Those with generators, make sure

[<SXRY]

have at least one change of oil should you have to run the generator for an extended time. Having a extra spark plug should be a good idea too..

[Greg]

It should also be noted that MORE PEOPLE DIED FROM GENERATORS THAN DIED IN THE "CHARLEY" STORM ITSELF!!

A lot more were injured.

** Run this thing OUTSIDE and away from windows and doors. CO was a big cause of those dead/injured folks.

** Use good cords and use good practices. Don't pinch your cords, don't operate in wet spots and generally be aware this is still line voltage.

** DO NOT attempt to connect this to your house wiring unless you have the proper transfer equipment installed (if the power company detects voltage on your service drop they will cut it and be damn slow coming back to hook it up. This is from the lineman who lives across the street from me)

Be careful out there. More people get killed after the storm than during the storm. In the case of Charley it was at least 7 times as many.

[Bill Schnakenberg]

Please cite an official source for that statement about generator deaths. The latest data enumerates 25 deaths attributed to Hurricane Charley. Your statement means that 13 or more people died from generators than died from any other cause. Reports indicate that deaths included traffic accidents, heart attacks, crushing, drowning, falls, personal accidents, suicides, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other causes occuring before, during, and after the hurricane.

2 men were killed, and their deaths were attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from a portable generator running inside the house. One person was killed because he went outside in the hurricane to smoke a cigarette, so you could add that to a smoking death. One 60 YO person, who had a pre-existing heart condition, died because he had a heart attack after working on his generator and clearing debris from his yard. Was that a generator death or a lawncare death? An 86 YO male who evacuated the area, fell and hit his head in his temporary hotel room and died, far from the hurricane. Another 83 YO male committed suicide by hanging himself.. A woman stepped on a downed live power line and was killed. Most deaths (estimates of 15 of the 25) truly were after the fact, but the vast majority of these deaths had nothing to do with generators. As a matter of fact, what determines a hurricane related death is not set in stone. Not everyone who dies during a hurricane is an actual hurricane related death, but since the deaths happened during the hurricane, or shortly thereafter, they may be included. Don't forget, a lot of the people living in the path of Charley were elderly. Not too strong, not too quick, not too alert. I don't think they have included murders that happen during a hurricane, but that could change.

[Greg]

Only 4 people died in the storm itself and one of those was your "preexisting condition" heart attack. Our paper is saying 27 people total. Take a look at news-press.com. They had an article that listed all the deaths about a week ago.

[Bill Schnakenberg]

Please cite an official source for that statement about generator deaths. A live link that shows that at least 14 deaths (you state 27 total deaths, and more than half would be at least 14 deaths) occurred due to generators would be helpful. Thanks for your contributions to urban legends.

[Greg]

Where did YOU get 14 from my original message?

[toller]

I had the oil cap vibrate off at midnight and spill the oil. Fortunately the genny had a low oil shut off. I spent the next two hours looking for an open gas station that sold oil. I now have spare oil.

A spark plug? Seriously, do they go bad?

[<SXRY]

Bot sure if they go bad, but if Murphy's Law ever happened at the wrong time, I'd get another plug.

[m Ransley]

Be sure generator itself is grounded with a rod if grounding tab is suplied on generator

dont get the unit wet, dont back feed, ck voltage of unit first and full load voltage. Dont run circuits unless unit is regulated voltage or proper range voltage is present. dont let gen stop or run out of gas with power used. the drop can ruin Capacitors and circuits.

[MC]

Ever had one foul out in your lawn mower, boat, chainsaw and played hell getting it to crank ?

Depending on how much I use something, every season I start by changing oil and plugs.

On a similer subject with sparkplugs, being a boater I once got stuck out in the middle of a damn big lake with fouled plugs and like to have never got the thing cranked, another time on a jet ski, flipped over, water in engine, never cranked. lukily another jetskier in the area stopped to help. had dry plugs and was same model ski as mine. At first seemed a little odd having plugs with him on a jet ski but in five minutes had mine changed and cranked right up (blowing water out of cylinders before installing new ones) I always carry dry set in water proof bag with me from now on.

