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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:41:16 AM EDT
[#1]
well that's fucked up.
They should find the homeowner and slap his dick in the dirt. I assume the 240 backfed to the transformer? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:42:36 AM EDT
[#2]
Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:42:52 AM EDT
[#3]
Nothing but sympathy for your friend. We had a local fellow get hit badly and the recovery was long and hard.
I am curious though as to the mechanics of the generator being at fault. I am no lineman or even an electrician but I know they have a lot of risks. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:43:30 AM EDT
[#4]
An interlock and generator inlet receptacle is like $100. No reason not to have one if you are feeding a house with portable genny.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:44:08 AM EDT
[#5]
Damn, sorry to hear that.
I don't know why they can't put something into the meter at the house, that when the incoming line drops out, it disconnects the house from feeding back. Doesn't seem to me that would be that hard to do and would protect the linemen from this asshat shit. Make so that if someone tries to feed back, it trips and they have to have the utility come re-start it--and fine them a couple of hundred dollars. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:44:22 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: well that's fucked up. They should find the homeowner and slap his dick in the dirt. I assume the 240 backfed to the transformer? Correct. 240v was backfed into the transformer which energized the line and he got hit with high voltage then. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:46:08 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Correct. 240v was backfed into the transformer which energized the line and he got hit with high voltage then. I see better now, I just assumed there was a disconnect from the transformer to the line and that was how the line was deenrgized. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:47:07 AM EDT
[#8]
I'll admit it, I haven't used my generator in the 2 years I've had it. I'm afraid that it would be possible foe me to set things wrong. I'd love a review of proper procedures.
The electrician wired the box to go to the breaker panel, but no particular safety switch. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:47:22 AM EDT
[#9]
Probably some do it yourself home owner who thought they didn't need the safety switch
 Sucks for your friend. He couldn't have know. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:47:58 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Correct. 240v was backfed into the transformer which energized the line and he got hit with high voltage then. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: well that's fucked up. They should find the homeowner and slap his dick in the dirt. I assume the 240 backfed to the transformer? Correct. 240v was backfed into the transformer which energized the line and he got hit with high voltage then. man that's fucked up. people are fucking stupid like that homeowner. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:49:19 AM EDT
[#11]
Stupid to back feed like that.
I’m also surprised that they don’t have a way to safely check for voltage on the lines prior to working on them. Generally in industry you have a try step in the lockout process. I don’t know what is the practice for utilities. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:49:34 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: An interlock and generator inlet receptacle is like $100. No reason not to have one if you are feeding a house with portable genny. This. I replaced my whole panel to include an interlock. No way I'd have that on my conscience. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:49:45 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: well that's fucked up. They should find the soon to be former homeowner and slap his dick in the dirt. I assume the 240 backfed to the transformer? I hope they find the guy and he doesn’t have any little kids that will be harmed because of his stupidity. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:04 AM EDT
[#14]
Fricking morons with their double male ended homemade cords. Dipshits. If you have one of those cords, go cut an end off of it before you kill someone.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:18 AM EDT
[#15]
They need to find the homeowner and wire him up.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:19 AM EDT
[#16]
Following as this is very relevant to my line of work and living along the coast... Very sorry to hear this.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:26 AM EDT
[#17]
How damn hard is it to turn off the main breaker???
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:44 AM EDT
[#18]
That's some bullshit. Hope he recovers as much as he can.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:50:55 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Correct. 240v was backfed into the transformer which energized the line and he got hit with high voltage then. I'm a retired electrician and when we worked on high voltage, 480, 4160 or 13,800 we installed grounding clamps on all phases so any back fed energy would immediately go to ground. Excuse my ignorance but do line workers do this also? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:51:04 AM EDT
[#20]
A local guy with 25 yrs in somehow had his bucket truck fuck up.His bucket swung into a line and it layed across his back. He had both arms amputated at the shoulder..??
