Jim Caudill
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2002
- Location
- Dayton, Oh
For those of you that may not know, much of our region here in Ohio was without power following the windstorm created as Ike moved thru a short while back. Many of my relatives were without power for up to a week. I have 3 generators (one of which I just repaired with help from this board), 2 of which are portable and 1 is in an RV. It seems like power outages here, have become more and more common. I would like to develop a plan to keep my house warm and lit during a winter ice storm.
I am interested in powering my natural gas furnace circuit which contains electrical demand for igniter, thermostat, and blower motor. Powering a couple of light circuits with half-dozen 15w compact flourescent would be good also.
I have a 200amp main breaker that is fed directly from my outside meter. Would switching this breaker off provide the same degree of circuit interruption of a manual transfer switch? It seems like I would only be "breaking" the hot wires. If I then back-fed the electrical panel, I am concerned about current existing in the neutrals and being carried some way back to the main lines. Do transfer switches isolate the desired circuit's neutral and ground as well as the hot wires? What is the most economical way to safely accomplish the powering of a few circuits that are "wired-in" to the house?
I am interested in powering my natural gas furnace circuit which contains electrical demand for igniter, thermostat, and blower motor. Powering a couple of light circuits with half-dozen 15w compact flourescent would be good also.
I have a 200amp main breaker that is fed directly from my outside meter. Would switching this breaker off provide the same degree of circuit interruption of a manual transfer switch? It seems like I would only be "breaking" the hot wires. If I then back-fed the electrical panel, I am concerned about current existing in the neutrals and being carried some way back to the main lines. Do transfer switches isolate the desired circuit's neutral and ground as well as the hot wires? What is the most economical way to safely accomplish the powering of a few circuits that are "wired-in" to the house?