powering home with generator

[badabec]

When you the changeover switch fitted, see if they can add a neon light to the mains side.
I didn't, I have to switch over to mains every so often to see if the power has come back on.
The only neighbour I can see from my house also has a genny, so no point in looking to see if his lights are back on.

 

[dobbslc]

I bet any UKPN workers reading this are crapping themselves now...

 

[awemawson]

When you the changeover switch fitted, see if they can add a neon light to the mains side.
I didn't, I have to switch over to mains every so often to see if the power has come back on.
The only neighbour I can see from my house also has a genny, so no point in looking to see if his lights are back on.

I thought about that when I fitted mine, but the tell tale lamp has to be powered through a suitably sized MCB in your consumer unit, not just across the incoming mains directly and in my case awkward cable routing precluded doing it.

 

[addjunkie]

When you the changeover switch fitted, see if they can add a neon light to the mains side.
I didn't, I have to switch over to mains every so often to see if the power has come back on.
The only neighbour I can see from my house also has a genny, so no point in looking to see if his lights are back on.

Mine has the neon lights. But they only work if you look at them.

 

[jerrytug]

Ok a basic question please: Is it lawful to interrupt the mains supply, which comes out if the ground, with a changeover switch before the meter?
Are people allowed to cut the upcoming supply wires, before they get to the meter, and put a switch in, as mentioned above? 1-0-2 switch.
It would protect linesmen, and the diesel generator.
But it would be very easy to abstract leccy before the meter, and if the stolen consumption was moderate, the electric company would have no way of knowing.

 

[Agroshield]

...wrong colour (yellow = 110 v should be blue = 240v)

Could you clarify if it is wrong by convention or good practice rather than wrong by a regulation? If we follow that logic, all three phase leads should be red-sheathed. Somewhere along the line, from a building site, I have acquired some 4-core 1.5mm2 arctic cable with a yellow sheath.

 

[Agroshield]

OK, a basic question please: is it lawful to interrupt the mains supply, which comes out of the ground, with a changeover switch before the meter?

If you do that, every time you use the genny, it will increase the meter reading, costing you twice. AIUI, everything _after_ the meter belongs to you and is your responsiblity (c.f. everything after the stop tap in the path for the water is your problem).

 

[jerrytug]

If you do that, every time you use the genny, it will increase the meter reading, costing you twice. AIUI, everything _after_ the meter belongs to you and is your responsiblity (c.f. everything after the stop tap in the path for the water is your problem).

Ok thanks

 

[snowcat]

Ok a basic question please: Is it lawful to interrupt the mains supply, which comes out if the ground, with a changeover switch before the meter?
Are people allowed to cut the upcoming supply wires, before they get to the meter, and put a switch in, as mentioned above? 1-0-2 switch.
It would protect linesmen, and the diesel generator.
But it would be very easy to abstract leccy before the meter, and if the stolen consumption was moderate, the electric company would have no way of knowing.

Everything up to the meter head belongs to UKPN its an offence to do anything with this without he correct paperwork.

On a modern meter head there are a set of idolaters and a tailing block, which makes putting a changeover switch easy. I used to regularly get power cuts so I put in a changeover switch and external socket about 12 months ago, and since its worked like a charm because we haven't had a mains outage!!!!!

 

[gt6s]

Had a week long power cut here some time ago. A neighbour plugged a petrol generator into his house wiring - all went well until the mains power came back on, the generator became an electric motor causing the engine to over-rev and destroy itself.

It will do that.

 

[jerrytug]

Had a week long power cut here some time ago. A neighbour plugged a petrol generator into his house wiring - all went well until the mains power came back on, the generator became an electric motor causing the engine to over-rev and destroy itself.

Wow, I didn't know that was possible with a modern AC generator. In fact I have only seen old ships DC dynamos back-driven, when inter-connected. He learned a lesson anyway!

 

[8ob]

A change over switch seems to be the bare bones minimum requirement, I was wondering if a hefty relay could be used which drops out automatically when the mains power comes back on, maybe a circuit that also cuts the genny at the same time.?? @sako243

Bob

 

[Robotstar5]

A change over switch seems to be the bare bones minimum requirement, I was wondering if a hefty relay could be used which drops out automatically when the mains power comes back on, maybe a circuit that also cuts the genny at the same time.?? @sako243

Bob

Readily available as an automatic transfer switch - example

 

[jerrytug]

Never mind a switch to potentially divert incoming leccy to bypass the meter! The law prevents this - and loads have been charged and convicted after banging nails through the incoming tails, to steal power. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Nails? That would work, thanks for the tip

 

[dobbslc]

Just make sure you use the right sized nails.
6" for commercial
3" for domestic.

