interlock switch for generator backfeeding panel

[MossRoad]

How will you connect your indicator into live wires ahead of your main disconnect which gets shut off when the generator runs? And how will you disconnect it or fuse it if it needs to turn off?

Don't know about his situation, but here, code says the main disconnect has to be a short distance from the meter. Can't remember the exact distance, but I recall it being about 10' or less. That disconnect is the MAIN panel, and everything after it has to be wired as a sub-panel. So what many people call their MAIN panel, is not really their MAIN panel at all.

If that's the case, it would be very easy to shut off the main disconnect at or near the meter, then wire in an indicator on the hot side in the panel that has the generator stuff in it. Or run a small wire up to a plate in a kitchen wall, or by the back door, etc, and put the indicator there for easy viewing.

 

[DieselBound]

My local electrical utility is fantastic (public, not-for-profit). They've got an "outage" map and they're very prompt about keeping it up to date. If they show they've resolved the problem for my area I KNOW that the power is available again. I can also, as others have stated, just look around to see if neighbors (not on generators) have lights (easier at night!). Not a big deal to run on my generator as it just sips fuel (7.5kW diesel): our electrical loads are pretty low.

 

[Everhard]

Check with your electrical provider - mine sends me text updates, I think I signed up for that but it's been so long I don't even remember doing it now! Anyway they text as soon as there's a problem that could be impacting my service, text with update on expected repair time and text when it's considered fixed to which I have the option to text back if it actually isn't fixed...

E.

 

[cqaigy2]

I look outside. I can see about 30-40 houses. If their lights come on, my power is back. Doesn't work in the daytime, though.

When i look outside, i see stars and the moon sometimes if it's not cloudy, sometimes i can hear a generator or two way off in the distance. Daytime i see trees.

 

[LouNY]

Don't know about his situation, but here, code says the main disconnect has to be a short distance from the meter. Can't remember the exact distance, but I recall it being about 10' or less. That disconnect is the MAIN panel, and everything after it has to be wired as a sub-panel. So what many people call their MAIN panel, is not really their MAIN panel at all.

If that's the case, it would be very easy to shut off the main disconnect at or near the meter, then wire in an indicator on the hot side in the panel that has the generator stuff in it. Or run a small wire up to a plate in a kitchen wall, or by the back door, etc, and put the indicator there for easy viewing.

Originally my meterbase was 70 feet from the road, and about 600 feet from the house. Last year the neutral bar had rotted out of it and my power was getting flaky and behaving weirdly. After checking out everything at my house and shop panels I called the utility company and their man found the issue in the meterbase.
When this system was installed it did not require a disconnect close to the meter, the the only disconnect was my main breaker in my first panel.
When we replaced the meterbase current code here requires the disconnect to be a part of the meterbase. The original meterbase did have a ground rod which was utilized with the new one, so now my system has the potential to have a ground loop issue as it is grounded at the meter and at my main panel.
When my power is out my choices are pull the cover off my main panel and check with a meter on my panel main breaker or use a wired in or on device. My neighbors are not visible and it's a pain to go look at my meterbase also.
To make it even better my UTV has difficultly getting to my meterbase location.

 

[MossRoad]

When i look outside, i see stars and the moon sometimes if it's not cloudy, sometimes i can hear a generator or two way off in the distance. Daytime i see trees.

I can stand in my kitchen doing dishes and wave at my neighbor standing in his kitchen doing his dishes.

We can step out our back doors and have a conversation at normal levels across the driveways.

We frequently talk with the neighbor lady on the other side just over the fence. If we're in our pool floating around and she's sitting on her back porch, we wave at each other and ask how you doing today?

I'm friends with the cop that lives across the street and we meet at the mailboxes or wave at each other almost daily.

My mechanic lives next door to him and we wave every evening as he and his family take their evening walk.

I like living in a neighborhood where folks acknowledge each other on a daily basis and socialize.