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:51:39 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How damn hard is it to turn off the main breaker??? you would be amazed at the amount of just plain dumb fucks out there. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:51:42 AM EDT
[#22]
homeowner is at fault. there will be consequences.
i have a whole house generator professionally installed and it part of the install is a switch that cuts connectivity to the transformer before generator starts. what im curious about is for folks that have solar power backfed to grid how is that done to code to prevent issues like this? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:51:43 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How damn hard is it to turn off the main breaker??? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:51:52 AM EDT
[#24]
I understand 100% that a transfer switch is the proper way to do this, but in an emergency is shutting off the main breaker or throw switch leading to the house sufficient to prevent this?
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:52:00 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fricking morons with their double male ended homemade cords. Dipshits. If you have one of those cords, go cut an end off of it before you kill someone. As someone who doesn't know much about the world of electricians....can you explain what happened here and what that is? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:52:40 AM EDT
[#26]
The local co-op guys stopped by one time after an outage when they heard my generator running. My set up was given the thumbs up by them, complete transfer switch and interlock. They told me one of their guys got bit the same way OP described so they check every set up they find.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:52:42 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I understand 100% that a transfer switch is the proper way to do this, but in an emergency is shutting off the main breaker or throw switch leading to the house sufficient to prevent this? |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:53:20 AM EDT
[#28]
Most people that back-feed their panels have no idea that transformers work both ways.
Also, glad your friend wasn't really electrocuted, because that would mean he was dead. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:53:35 AM EDT
[#29]
It’s amazing the number of people that think that this not a big deal. They always say they will cut the main but the fact is people forget and screw up all the time. An interlock or transfer switch is the only way to go.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:54:22 AM EDT
[#30]
Being a lineman is a very dangerous occupation for a myriad of reasons. I wouldn’t do it. I felt much safer in the river bottom with my M-4 or Scatt. Tech 870 laying in on dope loads. At least I had some control of my destiny.
Two people I know are dead from electricity, both were linemen. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:54:48 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: They should find the homeowner and slap his dick in the dirt. Indeed. When I was living in hurricane country, they were ALWAYS running ads about why you shouldn't plug your generator straight into your house. Idiots like that don't deserve to breathe free air. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:55:56 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent. I have one too. It's the main breaker in my breaker box. Doesn't take a lot of brain power to manually shut off one source of power before feeding with another source i.e. generator. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:55:58 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Stupid to back feed like that. I’m also surprised that they don’t have a way to safely check for voltage on the lines prior to working on them. Generally in industry you have a try step in the lockout process. I don’t know what is the practice for utilities. It's very simple to check, but you can't lock out every house that's connected, and it only takes a second to turn on a generator. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:56:34 AM EDT
[#34]
Quoted: Friend of a friend is a lineman of 20 years. Last night he was working on a high voltage line that was de-energized. His leg hit or got close to a line and he was electrocuted. He has second and third degree burns and is still alive but the damage is severe. The line was energized due to a homeowner backfeeding their generator into the grid. The dude has a wife and kids. Even if he makes it he'll never be the same. Will add links if the incident makes the news. I'm posting this because there are many DIY'ers on this forum and the topic of generators comes up frequently. Genuinely sorry for what happened. Is in not a standard practice to put a meter on it to determine if it is cold? (Not a lineman genuine question) I do anytime I do anything electrical. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:56:40 AM EDT
[#35]
Damn that sucks OP. Prayers for your friend.