 

[Justme]

I run my old Lister CS set backfeeding into my workshop I feed into a 16 amp socket. First rule of running Incoming supply OFF. Connect trailing lead with plug into the mounted 16 amp socket. Plug into genny control box another 16 amp socket. Start genny. I know should I not have power from a plug but I do follow the procedure 100% NO ONE TOUCHES IT BUT ME. Eventually I shall wire into a changeover and hardwire into the genny the correct way.

Supply off?

Double pole or single switch?

 

[Justme]

Ok a basic question please: Is it lawful to interrupt the mains supply, which comes out if the ground, with a changeover switch before the meter?
Are people allowed to cut the upcoming supply wires, before they get to the meter, and put a switch in, as mentioned above? 1-0-2 switch.
It would protect linesmen, and the diesel generator.
But it would be very easy to abstract leccy before the meter, and if the stolen consumption was moderate, the electric company would have no way of knowing.

Why would you do it before the meter?

Then you would be paying the E board for your own production.

 

[Matrixx]

To connect a generator you should have a double pole change over switch (minimum) so the generator cannot feed back into the grid. ideally you would have a pair of electrically and mechanically interlocked contactors , which would be part of an automatic transfer Switch (ATS).
A basic system would be something like this https://www.deepseaelectronics.com/ats/automatic-transfer-switch-control-modules/dse331 this will monitor the mains , if the mains fails it will send a start signal to the generator, when the generator running it will change over the contactors, when the mains comes back it will change over to the mains after a delay, all programmable. there are much cheaper alternatives out there. most will work on single or three phase. or if you have a bigger generator with an electronic governor you can back synch with the mains for a no break transfer but you would need a controller that has G99 built in or aa a separate device.

It is an offence to plug directly into you house circuit without a means of isolating the grid supply. you could back feed in to the local supply, also if the mains came back it could blow up your generator as it will be out of synch ( voltage , frequency and phase slip) or possibly motor your alternator ( your alternator will become a synchronous motor).

Also you are not allowed to tamper with your meter, everything from the tails back belongs to the DNO.

typical three phase install

 

[8ob]

Readily available as an automatic transfer switch - example

Makes the £50 manual changeover switches look like incredible value At £200 I would consider automatic, after that it’s back to home grown hence the question.

Bob

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Reading what you said, you’ve not had a power outage, but you’ve got a generator in case you do?
In that case why not just run what’s needed off of an extension cable or 2 from the generator and have some candles in the cupboard for lighting.
That reminds me of the 70’s when sometimes the power would go out for days at a time, candles, a log fire and endless Monopoly!

ok well thanks for ur input changeover switch is way to go by sound of it ...possibly lpg although in states a lot use natural gas ... in fact this possibly https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265132263059?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110002&algo=SPLICE.SOI&ao=1&asc=237166&meid=d80f76e414eb4b978ca4b8865db58368&pid=101196&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=303969394125&itm=265132263059&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=PromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLRv3&brand=ESR&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219&amdata=cksum:265132263059d80f76e414eb4b978ca4b8865db58368|enc:AQAGAAACIDSgT6gPcphkUQ1zNV%2B2kn7h3Qlcyb5eOsvga1odeAB09xTU%2B%2Bgq35jK%2F%2Fx0ArMQnru3frfG3JdAz2uRPwHgp7fpVKYNzwGcZxSn%2BmS0JhMe%2BgUTYYSbRHkfHfWVGccX6PXAQVgSoZCeNiNw0WS9zliN%2FdIgkoSxW8CGyk7xGfNTRJd8CuIxxo1nOpiRUmnTpGBKHxKp%2FpzxN%2BFa6g6ruz8c9iHHRwfmXKj6QL%2F%2F6kuPEBJYFGU4t8yM9Gpn629t4OiCQp5W%2F0QOUNCXIHT0%2BoFEztfy5y8KXGCXRsufhsC0WoYgDyGer79rK4gFwP2vM8IHGx%2Bn6ZM6FIE8SzSGZVzCxjgio8rw%2BEH8wV72G%2BNoHUpi9iGrly6wdWYecmn20es%2FA1MzpxBqS5OY4uTCAWZSug4LlIgZRRnlt2Z%2FDuJilBn2Tco%2FMkc6CQVjgunnERH99Hq4tpAl2GrewlSGqaj%2Br0tsCu9%2FqZ4Oz7FUERdTGkwkiIZ3vuawJ2zflkQRAAay%2FZcTJxO4zo39tOmqTJyvkY7jNUqXqrl07JkDaczisYJ0jfyYD3DerM4%2BFh90Ob69zCTtJMyMM1MEbw%2BnfJCcB%2B%2BJIKgaSp%2BT0j06qPsWSJJK%2FKts0e0ntjAVlx0Y06PqqH96Ub00UTtGZbhMMhXFF0oUlpaGrfX1cP6Cn2w11ZaDYujOj7f%2FNcLxt8ew%2B%2FeIL7ZBtobIUTahnU0iU%2Bo%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675&epid=2126650938

Are you in the USA ?