Home backup power in Canada

[K6CCC]

If you already have a generator receptacle installed at your house, with a simple manual main breaker safety, you can simply remove the bare ground wire at the receptacle and it will work.

To code, no.

Dangerous: yes - potentially deadly.

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[chl]

Well yeah but you get something for the additional cost compared to the HIS: a system that works!

Yes, true.

I was thinking the Sigenergy system was less expensive than the HIS...but costs more than a simple transfer switch set up.

It does get that extra 10A@240 that the PPOB bed outlet doesn't have.

 

[chl]

Dangerous: yes - potentially deadly.

And why risk it? A properly wired neutral switching transfer switch is easy peasy.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

Dangerous: yes - potentially deadly.

The people claiming this is dangerous and deadly thusfar have not provided anything to substantiate that claim. It is not deadly. It is not dangerous.

And why risk it? A properly wired neutral switching transfer switch is easy peasy.

Because that requires you to install a sub-panel and move individual loads to it. IF that is practical, great. I would agree it is the most perfectionist way to do it. But it is often NOT practical. Not everyone has the luxury of the physical space and design consideration requirements for a sub-panel. I for example do not, and cannot do such an install. It's a finished basement, in a corner, with multiple things in the way. Using a UL Listed properly installed generator inlet and interlock like millions of people do is safe and sane. Not connecting the generator (truck) ground to the house ground is an operational requirement, which in no way impacts or negates existing safety protections. None. You know this. The house is protected in the same manner it always has been. And the generator (truck) and cable are protected by the truck's GFCI.

 

[K6CCC]

The people claiming this is dangerous and deadly thusfar have not provided anything to substantiate that claim. It is not deadly. It is not dangerous.

It absolutely is dangerous and potentially deadly. The why has been explained MANY times here on this forum. @chl has drawn it out more than once. The short answer is that you potentially become part of the current path in the event of the right failure. The GFCI MIGHT keep it from killing you, but are you going to risk your life depending on the GFCI? The electrical code is there for a reason.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Welcome to the forum, take the sage advice of several members noted above...

More threads about using your ProPower system here: Electrical / Pro Power Generator

BTW, does your 2025 Flash have 2.4 KW or 9.6 KW Pro Power?

 

[Runaway Tractor]

It absolutely is dangerous and potentially deadly. The why has been explained MANY times here on this forum. @chl has drawn it out more than once. The short answer is that you potentially become part of the current path in the event of the right failure. The GFCI MIGHT keep it from killing you, but are you going to risk your life depending on the GFCI? The electrical code is there for a reason.

Nothing you just said makes any sense. No part of this scenario places any human in any current path.

• No existing protection or safety is bypassed or changed.
• The ground-neutral bond is in the panel where it always was.
• Every existing circuit breaker still operates unchanged.
• Every existing GFCI and AFCI in the house still operates unchanged.
• If you jumped in a bathtub with your toaster oven, your outcome would be no different.

CHL and I and others have discussed this many times. He has not drawn out any scenario such as whatever fantasy you described. Maybe you should draw it out and find me where doing this magically disabled some existing protection in the home.

 

[K6CCC]

The problem is that in the event of a open (or crappy connection) neutral between the truck and the panel, the body of the truck will become electrically hot. You will not find out about that until you touch the truck while standing on the ground. You are absolutely depending on the truck GFCI to keep from killing you.
There is a reason that the electrical codes require the ground connection

 

[tearitupsports]

Nothing you just said makes any sense. No part of this scenario places any human in any current path.

• No existing protection or safety is bypassed or changed.
• The ground-neutral bond is in the panel where it always was.
• Every existing circuit breaker still operates unchanged.
• Every existing GFCI and AFCI in the house still operates unchanged.
• If you jumped in a bathtub with your toaster oven, your outcome would be no different.

CHL and I and others have discussed this many times. He has not drawn out any scenario such as whatever fantasy you described. Maybe you should draw it out and find me where doing this magically disabled some existing protection in the home.

There is the possibility of a very dangerous condition. If you were to touch a grounded part of the truck and a grounded part on the house (any electrical box or metal conduit), you would become a parallel neutral conductor with actual return current going through your body. This is why the trucks GFCI trips if you don't remove the pin. Typically most GFCI are protecting equipment, which is slower reaction time than life protection. I wouldn't want to take a chance on which one the truck is.
Again if you have a neutral to ground bond at both sides, any ground wire connecting the two becomes just a parallel wire of the neutral. We are trying to not make that wire out of our body.

Now I actually have the pin removed in my personal setup, but I know never to touch the truck and my home system at the same moment. Now that I understand the risk, I am actually adding the ground pin back, and won't use the generator input with the truck.

For reference you will find posts in the past of mine, arguing that there is little risk of pulling ground pin. I have changed my mind once I reviewed it for a long time.

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