Generator Transfer Switch Setup, Better Late Than Never.

[dlsmith]

Since I have had the interlock kit, the cables, circuit breaker and outside receptacle for over a year now, and having to plug extension cords into wall sockets to get the generator connected to the house after the power went out due to an ice storm, I finally got it installed ready for the next power outage.
Now I can trip the main breaker off, turn on the generator breaker, fire up the generator and plug in the cable.

 

[BX23S-1]

I suffer the same madness, lol. I`ve got everything here to hook mine all up, just havent got around to it.
Funny how things like that are. Dont think about until you need it, lol. Now its cold out an i dont wanna do it.

 

[orange crusher]

I have mine set up to automatically start the genny and transfer over. It then automatically transfers back over when the power comes back on. Running on propane, I have enough fuel storage to run for several days.

 

[NHSleddog]

If you rely on power and have it cut out occasionally, standby power is worth the investment.

I set our automatic transfer switch up years ago when I was traveling a lot and didn't want the wife to deal with the "man killer" setup I had before (backfeeding a dryer outlet).

Ours has run for hours many many times and several times it has run for days/weeks. If you can go NG, I highly recommend it.

Setting them up today is a lot cheaper than it used to be.

 

[torch]

I heard about a transfer switch that easily plugs into the meter base. Sounded like a great idea. Until I priced it! Your setup sounds much more economical.

 

[dlsmith]

I heard about a transfer switch that easily plugs into the meter base. Sounded like a great idea. Until I priced it! Your setup sounds much more economical.

I looked at transfer switch setups also, and for now I feel this setup is sufficient for my needs. I am considering a solar and battery storage setup this year or next, so this will work until then.
The power inlet box, circuit breaker, interlock kit and 10 foot generator cable were about $170 total.

 

[shootem604]

I bought a couple of these years ago on ebay for about $100 ea: https://www.ebay.com/p/2254497186?iid=380567841553

They are fairly straight forward to install yourself, and they came with an instructional DVD. I installed one on the shop panel and one on the house panel, and it's as easy as firing up the genset, plugging in the cable, and flipping the switches. The only downside is picking out the 6 (or 5 if one is 240V like my well pump) circuits you will need. There are similar units with 10 or 12 circuits too, but I'm cheap and bought these because they were cheap at the time.

 

[NHSleddog]

I did mine with an automatic switch built into a 200AMP load center. Within 60 seconds of power loss the whole house is back online. That includes the garage, the shop and everything in them. I can weld etc. It is like we are still on line power aside from the background hum from the generator. After power comes back online there is a 30 second delay and then it goes back on line power.

It was a little more to setup that way but I didn't want my wife or kids to have to deal with it when I was on the road. Now that I am home the last few years, I am glad we did it the way we did. It ran a few hours just last week during that wet snowstorm that came through.

 

[dlsmith]

I bought a couple of these years ago on ebay for about $100 ea: https://www.ebay.com/p/2254497186?iid=380567841553

With my setup, I power the whole house, including the furnace and well pump, and didn't have to chose which circuits have priority. A lot less wiring too, only from the power input box to the panel.
It only took about 5 feet of #8-3wG cable which I had left over from another project years ago.

I did mine with an automatic switch built into a 200AMP load center. Within 60 seconds of power loss the whole house is back online. That includes the garage, the shop and everything in them. I can weld etc. It is like we are still on line power aside from the background hum from the generator. After power comes back online there is a 30 second delay and then it goes back on line power.

It was a little more to setup that way but I didn't want my wife or kids to have to deal with it when I was on the road. Now that I am home the last few years, I am glad we did it the way we did. It ran a few hours just last week during that wet snowstorm that came through.

Those really work well, and if you aren't around to start the generator and plug things in, that's definitely the way to go. During the outage I could hear a couple other generators running around the neighborhood.

Now I need to get the Yanmar powered 10kw genset I have been working on for a few years finished up so I can use it. It's noisier, so I think I'll set it up in the shop 100 feet away from the house and connect it there. I have 100 amp service running there from the house, so it'll carry the load just fine.

Like the Boy Scouts say, Be Prepared!

 

[asgard]

I have a Federal transfer switch with 16 circuits. It is a simple install and has worked flawlessly when needed. I have it wired via a 240 plug to a 7500w Generac gas-powered unit. The most important item on any aux power system is a good earth connection. It is essential on any unit but often missed on a portable unit. You should earth it with a rod otherwise you can back feed the utility line and that is not good for the workers.

 

[BXHoosier]

When I added my generator hook-up, an electrician friend of mine helped me and we also replaced the old GE Pushmatic breaker box. I bought the interlock kit, but when the lineman from the power company came to disconnect the service, he said that he wouldn’t allow the interlock. He had seen breaker contacts stick, so when you think you’ve flipped the breaker off, it’s actually still on. Back feeding a panel with the main breaker stuck closed means a bad day at work for the guys working on the lines.
I returned the interlock kit and let the electrical supply shop know what the lineman had said.
I ended up adding a second small 100A panel below my main panel. The small panel contains the breakers for my well pump, furnace, fridge, kitchen outlets. There is a length of 8ga bus drop cable connected to the small panel with a 30A twist-lock connector to hook to my generator. The main panel has a short pigtail with a female twist-lock that is wired to a 30A double pole breaker. Under normal conditions, the 30A breaker in the main panel feeds the smaller sub panel. To hook up the generator, I unplug the cable, run it outside under the garage door and connect it to the generator.
In the 8-10 years since we added the hookup, it’s been used only once which was just a couple months ago.

