and the fry a lineman mentality keeps popping up when the electrical source is a generator!

The electrical regulations are there for a reason. Back feeding solar power into the grid is not an issue but you still need the right equipment. You cannot just tie a panel to an inverter and plug it in to the wall outlet of your house.

Unfortunately, it is either the house-owner or the linesman that gets killed by these sorts of modifications. It happens far more often than I would like.

Milo's procedure (and many of the others) work but are still dangerous and illegal because of this.

How would you like it if you were working on a dead circuit and all of a sudden it unexpectedly became live. It is not a pleasant experience. Isolating the entire system to prevent this sort of thing happening is not a pleasant experience for the homeowners either ( where is my power, why is my power off. The fault isn't even on this street why did they turn us off. I want power now!!).

_____________________________________________________________________

1..2..3....."I am a linesman for the countyyyyyyy, and I drive the main rooooad......"

Please put your violin away, quit exposing the dangers and explain the difference!!

I thought I was quite clear in the first paragraph.

Back feeding solar power into the grid using the proper source-transfer switch and associated electrical equipment = safe (well as safe as it can really be when dealing with electricity)

Back feeding power into the home with a generator using the proper source-transfer switch and associated electrical equipment = safe (well as safe as it can really be when dealing with electricity)

Tying a solar panel to an inverter and plugging it directly into a wall outlet of your house = not safe (and hence illegal). Potential for fire, death, loss of street power, etc. This should be obvious.

Plugging a generator into a wall outlet of your house, even with a main isolator switch or circuit breaker disconnected = not safe (and illegal). Potential for fire, death, loss of street power, etc.

Is that clear enough?

The point you missed is that here in the states it is legal by federal law to sell back excess juice from solar panels and a dead lineman would not care where the power that killed him came from solar,wind or generator .

Only because your making it now. The rest of the discussions were regarding powering electrical appliances in a house from a generator when the main supply was disconnected or lost. We are not talking about grid-tied solar generation, and even if we were, you cannot take shortcuts and connect a solar generation system without using all the required equipment and following all the required local electrical codes, which was my (and others) point in the first place. Illegal, but more importantly - dangerously unsafe.

I don't quite know where you are going with this? Could you please explain.

The point is very simple-backfeed that is unknown is what kills. If a solar panel company sells their product and touts it as great because it turns the electric meter back and joe average reasons that he needs a genset because everybody else in the neighborhood has one and wires it in himself. guess what the dream is accomplished. The bigger point is that after hurricanes and other natural disasters backfeed from gensets WAS one of the biggest dangers linemen faced . For a lineman to think that because something is illegal and won't be done is something that can get you killed!!

I feel we are hopping around the problem without actually going in for the kill so to say.

I see Dr Tom's point, but as I also feel that the correct equipment should handle this condition fully (if not, why not?), that is if the grid is dead, do not connect to grid! (Alone the reason being that if 50,000 houses in your area have no power, your little 5 KWatt generator is not going to do much more than be severely overloaded at best!!!!!! In fact, it would be feeding into a dead short and should immediately go offline or catch fire (hopefully!)

So the lineman will not have too much of a problem, even if some idiot is following the ideas promulgated in this Blog, the illegal generator will get blown off by the load all waiting for real volts and amps!!

Surely the lines that a lineman work on in the USA (and the rest of the world!) are at a much higher voltage than houses actually receive through transformation locally and although transformers work both ways, switchgear usually does not......so in a worst case scenario, the local idiots generator may power a single phase back to the local transformer house, where the switchgear will block it further.

IF at that point (while supplying a phase to say 100 houses over thin little cables itself a dangerous feat and one I would stay well away from) the mains power is restored and the phase you are generating is not in phase with the mains, you might just live long enough to see your generator do a back flip and land several hundred meters higher in the air than it was before!!!!

The point of this long entry is that if you don't use the correct equipment, you could be severely burned or hit by a low flying generator that you own or even dead.....I cannot see the lineman even noticing, especially as they earth all lines before touching them anyway..........

I agree that lineman should still be careful, but really he should be unaffected by such idiocy.......I am sure he has rules to follow to make him safe at all times.

In Canada any power back fed is illegal.

Unless you have negotiated a license, have all the proper protection in place, and have proven the stability of your system.

There are small transfer switches that only cost several hundred dollars. Why break the law?

Gensets can range from 100VA to commercial co-generation capacity.

I installed a 35KW genset for a local hatchery. 600V 3 phase system. And you can bet there is an approved transfer switch. In industry we often go to 100's of KW. Where do you draw the line and say it is only a trickle or a significant power source?

If you only have a 1500VA genset, then your average 14 guage extension works just fine. Use a power bar to plug your toys into it. Everything is legal and safe. And that is an "emergency" temporary setup. Live with the cords. If you are planning on haywiring your home I don't call that an unplanned emergency, so do it right and legal.