Fortunately

[Stormin Mormon]

and if it doesn't start, make sure the helpful neighbor doesn't spray ether in the spark plug hole. My Dad had his generator killed by a "helpful" neighbor with a can of ether.

It's OK to spray ether on the air cleaner element, or into the air intake. But in the spark hole will dry out the cylinder wall. The piston locks up, and then throws a rod.

I know from family experience.

[Curmudgeon]

If you can't do simple math, (more than half of 27 is at least 14)then don't make claims you can't back up. Show/prove that at least 14 deaths occured because of generators or bite me.

Greg wrote:

[Greg]

Did you read the note at all? Thanks for zeroing in on the important part. What a pedantic asshole you are

[Bill]

also make sure your main 100 amp breaker which lets electricity into your house from the power company is turned off, then you can back feed your generator into the clothes dryer electrical receptacle and turn on a few circuits in your house. Just don't over load the output wattage produced by your generator or brownout conditions may occur.

Bill

[HorneTD]

Another wonder kinder heard from that thinks it's OK to advise people to use suicide cords and one mistake will kill a lineman practices for the sake of their own convenience. If you cannot or will not install the necessary transfer equipment to preclude the possibility of back feeding the power lines you should not hook the generator up to the house wiring. You can convert any appliance in your home to cord and plug connection. During a power failure you just unplug from the outlet and plug into the generator. That procedure is cheap and error proof since the generator will not connect to the house wiring without a suicide cord and the appliances cannot be plugged into two places at once.

If the utility workers even suspect a back feed they will disconnect you from the utilities wiring and leave you off of the list for restoration until all other service is restored.

I am a firefighter and I watched a supervisor who had not climbed a pole in years strap on his climbing gaffs and drop a back fed service drop off of the utilities pole into the yard. He then pulled the meter to deenergize the drop and marked in red marker paint on the street the code for safety disconnect. Until that premise was cleared by a master electrician and the county electrical inspector they wouldn't even talk to the occupants about restoring service. The lights still were not on there fourteen calender days after hurricane Isabel.

-- Tom H

-- Tom

[Bill]

I guess it's good they had that generator wired up so they would have power for two weeks! Anybody who is too stupid to prevent backfeeding power from his house circuits into the power company's lines should be prosecuted for criminal negligence. If you are that stupid don't even think about hooking up your own emergency power!

Bill

[Stormin Mormon]

He has spare motor oil. How about a spare butthole?

[Jim]

Regardless of transfer switch, I like a visual open, like when you pull the meter. My reason is that transfer switches are mechanical devices, and anything mechanical can fail. I expect it to fail in the 'worst case' scenario. So, for me, visual open. The power company, being realists, said that they understood that after the cleanup they might find many meter bases with the anti-tampering seal missing.. new ones would be installed next time the meter was read. This was after Hurricane Fran.. no power in our area for 12 days. In our area, no power equals no water.

I'm not advocating using anything other than an approved, properly installed transfer switch to power your whole house. I also understand that even an approved, properly installed transfer switch can fail and backfeed into the power grid (also, an energized phase could drop onto an unenergized phase and energive the previously unenergized phase). The local power company also understands this; their rule is that unless the line is grounded and the lineman is working 'between the grounds' the line is to be considered 'energized'.

In short, don't backfeed. On that same note however, if your approved, properly installed transfer switch involves turning off your main 200 amp breaker, and instead of the normal resistance against movement and the healthy 'chuck' sound you expect when you move that breaker, you get a small 'tink' and you can move the breaker with the tip of one finger, don't continue with the transfer switch operation thinking that all is OK because you've got an approved, properly installed transfer switch.

Use common sense.

regards,

Jim