When I'm out on storm restoration that's one of the main things I listen for. We white meter and ground, but a generator firing up makes everyone stop. Absolutely unacceptable by the homeowner, the idiot. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:56:58 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It’s amazing the number of people that think that this not a big deal. They always say they will cut the main but the fact is people forget and screw up all the time. An interlock or transfer switch is the only way to go. I have a check list with a LOTO on the outside panel that feeds the sub in my house. My whip plugs into my dryer outlet for my portable genny. So, I always check to see if I LOTO the main, and if it is, then that means the breaker to the sub is off and I am good to go. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:58:08 AM EDT
[#37]
Complacency kills. If he was working a “dead line” he should have had grounding straps on. Yes the homeowner fucked up but in line work ground straps are important. We always hear about the warnings on back feeding the grid but it rarely happens. Real shame for your friend.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:58:29 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: As someone who doesn't know much about the world of electricians....can you explain what happened here and what that is? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Fricking morons with their double male ended homemade cords. Dipshits. If you have one of those cords, go cut an end off of it before you kill someone. As someone who doesn't know much about the world of electricians....can you explain what happened here and what that is? Probably a dryer cord wired into the breaker panel to basically feed it backwards from a generator. If it isn't isolated from the grid either by transfer switch or shutting off the main breaker, the power from the generator will go back through the meter and into the grid, energizing a system believed to be dead (or have downed lines, etc) |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:58:44 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Stupid to back feed like that. I’m also surprised that they don’t have a way to safely check for voltage on the lines prior to working on them. Generally in industry you have a try step in the lockout process. I don’t know what is the practice for utilities. They do have ways to check. The problem is that they can check an find the lines dead. But someone can fire up a generator and back feed at any time. I sometimes see them ground the lines. But I've never seen them open up every switch/disconnect to individual transformers. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:58:44 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have one too. It's the main breaker in my breaker box. Doesn't take a lot of brain power to manually shut off one source of power before feeding with another source i.e. generator. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent. I have one too. It's the main breaker in my breaker box. Doesn't take a lot of brain power to manually shut off one source of power before feeding with another source i.e. generator. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:59:10 AM EDT
[#41]
Relieved to read he's not actually dead. Electrocuted = dead.
Don't mean to be nitpicky, but you may want to rephrase to shocked or zapped or something. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:59:14 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Genuinely sorry for what happened. Is in not a standard practice to put a meter on it to determine if it is cold? (Not a lineman genuine question) I do anytime I do anything electrical. It's possible he checked the line and it wasn't hot....before dummy homeowner energized the line. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:59:36 AM EDT
[#43]
Goddamn stupid homeowner. I have a generator and I won't ever plug it into the panel, I just run extension cords to the appliances I need to run.
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Posted: 7/18/2022 11:59:48 AM EDT
[#44]
Wouldn’t a line tech use grounding straps even if the line was supposed to be de-energized?
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:00:24 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But you can't even see the main breaker until you get the generator fired up so that the lights are back on. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. That's what flashlights are for. 
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:00:27 PM EDT
[#46]
How does feeding the grid not trip the breakers on the generator?
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:01:57 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Goddamn stupid homeowner. I have a generator and I won't ever plug it into the panel, I just run extension cords to the appliances I need to run. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:02:00 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But you can't even see the main breaker until you get the generator fired up so that the lights are back on. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent. I have one too. It's the main breaker in my breaker box. Doesn't take a lot of brain power to manually shut off one source of power before feeding with another source i.e. generator. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. If only there were some sort of battery powered device that let people work in the dark......
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:02:11 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's terrible I'm a retired electrician and when we worked on high voltage, 480, 4160 or 13,800 we installed grounding clamps on all phases so any back fed energy would immediately go to ground. Excuse my ignorance but do line workers do this also? Thats my question too. I am severely sympathetic for your buddy but I do believe he is, a least partly, to blame for his own injuries. |
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Posted: 7/18/2022 12:03:17 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's what flashlights are for. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Very bad news and my prayers go out to your friend op. This is why we must ensure proper installation of generators or any back up power source. I have a switch that cuts off the grid and I cannot use the generator with out it in the generator position. Not very expensive to install and anyone not using these are being negligent. I can see automatic switching for whole-house generators that come on when grid power fails. Then, by the time you get to the switch, the person is already fried. That's what flashlights are for. |
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