Generator Generator transfer switch wiring diagram

[RobS]

The double male danger is in the exposed terminals. They would be hot if the other end is plugged into a live outlet. Female terminals won't nail you if they are hot.

 

[rback33]

Oh Duh. Never thought about that. Thanks Rob! Not likely to be an issue since the cord is unplugged when not in use, but things do happen! Thanks for the reminder!

 

[gemini5362]

Robs beat me to it. double ended male plugs are always dangerous for the reason that he stated.

I do like some of the ideas in this thread. I am going to be wiring a sub panel in my garage. After reading this I might do some work on my house wiring. If I put a transfer switch into the Sub Panel and then put an enclosed male plug in a small panel that you would open up and plug an extension cord from your generator into. That should be a safe way to hook up to the generator. If I run some of the wiring to the lights in my bedrooms, bath kitchen etc and to a few limited receptacles I believe that in the event of an electric power outage I could slide the manual transfer switch off of Line power and then plug in the generator. That would solve the problem of having to turn off circuit breakers when I use the generator. If I leave certain lights such as hall lights etc off of the subpanel then I would know when the power came back on and since the other items are on a transfer switch I would not have to worry about problems with power coming on while I am using the generator. Does anyone see any problems with this ?

 

[RobS]

Robs beat me to it. double ended male plugs are always dangerous for the reason that he stated.

I do like some of the ideas in this thread. I am going to be wiring a sub panel in my garage. After reading this I might do some work on my house wiring. If I put a transfer switch into the Sub Panel and then put an enclosed male plug in a small panel that you would open up and plug an extension cord from your generator into. That should be a safe way to hook up to the generator. If I run some of the wiring to the lights in my bedrooms, bath kitchen etc and to a few limited receptacles I believe that in the event of an electric power outage I could slide the manual transfer switch off of Line power and then plug in the generator. That would solve the problem of having to turn off circuit breakers when I use the generator. If I leave certain lights such as hall lights etc off of the subpanel then I would know when the power came back on and since the other items are on a transfer switch I would not have to worry about problems with power coming on while I am using the generator. Does anyone see any problems with this ?

That's pretty much the way I wired mine. The transfer switch I got came with it's own enclosure and a male recep built in. It has a pigtail/conduit that runs into your existing panel. I ran a cord from the transfer switch to an outside generator recep, also male and my genny hooks up with a male/female extension cord. I have seen, and would have preferred to hardwire the outside recep directly into the transfer switch but didn't find one like that where I shopped. The way the transfer switch works, it can never back feed the male recep so there is no problem with the exposed terminals. It's pretty simple and I'm confident the wife or older son can make it work if I am away. That was another consideration for me that lead to the transfer switch.

 

[rback33]

It's pretty simple and I'm confident the wife or older son can make it work if I am away. That was another consideration for me that lead to the transfer switch.

I am not too worried about this aspect. 1) I don't think my wife could start our genny anyway. It pulls hard. Thank heavens it always starts on the second pull. 2) I can make 1 call to any of my buddies and they would be right there to fire it all up.

 

[RobS]

I am not too worried about this aspect. 1) I don't think my wife could start our genny anyway. It pulls hard. Thank heavens it always starts on the second pull. 2) I can make 1 call to any of my buddies and they would be right there to fire it all up.

Two words... Electric Start!

 

[RalphVa]

The transfer switch on my panel just has 2 circuit breakers tied together with a metal "H". When the supply from the main is turned off, the switch from the generator is turned on. They just work opposite each other by the "H" link.

Most generators will likely have their own circuit breaker switches right on the unit. You just have to turn off the main house breaker before flipping these on. I have about 2 different circuits that I have to do this way: 1) flip off circuit breaker to carriage house before turning on switch on juice from generator. 2) unplug basement frig from main wall plug and plug into generator plug and then flip switch from generator.

The owner before me had a "Y2K" panel put in with the "H" setup. When I put in my generator, we'd added the carriage house and have the downstairs frig that the previous owner didn't have.

My little 4400 watt generator runs all the Y2K panel and these added 2 things and still has extra to run a 1500 watt user somewhere: microwave or Tiny Titan heater usually, not at same time.

Ralph

 

[Barneyhunts]

You might also have a look at this site... This is the most cost effective method I have come across. If you want to see an example, go to your local Home Depot, Loews or a local electrical supply house and look at their whole house electrical panels. They usually have an interlocked generator-ready panel on display/on the shelf... This company makes UL approved retrofit kits for existing panels. The FAQ section on their website has diagrams and more info on how it works.

Generator InterLock Kit

This looks like a very simple solution -safe-reasonably low cost -minimum extra equipment. Do you know of anyone who has used it?
Thanks

 

[Barneyhunts]

While this isn't the least expensive, it looks like the easiest to have installed and an absolute no brainer to switch to backup power supply. It's an atuomatic switch installed at the meter base, and comes with the cord to plug to your generator. It's a very safe option that requires no wiring changes to your panel. My electric company sells these and installs them for free.
GenerLink.com - About GenerLink - The easy way to connect a home generator

This is a simple, though, costly solution. It also sounds to me as though you have to have a power outage to use it, ie, you couldn't switch over to generator to test it for example. I wonder how many people use this? It is offered by my power co. also.
Thanks

 

[widmn]

Doesn't the transfer switch just "idiot proof" what could really be a simple solution?
That being:
1. Turn the power off at the main breaker entering the house. Plug the generator in and turn it on.
2. Here's the key... After the emergency outage, Remember to turn the generator off and disconnect it BEFORE turning the main switch back on.

Forgetting to do step 2 could blow everything in your house and electrocute someone.