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Appreciating power

Started by Ken, July 13, 2014, 08:54:30 PM

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Ken

We, along with 10's of thousands of others in NB, lost our electricity last Saturday due to post tropical storm Arthur.  Just got it back here tonight.  Glad it wasn't winter.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

snowstorm

i heard the lights were out up that way. after losing power for a couple days last Christmas i bought a almost new miller bobcat welds and makes 8500 watts.  did you get that new deere yet ken?

Jhenderson

 Glad the power is back. Anybody who thinks electricity from a utility is expensive has never tried making their own.

drobertson

we've lost it in the past for over a week, I too appreciate power, glad you guys are back on grid, if it is to go, this is not a bad time for it to go.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

StimW

I went 12 days without power after a near miss with a hurricane (in 2005 IIRC).
I have a 5.6kw generator that I ran 24 x 7.
It used 1/2 gal of gas an hour (when gas was $1.50 gal). Now it would definitely leave a mark at $3.59 a gal!
I shut it off twice a day to check oil and fuel.
NO FUN AT ALL!!
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Ken

Quote from: snowstorm on July 13, 2014, 09:03:36 PM
i heard the lights were out up that way. after losing power for a couple days last Christmas i bought a almost new miller bobcat welds and makes 8500 watts.  did you get that new deere yet ken?

The money I spent on a generator and generator panel last year was worth every penny when I could flush my own toilet.  I am supposed to take delivery of the machine by the end of this week.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

kevin19343

I live in the country, so when we lose power it can be days before we get it back.

A few months back I ran a 10/4 Romex wire from my basement electric panel to a plug on my outside wall. Now all I have to do is plug the generator into my wall socket and my whole house has power.
It's so nice to be able to flush the toilet ;D

ely

I sure hope you have a service disconnect from the power source, otherwise you will backfeed the transformer on the line and possibly kill an electrical worker down the line. :( :o

Gary_C

Quote from: kevin19343 on July 14, 2014, 12:52:31 PM
Now all I have to do is plug the generator into my wall socket and my whole house has power.

ely is right. That practice may well be illegal and is highly dangerous to others on the line. You need an interlocked disconnect from the service to feed auxillary power from a generator or you could electrocute someone working on the line. Also if the power came back on while your generator was running, it will go "poof" and no more generator.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

36 coupe

Linemen treat all wire as live.I ve watched them put short circuit jumpers on lines they are working on.Many fables get repeated on forums.

r.man

 Backfeeding a panel is probably not legal anywhere but is perfectly safe if the main breaker or switch is turned off before the gen is brought on line. I would recommend the safer and legal alternative of adding cords to needed things that may not have them such as water pumps and furnaces. A few cords and power bars will soon max out most gens and if pre planned can be easily, cheaply and safely set up.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

Ianab

And if you want to get a reaction out of them, backfeed some volts into a line that "should" be disconnected.  :o I guarantee they wont look on it kindly, especially if they happen to be up a pole, in the dark, during a storm.

The problem with manually turning off the main switch is that it's just that, a manual operation. What if you aren't there, and someone else starts the Gen set? It may not be a linesman that's caught, you might be feeding lines that are laying on the neighbours tin fence?

An interlock switch is insurance. You can't accidentally back feed the lines. You HAVE to throw the switch to connect the generator, and by doing that you isolate the house from the mains. Remembering to flick the switch is not a safety procedure, eventually someone will get it wrong.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Corley5

We had a major power disruption a couple years ago and before they began work here in our neighborhood the repair crews sent a couple guys around to check for generator use.  We were running ours in the woodshed with cords to the OWB, and to the house for the freezers, fridge, a couple lights and TV.  They were checking for possible back feeds.  Plugging the genset into a plug and shutting off the main isn't good enough. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

kevin19343

Quote from: ely on July 14, 2014, 05:10:59 PM
I sure hope you have a service disconnect from the power source, otherwise you will backfeed the transformer on the line and possibly kill an electrical worker down the line. :( :o

Theres an interlock device on the panel box. You have to shut off the main breaker to switch on the generator breaker. 

21incher

Seems like we loose power a lot more often lately around my area. Love my generator, but it is very costly to produce electric with it. Going to switch to solar with a bank of batteries in the future for back up of the freezers and fridge plus to lower my electric bill.
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Chuck White

We may gripe and groan when we receive our power bill, but I still remember the "Ice Storm of 1998", and how it affected people across the Northern tier.

We were without power for 17 days.

Didn't run the generator steady, just enough to keep the fridge and freezer cold, and run the furnace a little!

Good thing it wasn't awfully cold, even though it was in January!

We had candles and camp lanterns for light.

The whole town rejoiced when the power finally came back on!

Commercial power is nice!  8)
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

r.man

I personally would not run a generator much in a power outage unless it was long enough to affect frozen foods or if heat was needed. Fridges can run warmer for fairly long periods of time without danger to the food and most freezers are good for 24 hrs at least if you leave them closed. I would think that chest freezers could be opened but you shouldn't browse. Water can be stockpiled for periodic use in a bathtub and having no immediately available power is an opportunity for positive change in the modern hectic world. Read a book, talk or do something non internet. I think parents with children are losing a valuable teaching opportunity by providing unbroken electrical power at these times.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

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