 

[34by151]

You can also use an auto transfer switch.
I had one of these porior to installing my solar battery system

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4PRO-AT...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It also has terminals for a genset auto start connection.
So when the grid fails it will start he genset and switch over
When the gris is restored it will change back and stop the genset

 

[torch]

I have similar: a 60 amp sub-panel feeding the most important circuits. It has mutually-exclusive main breakers from the 200 amp main panel and the hard-wired generator.

 

[skeets]

Since I have had the interlock kit, the cables, circuit breaker and outside receptacle for over a year now, and having to plug extension cords into wall sockets to get the generator connected to the house after the power went out due to an ice storm, I finally got it installed ready for the next power outage.
Now I can trip the main breaker off, turn on the generator breaker, fire up the generator and plug in the cable. View attachment 53148
Well I ll be darned, back in the day we accepted that set up to lock out equipment in a plant. I dont have an old NEC any more but I thought for a set up like that it was required to have visible disconnect on the switch to make sure all phases cleared. I always thought this was a better way any how!

 

[Ikc1990]

Since I have had the interlock kit, the cables, circuit breaker and outside receptacle for over a year now, and having to plug extension cords into wall sockets to get the generator connected to the house after the power went out due to an ice storm, I finally got it installed ready for the next power outage.
Now I can trip the main breaker off, turn on the generator breaker, fire up the generator and plug in the cable. View attachment 53148

This is what I have in house, barn and sugarhouse and had in mynold house too. Much cheaper than transfer switch box.

 

[dlsmith]

This is what I have in house, barn and sugarhouse and had in mynold house too. Much cheaper than transfer switch box.

That was my thought too, simple is better.
I have even had a thought about pouring a small pad next to where the receptacle is, and mounting the genset there with an enclosure over it. That way all I have to do is open the door on the enclosure, fire up the generator and plug the cord in. The generator is presently stored in an unheated building, so it won't get any colder than normal.

 

[shootem604]

I have a Federal transfer switch with 16 circuits. It is a simple install and has worked flawlessly when needed. I have it wired via a 240 plug to a 7500w Generac gas-powered unit. The most important item on any aux power system is a good earth connection. It is essential on any unit but often missed on a portable unit. You should earth it with a rod otherwise you can back feed the utility line and that is not good for the workers.

I have a 10kw gas unit. To ground it should I ground the generator frame to my ground rod?



I went with my setup for two reasons:
a) cost. The generator and the switches and install cost me $1300 all in.
b) I have two different services. My house is your standard 150A 240V single phase. My shop has a 3 phase 600A 208V service but it has my well pump on it.

I would have needed two separate generators to run the two buildings, and two sets of automatic changeover gear, etc. That gets pricey. My generator has two 240V outputs - each one has a pigtail to a different input connection that feed to the two 6 circuit switchover panels. Sure, it means that some circuits are dead but it also means my generator can handle the load, I don't need two different setups, and I still have my basics - some house lights, fridges and freezers, well pump, some critical outlets, etc.

Before I had that, critical circuits like the well pump had an outlet that the load plugged into. When the power went out for extended periods I deployed an assortment of little generators; a 4000W for the pumphouse, a 2500W for the shop/barn, and a 5000W for the house to run the essentials.
My dad has a 13kw natural gas Generac with automatic change over. The whole setup cost him about $6k installed and it runs the whole place. Different options for different budgets and different setups, and different folks.

 

[torch]

I have a 10kw gas unit. To ground it should I ground the generator frame to my ground rod?

The current electrical code requires the generator should be grounded by connecting it to the building ground. IE: in addition to the current-carrying conductors, you should have a 4th, separate, ground wire. The generator frame should be connected to the ground wire.

Depending on whether the generator has a bonded neutral or floating neutral, you may need to switch the neutral at the transfer switch as well as the hot conductors, since the neutral may not be connected to ground twice. So if it has a floating neutral, then either don't switch the neutral OR bond the generator neutral inside the grounded transfer switch/generator panel. If the generator is bonded internally, then you must switch the neutral wire at the panel. (This is another reason why simply opening the main service breakers and connecting a generator to the branch line side of the panel can be dangerous).

dlsmith's interlock kit appears to be suitable only for use with a floating neutral generator, and could be dangerous if used with a bonded generator.

In an older installation, where the original generator was not bonded and the neutral was not switched and a separate ground wire was not run, then yes, connect the generator frame to a ground rod.

To determine if a generator is internally bonded, simply measure the resistance between neutral and ground at the (not running) generator outlet. A bonded generator will have near-0 ohms resistance. A floating generator will have infinite resistance.

 

[PapaJ]

I'm rural enough that the transformers in my neighborhood are rusty, and buzz constantly. Almost all power poles are at least mildly leaning. Power goes out from a few hours to a couple weeks during storm season, which in VA, is year round. Been here about a year, had 4 major outages so far.

Between installing the Gernerac, hooking it to the breaker box, and running new propane lines to handle the flow, I'm in just under $15K for 13KW standby. Now when the power goes out, I watch TV and surf the internet while laundry is going. And the value of my property went up $11.

 

[BA76]

You can also use an auto transfer switch.
I had one of these porior to installing my solar battery system

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4PRO-ATS-63A-4P-RSC-230V-Automatic-Changeover-Switch-50-60Hz-1-3-phase-4-pol/264671385832?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It also has terminals for a genset auto start connection.
So when the grid fails it will start he genset and switch over
When the gris is restored it will change back and stop the genset

I completed my 20kw Cummins generator and 200amp ATS last week.