Poor mans grid-tied system.. The plans.. Fire hazard? Or will it actually work?

ggunn

Re: Poor mans grid-tied system.. The plans.. Fire hazard? Or will it actually work?

Blackcherry04 wrote: »

I think everyone knows that plugging in a generator into a wall receptacle is Illegal, a Inverter is the same. Is it done ??, heck yeah, all the time, still doesn't make it legal.

If it were done with the grid live and connected, the generator would go blooey.

The list of reasons why not to do what the OP suggests is long and varied, not the least of which is that if such an arrangement starts a fire (which it can), his homeowner's insurance would most likely deny his claim.

Cariboocoot

Re: Poor mans grid-tied system.. The plans.. Fire hazard? Or will it actually work?

One big difference between a GTI and a generator: without the grid connection the GTI produces zero, so having a "loose plug" on the end of one is not a hazard. With a generator it's a power source all the time the machine is running.

The connection still is not allowed in this manner because it raises the possibility of uncertain connection: the line may have other things attached to it. If one were to connect in this manner it would require a breaker at either end so that the disconnect would not be made under power (even though that power is low current, it is usually 240 VAC so arcing possibility exists). And yes people can pull the plug on any power using device without turning it off and get the same effect - and same potential hazard (or even worse). It is more likely with a GTI as you may not realize it is producing power. Even so, both breakers could be left on and the problem would still exist.

It is impossible to eliminate electrical hazards. You can grab on to any live, current-carrying wires and pull hard enough to rip the ends out of the connectors and get a shower of sparks. But you can reduce the likelihood of these hazards with good practice. Connecting a GTI to your home system bia a plug is deemed unsafe because the hazard is considered too high if not using a hard-wired dedicated line with proper circuit protection.

The legal ramifications for ignoring the advice given here on this are real. We are not going to argue them any further.