Portable Gen and Manual Trans Switch

[tld]

Does anyone know if you turn off the breakers at the main box before you use the transfer switch?

Example: Manual Switch has a circuit for Master BR. MBR in the main box is breaker 20.
Does breaker 20 need to be off or on?

 

[kennyd]

If this is a properly installed transfer switch, then the answer is NO, you do not need to turn off any breakers in the main panel.

 

[TedLaRue]

Just in case you want a second opinion, I agree with kennyd. The answer is "no".

The transfer switch selects a power source for your house. It switches between the power company's power or your generator's power. Normally you'd be using the switch when the power company's power is out. So you are basically switching your source from no power from the company to power from your generator.

If you didn't already know, the reason for the switch is to prevent your generator from energizing the power company's dead lines, and possibly injuring a worker who's repairing those lines. When your generator is powering your house, the power company lines won't be connected.

 

[smitty9266]

The reason you turn off all the breakers, flip the transfer switch, then start the generator, then turn on breakers is.....
so you can load the generator evenly increasing from no load to a full load gradually.

Jeff

 

[DavidVT]

Not sure what you have but your reference to the manual switch having a label for MBR kind of suggests you have the same setup I have.

Do you have a multiple switch panel from your generater that mimics some of the circuits in your main electrical panel? If yes, and IF PROPERLY installed, those switches have utility power from each individual breaker in your main panel on one side and generator power on the other side. They should fully interrupt the power from the utility on a circuit by circuit basis. The center or each switch returns power back to the main panel for that particular circuit where it is then distributed out to the load.

OR do you have a true single switch transfer switch that switches the entire panel and is usually before your main panel?

Or there is a third method that has a slide plate in your main panel that mechanically forces you to turn off the main before flipping the generator feed breaker (kind of like a secondary panel feed in reverse with this utility lockout).

Backfeeding into a utility lineman is pretty bad thing. Be sure to check your configuration with a real electrician (eyes on it) if you are not 100% positive how this works.

 

[tld]

DavidVT:
It's an EmerGen by Conn Gen. (10-12K1)

2 rows of breakers with a meter at the bottom of each to balance.

So what you're saying, I do not need to do anything with the main breaker box, just turn on each breaker at the manual (from line to gen as marken on the breaker).