Electrical – Backfeed breaker use

One throw too far

Your meter-main was designed to use a set of smaller sub-main disconnects instead of a single main disconnecting means, in accordance with NEC 230.71:

230.71 Maximum Number of Disconnects.

(A) General. The service disconnecting means for each service permitted by 230.2, or for each set of service-entrance conductors permitted by 230.40, Exception No.1, 3, 4, or 5, shall consist of not more than six switches or sets of circuit breakers, or a combination of not more than six switches and sets of circuit breakers, mounted in a single enclosure, in a group of separate enclosures, or in or on a switchboard or in switchgear. There shall be not more than six sets of disconnects per service grouped in any one location.

For the purpose of this section, disconnecting means installed as part of listed equipment and used solely for the following shall not be considered a service disconnecting means:

(1) Power monitoring equipment

(2) Surge-protective device(s)

(3) Control circuit of the ground-fault protection system

(4) Power-operable service disconnecting means

(B) Single-Pole Units. Two or three single-pole switches or breakers, capable of individual operation, shall be permitted on multiwire circuits, one pole for each ungrounded conductor, as one multipole disconnect, provided they are equipped with identified handle ties or a master handle to disconnect all conductors of the service with no more than six operations of the hand.

However, the pair of single pole breakers in the lower-right that the inspector complained about means that you need 7 breaker throws to turn all the power off, which is one too many.

Evict the aliens!

Furthermore, the culprit breakers are a violation by themselves as they are GE THQLs, which are not listed to go in an Eaton BR panel. At this point, you might as well get a BR220 from the nearest supplier and have it slapped in in place of the culprits, killing two violations with one fix.

And yes, a two pole breaker can feed two completely separate 110V circuits

There is nothing in the NEC that prohibits a two pole breaker from feeding two independent branch circuits from the opposite legs it provides.

That should be physically impossible, and the "outlet" should not be an outlet (it should be a boxed plug).

If it's physically possible and the outlet is an outlet, it's not a generator input unless you enjoy having your service terminated when the power company finds out about it. So remove any "generator" label, take apart the suicide cord, and use the outlet as an outlet.

It's quite possible to backfeed in a safe and correct manner with a listed manual interlock (the main OR the generator can be on, both can be off, but both cannot be on, by physical interlock preventing that) and a boxed-plug input to the backfeed breaker. You absolutely do not need a (generally overpriced) transfer switch.

This is a manual interlock for a Square-D QO panel - there are other styles for other panel types/brands.

Here's a typical correct generator input, fed from an extension cord with a receptacle on the end that won't (easily) electrocute you.