Allow me to venture a guess that might satisfy. Let's use a scenario to explain...

First, any switching devise to feed current up the drop line will have been installed by the utility contracting to buy that electricity, or by certified tech who will report the fact to the utility. The power company will know it is there...possibly that it could be actively conducting into the grid. (Possibly the switching might incorporate a way of sensing or stopping reverse current when a tranmission line is disconnected--I wouldn't know, but that really doesn't matter so long as the potential for back current is known and can be dealt with...somehow.) On the contrary, a generator can be installed--with or without transfer switch--by a houseowner without the knowledge of the utility, hence of any utility workman servicing a transmission line he presumes to be dead--because he disconnected it. So here you have the potential that while that disconnected line is being worked on or near--this will often be during times of grid failures, same as when generators are most likely to start up--a generator will kick or be kicked on. Having no foreknowledge of that potential event, or previously-installed equippage to handle it, the lineman, caught unawares, becomes as a bird on a wire--a wire that was safe but now is suddenly, and without warning, potentially fatal, especially to one tethered to a pole, with no way to run, only to fall.

If you read and understand exactly what I wrote in #40, you will see that the scenario you believe could happen, cannot!

"what I wrote in #40"

Your slipping Andy, that's me, GW in #40.

I think this thread needs a burial.

I'm slipping, I should have said #39. Sorry to all concerned.

Furthermore, the lineman shorts everything to ground, before touching any lines.

The main reason for the crossover switch is to protect the house and its contents in the even that the mains comes on and is fed to the generator, with a 99.9% chance of them being out of phase. If out of phase, the generator will probably leap 200 feet into the air.....or fly apart!!

....or both!!

Also it prevents your 5 KVA generator trying to keep 1000 other houses and the street lights working!!

It would appear that most people do not realise the forces involved when connecting two out of phase AC sources together.....

I think we digress.

If he back feeds from a plug there should be a typical 15 amp or so breaker in the way limiting fault currents. The extension cord from outside will also severely limit fault levels.

The interesting thing is if the house supply is like it is in Canada, with 110/110 (or 220v phase 1 to 2), then all is well until a 220 load (baseboard heater, hot water heater, stove, dryer etc) is switched on. With no neutral path it doesn't "heat up", however, if a light bulb on the same "dead" side is now turned on it burns only slightly dim, and as you add loads the light gets dimmer. The high wattage heater has a low resistance compared to the bulb, so the bulb gets the lions share of the voltage.

From a safety point you assumed the lines were not down outside the house, where a tree may have come down and dropped them to the ground. The generator would have no problem energizing that. But then if the neighbours kid picks up those wires you now have a nasty legal battle on your hands (or cry uncle and take your lumps).

I stand by my original thesis, do it professionally with the proper equipment so it is safe, inspected, and legal. That is something I would put my stamp on. I would not wittingly jeopardize my integrity as an engineer.

The 15 A breaker will not limit your current to 15 A.

Check out the reaction curves and you will see that they can easely allow up to 10 times the current for a short period.

Depending on the type of course.

This is no problem for the cables in your house, but the generating part of the unit thinks different of it. If you put your unit in the back of the garden, as it makes to much noise and connect it with only limited copper as this is expencive you will probaly find that the breaker never cuts out as the cable heating goes to quick.

Yes, but it isn't going to do back flips or move. Even with 150 amps instantaneous. The point I am making is fault currents in a home are a fraction of those found in industrial or commercial installations. We will see overloads some local heating effects, but not likely spectacular shows. ( My 100ft extension cord with a skill saw on the end can easily overload and trip the breaker before anything catches fire. That breaker is reasonable for the application.)

You are right: for normal household applications the automatic fuse is a very good protection.

All household equipment needs to be tested against the breaker curves and prove to remain save.

But we deal with a generator here and that is not exactly a normal piece of houshold equipment. The protection of these devices is quite complex and not to be captured with a C-type breaker (which is the normal type to be found in a house)

The protection of any small consumer generator is not an issue. They cannot even supply the inrush to start an induction motor half their size. Very few can deliver 15 amps, short circuit capacity is only maybe 150% to 200%, so it will not be significantly different from protecting any small motor. The electronic type generator outputs are even more self protecting and will quickly shut off on overload and overcurrent.

Even at the 35Kvar and larger generators with diesel engines the power producing element is essentially a motor (alternator). Since this is back up power no phase relationship is required, and a suitable MCP is all that is required for overload and overcurrent.

Again, I stress, there should be no direct connection between the standby generators and electrical company without approved and inspected transfer switches. They are not expensive for manual transfer switches for "home sized" applications. If you spring for $2000 for your generator, you can pay the $500 for the switch. If not, use extension cords.

