Wandering Adventure Party

@BalooUriza
I think the thing to remember is that the plug isn't actually energized the way you're thinking. It plugs in as a consuming device *first* then "negotiates" then pushes power back. When unplugged it's not still live, it's like you unplugged a TV.
@creideiki @f4grx @balkonsolar @derdo

@BalooUriza
Yeah the constraint of "at least half as much current as the smallest likely breaker" is doing heavy lifting for fire safety... In the US it would have to be either like 500w or the "plug" would likely want to be a 5-20 to prevent you from e.g plugging a 20a supply into a 10a circuit (though even in this case the inverter could detect a overheat condition based on change in resistance and trip...I don't know that I'd trust just that if I had particularly flammable wires like knob and tube in walls with blown insulation)

@BalooUriza
Yes and no. If it was just a dumb device spitting out voltage yes but the tech to do fancy safety operations has existed for quite some time. Like, I've seen systems that push kVs through a cable but the instant the supply defects capacitance changes (like from your hand approaching it) the voltage is cut. So a lot less terrifying when you realize what controls are in place. You *can* do these things safely, there are just more factors to consider.

We have a back feed generator interconnect system at home. It has a hardware interlock for the mains breaker to prevent it from energizing the lines feeding the house because its purpose is to run when grid power fails. Within the house, the breakers do their thing, but realistically the inverter is much more sensitive to faults. The last power outage was how we found out there was a current leak in the kitchen, because the inverter alarmed when that circuit was enabled (fixed now) even through the GFCI outlets appeared to be fine on mains power.


@f4grx @balkonsolar @derdo

@BalooUriza
The inverter itself has afi/gfi and a breaker. Someone mentioned the limit is < 5a so it's supplemental to the circuit breaker on the panel.
@derdo @f4grx @balkonsolar

@BalooUriza
I might be entirely wrong but as I understand it they have pretty sophisticated current leakage and monitoring abilities and very very quick shut-off. So yes it's back feed but it can detect if something anomalous has happened so it locks out if a breaker is tripped or if a line is cut.
I don't believe you can use these in an outage situation, and you're correct it would be unsafe without an interlock.
@f4grx @balkonsolar