Can we talk about the dangers of backfeeding a generator without a transfer switch?

I had a guy nearly backfeed the entire neighborhood last week when he hooked his portable generator into a dryer outlet. The lineman who spotted it explained that even with the main breaker off, the neutral can still energize the transformer and hurt someone working on the lines. Has anyone actually seen this go wrong or am I being overly cautious?

2 comments

2 Comments

anna98319d ago

even with the main breaker off, the neutral can still energize the transformer" - wait, WHAT? That's insane. I never even thought about that part. I've heard about the danger of backfeeding through a dryer outlet, but I always figured flipping the main off made it safe. That's terrifying that the neutral can still bite you like that. Maybe I am too trusting of basic electrical stuff.

shanegibson19d ago

And the ground wire can backfeed through the transformer too.