Greg,

I, too, dealt with these questions two winters ago when there were widespread power outages & downed service entrances. I went out to do service inspections where the generator was hooked up to the new service & running. I advised these folks that our local POCO had the right to refuse service or disconnect the service, without notice, for improperly connected generators. This generally produced the desired result of them disconnecting the generator



The explanation to the wannabe electrician is that proper transfer equipment removes human error from the process. It seems that every hurricane season, I hear of at least one lineman killed by a generator that has been incorrectly connected (via the dryer outlet or other means) and someone forgetting to turn off the main breaker.

You might stress that intelligent people do idiotic things during an emergency, such as firing up the generator before inserting the plug in the receptacle. Also, the plug could be yanked out accidently or by a child.

Perhaps a proposal for the 2014 NEC should include mandatory jail time for anyone proposing this type of installation. :-')


Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.