 

[MossRoad]

Originally my meterbase was 70 feet from the road, and about 600 feet from the house. Last year the neutral bar had rotted out of it and my power was getting flaky and behaving weirdly. After checking out everything at my house and shop panels I called the utility company and their man found the issue in the meterbase.
When this system was installed it did not require a disconnect close to the meter, the the only disconnect was my main breaker in my first panel.
When we replaced the meterbase current code here requires the disconnect to be a part of the meterbase. The original meterbase did have a ground rod which was utilized with the new one, so now my system has the potential to have a ground loop issue as it is grounded at the meter and at my main panel.
When my power is out my choices are pull the cover off my main panel and check with a meter on my panel main breaker or use a wired in or on device. My neighbors are not visible and it's a pain to go look at my meterbase also.
To make it even better my UTV has difficultly getting to my meterbase location.

Yep. So pull the disconnect under the meter. That kills your power in your panels. Wire an indicator into your panel(s) on the service side before any generator transfer switch. Then restore the disconnect.

On the subject of service disconnects, once you have that disconnect at the meter, any panel after that would be considered a sub-panel, and should have an isolated neutral. A ground wire should return to the ground at the disconnect. I was required to put another ground rod at my house sub-panel and at the sub-panel in the garage as well.

 

[GeneV]

How will you connect your indicator into live wires ahead of your main disconnect which gets shut off when the generator runs? And how will you disconnect it or fuse it if it needs to turn off?

Yeh, with all the talk about the indicator light for the main, that's what I was wondering as well.

Anyways around here, I'm in the outer Chicago burbs, but it's still metro areas so ComEd gets on it pretty fast. Within an hour, they usually have it evaluated and notify if it's a prolonged outage....usually not.

Very rarely do I have to bust out the generator, so I could live with checking if the power is back on by flipping a few breakers.

 

[cqaigy2]

Yep. So pull the disconnect under the meter. That kills your power in your panels. Wire an indicator into your panel(s) on the service side before any generator transfer switch. Then restore the disconnect.

On the subject of service disconnects, once you have that disconnect at the meter, any panel after that would be considered a sub-panel, and should have an isolated neutral. A ground wire should return to the ground at the disconnect. I was required to put another ground rod at my house sub-panel and at the sub-panel in the garage as well.

I re-energized the service where my parents had their modular home and ran power from it to a subpanel in our well house. It didn't pass inspection, i had to add a wire between the panel grounds in both panel. Both locations still had their ground rods too. I'd imagine that would help reduce ground voltage differences.

 

[GeneV]

I'm using an interlock as well. For various reasons (one being that I'm electrically illiterate, the other that I'm always wanting to know and learn) I delved into everything related to wiring up a generator in such a fashion. My electrician, who I was working with to wire my then new garage, looked at me in a puzzled fashion when I mentioned how the generator needed to be wired. After I explained it to him he nodded his head and said "yeah." Anyway... Generators wired such as this (in to the panel) are power "sources" and one doesn't bond the neutral to the generator's frame (or combing with the ground wire) as often is the case with a generator that is a "standalone." The neutral needs to "float"- it gets connected to the neutral in the panel.

I see the requisite wires in the OP's pics, but no idea how the generator is plumbed/wired.

I don't want to say how many plugs I went through before getting the right one! Had an issue with a correct one and broke down and got a Hubbell: after stripping a connector on the first non-Hubbell I found that the Hubbells are FAR superior and that I'd been best off shelling out more in the first place!

Yeh, I mentioned before I got a bonded neutral on the generator, I gotta convert to float. Your panel is already bonded (unless you're looking to backfeed a subpanel, those usually aren't), so a bonded neutral on the generator backfeeding it ain't gonna work out.

Diesel, if you're gonna use that generator for other stuff, just make sure to build or buy a bonded neutral plug. Basically it's just a plug (w/o a cord) with the neutral terminal connected to the ground terminal in it...so you just plug that into whatever outlet in the generator and now it's bonded neutral again and safe to use. When you're gonna use it to backfeed your panel, you just unplug that plug first.

Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F4R7BD...&colid=TJYU61LC7LU&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[WranglerX]

Then there is something like this that takes all the hassle out of connecting a generator....

Generlink Or Home Run Meter Mounted Transfer Switches?

We’re about to review two of the most popular meter mounted transfer switches on the market today – Generlink vs Home Run.

www.portablegenerators360.com

 

[LouNY]

Then there is something like this that takes all the hassle out of connecting a generator....

Generlink Or Home Run Meter Mounted Transfer Switches?

