re: Running a generator through a dryer outlet

thanks...we didnt have 10 pages of people saying that

quote:

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..its a huge fire risk,

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How so?

Assuming the generator 240 out is 30A and the dryer is 30A, where's the problem (again, assuming you have pulled the main breaker to isolate your house from the outside line)?

Code says only one dryer outlet on a line, so even that dryer 30A breaker is providing a lot of protection - the only real fire risk would be a near-short somewhere in the line between the plug and the breaker, and then only if the generator is rated for more than the dryer breaker.

OK, for completeness, one more caveat - a "continuous load" is anything that runs for great than 3 hours non-stop. And a continuous load is to be de-rated to 85% of the breaker rating. So don't draw more than 25A from a 30A circuit. But this is more about nuisance tripping than anything else - running right at 30A can heat that breaker enough to cause it to trip. These things don't precisely trip at 30A, it's a combination of time and temperature from the current (and the components aren't all that precise, and are effected by ambient temperature, and the heat from other breakers in the panel), and a secondary near-immediate electromagnetic trip for very high currents.