As some may remember I asked about a home emergency generator.
For those that have one how are you getting power into your house?
Extension cords, interlock on your breaker box, auto. transfer switch or manual transfer switch?
I intend on having a electrician do the actual work.

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Who are those guys?

200A manual transfer switch for me. Gotta rate it for the main disconnect current, not the generator current.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I have a 4KW hand start I run cords if the power is out more the 6 hours. (I haven't needed power in 9 years of living here!)

Ivan

What size generator are you using ?

For smaller genset connection, gas/oil heat, we install generator
interlock kit. This locks out main and allows 2 pole to backfeed
Panel. (50) Install 60 amp male outlet, cord to match all.
Place green stickers on breakers you may want on during outage.
This meets NEC, some areas of the US have meter sockets for this.
I charge $500-1k, depending. They make a smaller set up. 30 amp
You do not want backfeed into grid and hurt a lineman.
Hope this helps. Hire a pro. Sarge

This is for emergency only, so to my way of thinking it didn't need to be fancy. The only "critical" items were the furnace, sump pump and fridge. All had wiring accessible from the basement.

I have a covered outdoor patio and that was the spot chosen for the genny if I had to run it. I installed a wall receptacle on the patio and ran wires to the 3 appliances. Installed a second box next to each one. Wires and receptacles are easy. The only "wiring" I had to do myself was on the furnace because it was hard wired. I simply cut the wire, put a receptacle on one end and a plug on the other.

In a power outage all I had to do was fire up the genny, plug it in, and then switch the 3 appliances from one receptacle to another.

The only times we ever had outages was when we were home. But then I got to thinking what if we weren't? Someone still has to pull the genny out of the garage and start it. Auto switch boxes and such wouldn't help me out.

In the end we installed a full house genny and now everything is automatic.

My house has a deep well pump with a heavy draw. I also wanted most of the kitchen and key lights, plus outlets, on the backup generator. For that I use a large portable with a manual cutover switch that covers 6 circuits. Two of those go to the well pump. When power goes out I plug in the generator and throw the six switches. I bought the switch set/box at Home Depot and it was a straightforward install.

Power cable that the electrician made up from a really thick power cord that the he made that has special plugs at each end for the generator and the switch-over panel. It might be 10 gauge, not sure though. It might be 3/4 inch in diameter. It's for a 3,000 watt generator and the cord is I think 75 feet long. When needed I run the cord out a window, the cord goes through a notch cut into a piece of 2x3 that fits in the widow sill that the window then closes on, and then connect the cord to the generator and the switch over panel. Not the best arrangement, but I don't need it very often. Get the advice of an electrician.

I run a portable 7000w/12,000sw that I have to manually hook-up. The plug is at the rear deck of my house and about 30' from my garage. I have 50' of cable so I can keep the generator just inside of my garage while running.

The circuit breaker from the service to the house is outside, so I have to kill those 2 switches there. Then flip the transfer switch that's in house once the generator is running.

That generator will run my entire 2200 sq. ft. house, plus my garage and barn for about 12-15 hours on one tank of gas. And that includes the well pump, an elect. dryer, elect. stove, elect. water heater, furnace blower, 2 refrigerators and a freezer. But they usually aren't all on at the same time.

Just don't do what I did several years ago.....Power came back on around 3am. I staggered outside still half asleep, turned off the generator then turned on the service breakers to the house without turning off the transfer breakers in the house, and left the cable still plugged into the generator. Stupid move. Instantly back fed 220vac into my generator. *POOF*. Had to replace the armature and housing to the tune of $750.00. The entire generator was $1400.00 new, and it was only a couple of years old. So that was a lesson learned. But in my defense, I've done a lot stupider things.....

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

I have a whole house generator with an auto transfer switch.

That's the way to do it!

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Our power outages are pretty infrequent unless we have a hurricane. We went a little over a week without power after Ian, a little less than a week after Irma, and more than three weeks after Charley. I opted for the whole house wiring so I could run everything and not have extension cords all over the place. I kept it simple by using a 6-4 SO cord long enough to run from my panel to the generator outside the garage. I disconnect the load side of the range breaker and feed through that. I just open the main to isolate it from the incoming line and don’t use a transfer switch. I take the doorknob out of my side garage door and run the cord out through there to the generator. Nothing fancy and it’s safe enough for me, I just won’t let anyone else touch it. I work with 480volt 3phase power on a daily basis, so I feel confident working with electricity. Installing a sub panel and conduit with an outside plug is on my to do list, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

Your electrician friend should be able to give the code-allowable options.

Don’t have a electrician “friend” so I’ll just be paying full price.

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Who are those guys?

9500W-12500W startup

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Who are those guys?

