Explain generators to me please.

[patooyee]

Don't linemen test the lines for voltage before they work on them? I'm just asking because down here after storms EVERYONE has generators going and few have transfer switches. It's a small community, the power company truck yard is 1 mile from my house. If linemen were dropping like flies during these storms we would hear about it and we don't.

 

[Auburn125]

We have test sticks, but you never know if a test stick works or it's not working. At the company I work for we tested this exact thing. We hooked a genarator up fed it through a transformer had right a 7200 on the line. Even with a dead fault on the line it took a while for the 50 amp breaker to flip. U do what u want man I just saying its worth the investment.

 

[Auburn125]

Another point it takes us longer to restore power, because now we have to worry about how every average joe hooked up his/her genarator.

 

[patooyee]

I'll be really careful to cut the main switch but I'm not going to sit there in the hot dark with a perfectly good geni in the garage while all my neighbors are running theirs around me. Few if any use transfer switches. I appreciate the advice and respect what you do though.

 

[Auburn125]

Really I believe 99% of y'all know to disconnect the main. So just be careful is all I ask. Thanks guys