ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area I feel sorry,

These things have killed linesmen.

What part of that do some of us have a problem with?

Alan

This is in reply to Spark Master Flash's post:

The fact of the matter is the average D-I-Y is not TRAINED to install safe wiring. That does not make them an idiot. If everyone was allowed to wire things the way they wanted, there would be no codes to follow and no need for electricians. It looks as though I wasted my time on an apprenticeship when all I needed to do was follow some instructions I purchased on eBay.

It's true a lot of people are not aware of the dangers or electricity.
I went out to add a circuit in a residence and when I got there the panel cover was missing. I asked the homeowner where it was and she said she thought it might be in a closet somewhere. I told her we need to find it and get it installed.
What for she asked. Is that to keep the dust out.
I told her no. That is needed to keep your kids from being killed. She had young children in the house.

"These things have killed linesmen."

The issue is, the main breaker in your loadcenter, is not a transfer switch, which would provide isolation from the distribution system, or network, any connection, that may result in back feeding the utility system would not only be illegal, but criminal.

I'm not trying to drum up any work.
I've never installed a transfer switch on a home. I've never hooked up a generator to a home. I don't expect that I ever will. I have nothing financially to gain.

I'm not holier than thou, I am, though, much more trained in the dangers than someone that would order these instructions.I just don't want to see people get killed.

That said, I also don't like editing posts from members that know better.let's please try to keep the posts within the scope and terms of service of this forum. Thanks


[This message has been edited by electure (edited 01-11-2006).]

Even more unbelievable is that this idiot has another auction started with the same item....


Perhaps ebay should be made aware of those actions, anyone with the legal know-how around?

Jon, I really can't tell from your post, aside from politics, and reliable safety, (At any even a marginal level) if you were for against this tripe being marketed to the general public?

Aside from back feeding a main, and killing a linesman, the item is not safe by any design, reguardless of codes, politics of liability, and/or personal responcabilty. That said, we are a country of laws and standards for reasons to great to even go into. Technically what this guy is doing is fraud by representation, that his instruction is anywhere close to safe for a consumer with no electrical training what-so-ever.

Will it work yes... I have wired probhably a hundred buildings in some of the scariest wiring methods one can think of while in the military, but not that method with a male cord... Usually a generator (30-500kw) with some undersized wire direct to some kearneys connecting whatever was left of abandon buildings in a war ravaged land, direct to the lugs, and no OCP except the failure of the generator or wire. Wire whole camps for 20,000 with # 8 draped over the top of tents to tapped 12/2 SOJ to feed lights and recepticals in a few hundred tents with nothing but a thin layer of tape over the connections and not a single J-box, CB, or GFI connected to 2 parraleled 500kw gennies. Airfield lighting with 600+v running over the asphalt across the taxiways. I could go on and on. It worked! Was it any way shape or form safe by our standards, no. It was "field expediant", it worked. But the odds of getting shot at were much higher than getting electrocuted. Electrical wiring standards did not exsist. But I never did something like what this guy is selling.

Here in a first world country, I would never do those things above, or promote them. If the guy was selling instructions in detail on how to do it properly to a first world standard, I would have absolutely no problem with that. (Female cord, transfer/interlock... whatever)

Even something as silly and ghetto expediant as this below... It works, but in the very least promotes some safety. Even though, if you drop that inverter off the air cleaner of your running engine you would get 50 lashes with a cable for your stupidity.






[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 01-10-2006).]

http://bobhedges.com/resume/resume.htm
This guy is not stupid. He even has a master's degree in (REMOVED)
He's just not that bright.



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 01-11-2006).]

Nice resume...

Anyway, no offense Theelectrikid...

But this was brought to our attention by a kid in middle school, who knows better, than Bob.

I think we are overlooking the point of LEARNING before DOING.

Generators, and secondary sources of electricity, are nothing new. Over the past century, we've learned what works, as well as what can go wrong. From this, we have developed various rules and practices- which can work ONLY if everyone is 'singing off the same sheet of music!'

Transfer switches cost more than a cord with two plugs simply because they have too- in order to do the job, provide the safety protection, that they must. Some are even fancier, and thus pricier, than others.

Now, maybe all those folks who put all that time working on the electric code were misguided fools. Maybe the folks at the testing labs were deluded. OR- maybe our solitary internet "expert" is an uneducated loose cannon, rolling about, looking for a ship to sink.

"Due diligence" is a fancy way of saying you should take the time to learn about something before you attempt to do it.

As I made clear in an earlier post, there is a LOT more at stake here than a blown breaker. We're talking about a set-up where, if everything is not absolutely perfect, you get an immediate, catastrophic, life-threatening failure of some part of the system. One moment you're flippig a switch, pulling a plug- and the next you're surrounded by hellfire, on your way to St. Peter!