I consider this a big deal, I have a real problem with people that back feed panels with a generator.
Ask anyone of these people and they will tell you that they will never make a mistake and they will always turn off the service disconnect while they have the generator on line.
Well we are all human and make mistakes, a mistake made here may injury or kill a lineman while they are trying to fix the outage.
Well enough venting, Bob
Before we assume that was a backfeed- I must make a comment. I have somthing similar on my own panel in the basement, and what I do is when the power goes out, I pop the panel cover and connest the cords wires to my furnace, since it is the only appliance that I need that isn't cord-and-plug connected.
this kinda looks like a subpanel, with grounds on the neutral bars.... Nice cord grip by the way!
Also, backfeeding both phases on one phase can allow shared neutrals to be overheated.. (Not that the extension cord here could carry enough current to do that though..)
-Randy
And to boot, I'm pretty sure that weather-proof receptacle cover is mounted sideways, the drip edge is now perpendicular to the earth... Could be a violation of 110.3(B).
-John
I've got to agree (
) with Bob.
A panel backfed this way is a big time hazard to linemen. ...S
If it is fed 110V to _both_ legs of the panel, then it doesn't present the high voltage hazard usually connected to a backfed panel...the voltage across the transformer secondary would be 0V....
Still ugly and a safety hazard, and I don't intend to defend this practise
-Jon
As electricians, we may not agree 100% with what utilities require, but with a clear understanding of the very serious hazard backfeed can create for lineworkers, we should firmly support the prohibition of everything that has the potential of creating such a situation.
This means nothing but professionally installed, listed, lockable, externally-operable, visible-blade, center-off double-throw disconnect switches at the building meter location, and clearly rejecting any tin-can-grade breaker-handle “interlocks” intended for non-utility alternate-power sources.
[Backfeed attempts are also a top-flight way to fry generator sets.]