Actually, I am agnostic on the matter. It does not bother me to offer conjectures which might be refuted, as knowing what's wrong can be just as clarifying as knowing what's correct. So you might say mine was a post looking specifically for you. Having now read your #39, though, I am left to wonder about those advisories that come with the bill from time to time urging need of transfer switch installed by license, and cautioning against potential injury to their employees. Perhaps the utility has a $ulterior motive? Or just budget to despatch with publications? Or just guarding against Murphy's law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong) or its first corollary (at the worst possible time)? Thanks for your response.

...then you did not fully understand the problem areas, sorry Dr Tom!!!

"Live with the cords. If you are planning on haywiring your home I don't call that an unplanned emergency, so do it right and legal."

The boiler doesn't 'Plug in' -its wired in direct. Not sure we could get high enough amperage extension cord for running that 50 feet away and a level down from the generator. The ceiling lights don't plug in, they two are wired in direct.

Thats why we put in the second box and selected circuits to feed.

We understand the concerns about illegal backfeed, and will investigate the proper switch. the points about insurance liability by another poster are well taken also.

But If the choice is my family living in security and relative comfort during egregious emergencies or succumbing to the fear that some how "We can't manage following instructions on how to throw two switches," so that we need to suffer in squalor, I'm going to use my brain to try to intelligently manage the risk. Not everyone can afford to have and follow every conceivable safety device.

Risk can be managed. Gwen's earlier point was right on- if the person has no clue, stay away. but those of us who have some skills and knowledge are capable of creating "mcGiver" solutions without waiting for the Underwriters laboratory to give us their blessings.

look up the word bricoleur. Thats what most of us are. heres a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage

milo

I live below the street level, and have to pump all water.

This brings that I'm also relying to electricity.

Luckily I live in West-Europe and power failures are rare.

But as we have introduced the US system of total freedom in the energy markets, we face cost going up and Maintenance/reliability going down.

This will force me to to find a way to switch over to an emergency power supply some day in the future.

Are there pre-wired units that do this for you? (or is everything made on demand?)

This would be what I aspire to:

http://www.generac.com/

I too, would have said " Luckily I live in Northeastern Ohio USA and Power outages are rare," once upon a time. But after my experience in Georgia and the grid meltdown 2 or three years ago, and a tornado passing within a 1/4 mile of my parent's house, taking power out for a week and a half, I am convinced that we all live in third world countries regarding infrastructure.

My future son-in-law interned with a power company (he's an IEEE) and his work on grid development convinced me that its worse than i feared. (We need power, but no one wants a 90-foot transmission tower visible from their neighborhood...)

If you are worried about pumping sump water out of the basement, I think that there are battery powered pumps that will keep the sump empty.

milo "bricoleur"

It is not the basement but the sump where the toilets end up in. This is not a normal pump hut a mixer-pump combination.

It is to small and regardless all disputes with the architect and the construction firm it stayed that small. Now the last one is bankrupt, I will have to replace it on my own expences.

Hey Guys (and Dolls), I think SLONG gets the point; don't do anything stupid, get the right product, and engage a licensed professional. Let's move on to the next subject, you're filling up my emailbox.

For the long and the short of it I agree.

Here by us we are bound to have power failures on a regular basis and it is really annoying.

The shops sell this units without advising the buyers of the dangers, lawful aspects etc. What could be done to prevent a tragedy.

The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.

While it can be, and is, done there are elevated levels of risk, which need to be managed. An illustration will suffice:

During a long power failure following the loss of overhead lines following the Great Storm of October 1987, an electrical generator toured a rural residental district close to these co-ordinates with the first objective being to keep various domestic food freezers at a low enough temperature to prevent the food from going off. The generator had a connection formed from a piece of heavy flex with two red (a useful colour for some applications) 13A plugs on each end. Once each house had been temporarily isolated from the dead mains supply, and the red plugs inserted (one into the house, the other end into the generator), the generator was fired up and run sufficiently long for each home's freezer to get down to temperature. After shutting down, the contraption was moved on to the next home, the isolation from the grid removed, and the wait for mains power to come back on resumed.

Of course, this arrangement was only sufficient to supply up to 13A at 240V, or about 3kW, the limit imposed by the 13A BS1363 fuses in each of the red plugs. It certainly wasn't sufficient to enable a full roast dinner to be produced for a family of 6, for example.

The principal risk arose from having the generator voltage presented on plug pins at the point of connection into the house and the possibility of electric shock from someone touching those pins while the generator was running. The exposure to the risk was minimised by strictly carrying out the above connection and disconnection procedure each time the generator was moved. This procedure also protected any line(wo)man working nearby from being zapped by the generator.

A secondary risk arose as a result of the manual handling of the generator between homes. The exposure was minimised by having a number of people available to help shift it, instead of just one.