HURRICANE emergency OTOT

[John Ross]

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Hi Sarah,
Just go to Google, and put in power transfer switch. That leads you to a wealth of information, on standby generators, and how to hook them up.
I keep on meaning to get a generator, and be hooked up. Most of our power failures up here, (North of 60), are in the Winter.
5-6Kw, should be able to handle most needs, even a furnace, if you stagger the start-ups.
Good luck to our fellow members, in Florida.
Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sarah Fox 
  To: Pianotech 
  Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 12:05 PM
  Subject: Re: HURRICANE emergency OTOT


  Hi Jim,

  >>I'd be REALLY cautious about hooking any generator into ones home wiring by myself.  It might be a good idea to have an electrician prepare a hook-up point, with proper instructions.

  Good advice, but if you're stuck, you're stuck.  In fact I'm planning on wiring a more convenient and fool-proof connect for our house -- some day.  Of course if I were an electrician, doing this work for someone else, I'd have to consider that there are liability issues, because *somebody* will mess up with even the simplest instructions.  I don't think there are any electrical codes concerning the hookup of a portable generator, so if the electrician is sued, he can't defend himself by saying, "I did it by the book."  Personally, I think I'd tell my clients not to hook in to the household wiring and to simply run extension cords everywhere.  Liability issues would melt away!

  Oh yeah...  I forgot...  A lot of people like to backfeed their power through the 30A, 220V clothes dryer circuit.  Dryer plugs have two "hot" contacts and a bare ground.  I don't like this method, because I don't like feeding current through the ground wire.  Also, the bare prongs of an unplugged connector can be quite dangerous if the generator is running.  Still, some folx prefer this method because they don't have to crack open the breaker panel.  Perhaps this method is safer for *them*, all things considered.  Cracking open the breaker panel is safer for *me*, because I know my way around electrical equipment and can do a more electrically proper job.

  I suspect the best way to do an emergency generator connect, if the equipment is available, would be to switch the household wiring between the power lines and a male, 4-prong connector, using an enormous DPDT switch.  (Are these available?)  That way, the prongs of the connector would never be energized with power from the power lines, and generator power would never back-feed through the power lines.  (Fool proof.)  A cable would of course run from the male connector on the household wiring to the female connector on the generator.  The breakers on the generator would protect the feed line, and no further breakers would be required.  Thoughts?

  Of course the ultimate system would be a large, self-starting, permanently wired diesel generator, but who can afford anything like that?  ;-)
      
  I also forgot:  Folks, if your wiring gets flooded, especially with salt water, you have other issues to consider!!  If you're competent with electricity and electronics, you'll need to unplug / switch off *everything* in your house and test all of your circuits for crossconductivity.  There should of course be none.  If there is, then you will need to replace some lines.  Electricians might tell you otherwise, because this is hard, expensive work, but IMO, a saltwater-soaked line with crossconductivity should always be replaced -- no exceptions.  If the line is soaked with fresh water, it can probably be dried out satisfactorily and be perfectly safe.  This *is* a job for a professional, though.  If in doubt, just run extension cords until you can have someone check out your wiring.

  Peace,
  Sarah

  PS I made this an OT thread, but the OT got deleted.  Perhaps the topical relevance of this post is that you'll be able to dry out your houses and shops much better and faster with power, and you'll be able to run your DC systems.  Thus, your pianos (and your customers' pianos) won't take as serious a beating.


    >>I'd hate to think there might be a line on a coroners electrocution report . . .  "he read something on a piano mail list . . ."

    LOL!!  Well, as I said, use at your own risk.  ;-)

    Peace,
    Sarah



    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Jim Kinnear
    www.kinnearpiano.com
    Collingwood, ON, Canada

    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress
     
     -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Joe Garrett 
      To: pianotech 
      Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 11:20 PM
      Subject: Re: HURRICANE emergency..........


      Sarah said: "You also can't take warm showers (if you're =
      electric), and food preparation is difficult"

      Sarah,
      Even if you have a gas hot water heater, it's triggered by electric cellanoids(sp?). So Gas is of no help either. Main reason I have a Wood Stove, is, I can cook on it, heat water and stay warm, as well. (One gets heated more than once with wood heat!<G>)
      Best Regards,
      Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
      Captain, Tool Police
      Squares R I

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