Mandatory PG&E Outages

[2LZ]

As most here know, CA burns to the ground every fire season. It's especially critical in the rural foothill areas, such as where the "Humble 2LZ Abode" is located.

For the first time, PG&E instituted mandatory power outages during weather patterns such as high winds. Being on top of a ridge, we get some pretty brutal winds. I'm all for this during high fire danger but I'm hoping once we get our annual deluges, they'll leave the power on.

A pain in the a$$? You bet. No power also means no water. This is why we like to keep a cheap Wally World pool around all year. It's a handy water supply for boiling, bathing and flushing...the same pool which we tore down about 2 months ago. Really bad timing on our part.

The upside to no power is far less fire danger during winds. The downside is if a fire starts, my 3/4" roof sprinkler is DOA since the well is shut off. Catch 22, for sure.

So, I bought that big generator a couple years ago which we have cords running everywhere. It seems these planned outages are the perfect excuse for wiring it into my house to run the well.

It's been a couple days. Hopefully we'll have power this afternoon. Baby wipes and ice cold wash clothes just don't cut it......

[Weldangrind]

How many amps does the well pump draw?

[Mudflap]

Maybe time to go solar. Must be a lot of sunshine on a ridge near Volcano CA.

[JerryHawk250]

I got tired of the cords running everywhere. I got my generator wired with a plug in to the panel. I installed a generator interlock devise that I have to turn off the main breaker before I can switch on the generator. I done this when we lost power for a week after Hurricane Gustav. I can run everything except for the central AC unit but have a 10,000 BTU window unit to keep things cool. If I know power will be out for a while I just roll my generator by the meter and plug in the cord. I also converted the generator to Tri-fuel and run it on natural gas so I don't have to worry about filling up a bunch of 5 gallon cans with gasoline. It can also run on propane if needed. :tup:


I made my own interlock but this is where I got the idea from. https://www.geninterlock.com/manufacturers/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmJbeBRBCEiwAAY4VVRVHM5mOF3SmCYgr3tJ-F-x31TQk67K8nP6jFKrpLS7DGnholWJwhhoC_0gQAvD_BwE#

I made mine out of 1/4" lexan and set up so I have to turn off the main and Central AC before I can switch on the generator. Looks like this one.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ANEAAOSwxYxUwnZV/s-l1600.jpg

[2LZ]

How many amps does the well pump draw?
I'm not exactly sure of the amp draw on the well pump but it runs off of a pair of 20 amp breakers. My generator should handle that just fine.

[2LZ]

JerryHawk, this is exactly what I'll be doing. Between a particular power pole down the road from my house that gets taken out a half dozen times annually and now, PG&E routinely keeping us in their gun sights, my generator has grown a whole new purpose. The days of running the extension cord through the window to run the fridge and a few lights, are over.

[JerryHawk250]

Hooking it up the way I have it is way less expensive that installing an automatic transfer switch.

[culcune]

Has it been proven that the wires are even causing these fires? I don't recall fires caused by powerlines, up until it was indirectly (conveniently not well publicized) revealed cartels were moving to rural areas to set up grow operations for marijuana (before it was legalized, but apparently continuing today). Also, the same time massive amounts of homeless popped up around the state. Cartels and homeless would be the golden children of the California state powers that be, so it seems like it would be easy to place the blame on a large corporation. The proposal to exonerate PG & E from fire-related lawsuits with that weirdly worded law put out by lawmakers in California further points to cartel activity/homeless being the real culprits. Just my rant/theory...

[katoranger]

We don't have many power outs, but solar power is on my list to install in the next for years. I need to remove some tress around the house. Fortunately we have city water plus a well. My water heater is gas too so that will run with minimal electric. Been watching for a nice big generator.

[Sir kayakalot]

2LZ..... saw the power shutoff on the news the other day. They said the wind was so strong it was arcing wires and blowing power poles over. Y’all can’t win for losing

[Biker_Andy]

Too bad the power company won't install arc-fault equipment on their transmission lines to prevent fires from arcing. Then they could leave power on in high winds. I'd be careful installing a homemade breaker interlock because it could void your insurance and/or make your home illegal to sell. Manual transfer switches are much cheaper than automatic ones, safer then interlocks, and won't void insurance.

[JerryHawk250]

Too bad the power company won't install arc-fault equipment on their transmission lines to prevent fires from arcing. Then they could leave power on in high winds. I'd be careful installing a homemade breaker interlock because it could void your insurance and/or make your home illegal to sell. Manual transfer switches are much cheaper than automatic ones, safer then interlocks, and won't void insurance.
Won't void the insurance if installed by licensed electrician. I was under the supervision by my nephew who is licensed.;) That's my story and I'm sticking to it. lol

[2LZ]

Well, due to how my boxes are set up, I'll need to go with the separate interlock box. My main is in its own box outside and it runs to a sub-panel indoors that has all the breakers.

[JerryHawk250]

Manual transfer switches aren't too costly. That would probably be your best option.

[Bruces]

I did a little googling of your area 2lz after seeing some pictures of the devastation in Paradise (I am Canadian so us geography is not much of a concern usually ) ,nice to see you are an inch away from there on my screen so hoping you guys are all right .
Hopefully all our other members are at least an inch away from there and safe as well .

[2LZ]

I did a little googling of your area 2lz after seeing some pictures of the devastation in Paradise (I am Canadian so us geography is not much of a concern usually ) ,nice to see you are an inch away from there on my screen so hoping you guys are all right .
Hopefully all our other members are at least an inch away from there and safe as well .

Thanks Bruces. So far, we've been good....but it always haunts. Right now, with the lack of rain everyone in my area is on edge. It's been dipping into the teens on occasion and no one is burning anything, wood or pellet stoves, just in case. Lots of bundled up people until it rains again. Those who have propane heat are cozy.....but it's costly. We've been running our propane to keep the walls thawed but it's worth the cost. Beats lighting the ridge on fire by an accidental spark from a chimney or stove pipe.

My brother lives east of Marysville and this was the view from his driveway. That's the Camp fire and the town of Paradise burning down. Seems almost Biblical.

[Weldangrind]

I did exactly the same thing as Bruce. As soon as I heard about the Paradise fire, I Googled it to learn how far it is from Volcano. So glad to hear you're safe. Here's hoping your brother stays safe as well.