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Backfeed and carbon monoxide: two outage dangers to know

Most outage injuries do not come from the storm. They come from the equipment people use to get through it.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a gas produced by burning fuel. It has no colour or smell, and in an enclosed space it can build up to dangerous levels quickly. Every outage season there are warnings about people running generators or camp heaters inside garages, sheds, caravans or near open windows. Symptoms such as headache, dizziness and drowsiness are easily mistaken for tiredness. Fit carbon monoxide alarms if you use any fuel-burning equipment.

What it would keep running

  • Whole-house circuits through a proper switchboard
  • Grid isolation during outages
  • No fuel-burning engine near the house
  • Carbon monoxide alarms for any gas or wood appliances
  • Leak sensors on the hydrogen side

Backfeeding the grid

Backfeed happens when someone connects a generator to house wiring without a proper changeover switch, often with a homemade double-ended lead. Power can then flow out of the house, through the transformer and onto the street line. Line workers who believe the line is dead can be seriously hurt. It can also damage the generator and house wiring when grid power returns.

Any backup supply connected to house wiring should be installed by a registered or licensed electrician with proper isolation. The hybrid inverter in this system is designed to isolate the house from the grid automatically whenever supply drops, so no power flows back down the line.

How it works →
The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

How a wired-in system helps

A fuel cell does not burn anything, so it produces no carbon monoxide. The system is permanently wired in, so there are no leads to plug in wrong in the dark and no changeover to forget. That does not remove every risk, because stored hydrogen is still a flammable gas, but those risks are handled by design with redundant leak sensors, automatic shutdown and venting.

Questions

Is a suicide lead really that dangerous?

Yes. A double-ended plug lead connecting a generator to a wall socket can energise the street line and leaves live pins exposed on the plug. It is illegal in many places and has killed people. Use a proper inlet and changeover installed by an electrician.

Do I still need carbon monoxide alarms?

If you have any fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas heater, wood burner or a generator kept as a spare, yes. The hydrogen system itself produces no carbon monoxide, but other equipment in the house might.

Can the hydrogen system backfeed the grid?

It is designed not to. The hybrid inverter detects grid loss and isolates the house before supplying it from the battery. The connection is installed and certified by an electrician, and your lines company is told about it.

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