We’re about to review two of the most popular meter mounted transfer switches on the market today – Generlink vs Home Run.

www.portablegenerators360.com

If your meterbase is handy to where you plan to set your generator I guess that might be a usable setup.
For the price if you also have to pay to have it installed, it's not less then an whole house manual transfer switch.
With an interlock kit and a 100 AMP two pole breaker in my main load center and 300 volt rated #2 welding lead run through liquid tite conduit for protection I have less money tied up in my complete setup with much greater capability.

The same setup for a 30 or 50 amp 120/240 hookup would be very reasonable.

 

[check]

Had to use the Generlink 2 nites ago, with my Westinghouse Generator. (The same one that Daugen has.)

Interestingly, it was so cold that the renters had a number of 1500 W portable heaters on, and so the generator breaker tripped. The generator did not shut off, just the breaker tripped. So I got them to turn off a bunch of stuff and go back outside and reset the breaker switch.

All worked well, and the power outage was only maybe two or three hours, so they did not freeze to death.

When the power came back on, there is no indicator unless you go outside and look underneath the meter where the general link is. I thought that would be too complicated for them, so I called them when the power went back on, because Hydro One, the power utility, sends you a text message when they have fixed the problem, which they did.

It all worked out very well, although the renters felt that they were inconvenienced by this little operation.

 

[mrmikey]

.....although the renters felt that they were inconvenienced by this little operation.

Easy to fix that problem, don't hook them up next time power goes out....problem solved.

 

[GeneV]

Then there is something like this that takes all the hassle out of connecting a generator....

Generlink Or Home Run Meter Mounted Transfer Switches?

We’re about to review two of the most popular meter mounted transfer switches on the market today – Generlink vs Home Run.

www.portablegenerators360.com

Installing it depends on your utility company, here ComEd don't allow these.

 

[Goober2]

We too have our service entrance panel (with meter) about 350' from our home. Our service entrance panel has a built in generator disconnect that keeps our generator near that panel. Walking up and connecting and starting up the generator is one thing, but wondering when the power has been restored is difficult when we live in a remote area where we cannot easily see if any neighbors are back on. Wiring some easily noticeable lamp of some sort to attach on the panel on the service side of the main disconnect to be able to "see" when service is restored would be awesome, but would be challenging to install without pulling the meter which would also require breaking a seal. Some sort of inductive pickup to "connect" to that would be pretty cool, but I cannot find anything like that.

 

[markb74]

I use one of these from Reliance that Lou referenced in post #9 to know when the power comes back on. Pretty inexpensive at $20, easy to install, and incredibly/ear splitting loud. Takes a 9 volt battery and has a magnet so it just mounts to the front or side of the breaker box.

https://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls-Corporation-THP108-PowerBACK/dp/B003KREORA

 

[muddstopper]

Someone had put in a breaker box and 30amp hookup for a camper before I bought the house. I changed out the plug and now use it for when the power goes out. I have to flip the 200amp main breaker before pluging in the generator. Two years ago I was able to pretty much run the entire house off a 8000w gen. I would turn off things like the hot water heater, well pump and sometimes the furnace, just depending on what we needed at the time. Neighbors where jealous, they could smell the bacon frying in the morning and see the lights on. Power was out for 2 and a half days. Since then, I added a battery backup system just for lights in my shop and sheds. I have a freezer in one shed and enough battery backup for 4 or 5 days to keep the freezer running. The batteries charge using grid power, I have a guardian brand transer switch wired in that cuts power from the main and the charger/inverter converts the 12v batteries to 120vac. I wired the shop and shed lights, as well as wall outlets to the run on grid power, but then battery via the transfer switch. I havent had to use the system yet, but I can test it by just flipping the main breaker that feeds the shop.

 

[muddstopper]

 

[wawajake]

I went the Generac route due to my ignorance about availability of the Generlink meter plug in my area . So Generac did the pony panel seen with 8 circuits of my choice and switchover with lights so I will know when power comes back on. With 10,000 watt Generac Gas Generator ( elec start) It took two electricians 8hrs to complete, included drilling thru 12 inches of basement concrete wall . So far only one power outage to try it out for real, and that was only 30 minutes . But still having it is like an insurance policy and peace of mind it gives to know that a Canadian Winter power outage is feasible to get thru now.