this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2026
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I don't see how it's any more or less dangerous than using a suicide plug to back feed a house circuit from a generator. What most people don't know to do is kill the main breaker and or the one for the circuit you're going to power.
Here come all the electricians to tell me what I already know! I haven't done this since I was a renter, I obviously wouldn't do this in the house I own.
It's also illegal and unsafe to plug a generator into a wall outlet with a suicide cord. There's a reason they're called "suicide cords", there's a reason cable genders are the way they are, the load end of a suicide cord will have hot exposed prongs, which is hella dangerous.
Plugging in a generator like that is probably going to be done during a power outage, so yeah it makes sense to throw the main breaker, even if you are doing something dramatically stupid. That's if you remember to do it. These balcony panels are meant to generate a small amount of power to lessen your electric bill. You're not going to power your entire house with a couple hundred watt solar panel. So you're gonna have the main breaker on.
That's actually another reason why it needs to be a non grid-forming inverter; because it'll provide power to a male plug it's gonna need to prevent users from being shocked while it's in the sun and unplugged.
Now you'll tell me I shouldn't file down the bigger side of those stupid one way plugs!
"Hot neutral" is the name of my 80s glam cover band.
that’s just it - it is as dangerous when done wrong. backfed downed wires are a real thing and danger.