[Cialug] Mailling List Admin

[L. V. Lammert]

On Thu, 22 Apr 2010, Dave Weis wrote:

> A transfer switch is required by the National Electrical Code. Hooking
> up a generator with a cheater cord and flipping the main breaker is dumb
> and dangerous. You can see more on it at
> http://www.gen-tran.com/content/faqs/faq_ats.asp
>
Neither is shooting yourself in the foot a pleasant experience, .. but a
lot of people can affort a backup generator for, say, $500, while two or
three grand to install a transfer switch is not practical for a lot of
budgets, .. in addition, some municipalities put such onerous
restrictions on backup generators as to make installation impractical due
to the expense of complying with additional regulations.

Flipping the main & hooking up a generator or running extension cords can
make a BIG difference in successfully enduring a power outage with
minimanal financial loss (e.g. freezer & refrigerator contents,
hotel/motel bills, ..).

Of course, YMMV. If you don't know which end of an extension cord is hot,
you should not be playing with a generator.

	Lee