I thought about a sub-panel but my current panel is in a game room in a tight space.
There isn’t anywhere to put it without a major reno.
I see Eaton makes a transfer switch DPDT rated at 240v 100a. The same amperage as my panel.
Could the transfer switch be wired to transfer the feed to the current panel from line power OR generator.
I see all the automatic transfer switches but for my use a manual switch would be fine.

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Who are those guys?

I can recommend a good guy who instals generators. He did a lot of work for me when i was flipping housed in the Pgh are.

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

The transfer switch would be wired in after the main disconnect (or breaker). One side would be utility feed and the other would be the feed from the generator. On the diagram, the lines labeled “to home loads” would be wired into your panel to feed the whole house.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

OK. I don’t have a main disc. Only the main breakers in the panel.

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Who are those guys?

My suggestion is to hire an electrician that supplies the generator, installs it and does the NFPA70 proper wiring.

When something does not work, you want a sole source company to deal with. Trust me on this.

Somewhere back in this thread somebody hit the nail on the head. You want to make sure above all else that your auxiliary power supply is disconnected from the utility company. You do not want to induce a bias into the utility company lines. You could kill somebody very easily.

Another reason you want no part of the installation, unless you are skilled in the installation

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I have a friend that is an electrician and an authorized Generac installer who did my Whole House Generac

Everything is automatic.

Easy, Peasy

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No can do the Gen is in my shed already. Looks like extension cord if I ever need it.

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Who are those guys?

Same thing. Just one big breaker that shuts down the whole panel. This is the one in my panel.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

I went with a generator lock out switch in my breaker box.

I've yet to need it, but I'd just run the 25' cable from my gen to the outlet thing mounted under my breaker box. Most people have the outlet or inlet, what ever ya want to call it mounted outside.

My breaker box is about 4 foot from my garage door, so I had it mounted inside.

No extension cords running all over the inside of the house.

Fine , just make sure your main breaker is Open BEFORE you energize the generator.

If you don't, and the utility company comes back online, and your generator is out of phase with the power co, your generator will look like blackened swordfish

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Yes I understand the issue

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Who are those guys?

No plugs, no cords, no on/off switch, no going outside, no getting off the couch, no worry while away.

Our local electric coop sells and installs a set up called Generlink. It allows connection of a portable generator directly to the house and use the breakers to select what one wants to power. It prevents backfeed and shuts off when power is restored. I think they can be purchased and installed on their own if your electric provider allows it.
The few times I have connected on ours it has worked perfect.

Agreed it the same thing but how would the transfer switch be wire after the main shut off when it’s part of the panel?

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Who are those guys?

If it’s the same unit that I am thinking, they run about $1000.
I can buy a lot of extension cords for a grand

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Who are those guys?

Agreed but not pertinent to my situation.

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Who are those guys?

Because we use a portable gen for our back-up power (not a fixed unit) I decided a manual transfer switch made the most sense from both a function and financial standpoint. Ours is from Briggs and Stratton and has an interlock that isolates just the circuits you choose to power with your gen - that way you both prevent back-feeding, and the rest of the (unused) circuits are still connected to the main so you will know when the power comes back on.

Our main gen is set up to power the 220v well pump, our water conditioner, garage freezer, house fridge, and our master bedroom circuit (so we can run a window AC unit, if needed). If we need or want to run a computer or TV then I have a dedicated "suitcase" style inverter gen that will produce clean power for electronics (and will run for-EH-ver on a gallon of gas!) that we use separately with an extension cord.

Even an inexpensive manual transfer switch will be much safer than trying to back-feed power into your house through something like the dryer outlet (BAD idea...). They also typically come with two 110v load meters built in so you can ensure you are balanced and are not overloading one leg of your gen (a commonly overlooked issue). Our electrician installed it plus the inlet box outside the garage, but now that I've seen it done I could easily do it myself.

Good luck!

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I paid around $500 to have my generator lock out switch installed. That included the 25' 220 extension cored too.

There is zero fear of the power coming on and messing things up. You have to shut off the mains and slide the lock out up before you can turn on the generator breaker.

Not sure where you live, but with extension cores running into your house you won't be able to close the door all the way...don't want to find a snake in my house.

I bought a Kohler 20KW propane fueled generator back in August, which is an upgrade from our 12KW Onan that has served us well for the last 22 years. Unfortunately, the 200 Amp transfer switch was on backorder until two weeks ago. It really does help to have 52 years experience as a journeyman electrician though. Tomorrow I am going to Lowes to buy the wire necessary for the completion of the project. Attached is a photo of the new generator. Will update with a photo of the transfer switch when completed.
Fellas, now is the time to do this important upgrade on your homes, before times get any worse, they will only get more expensive and less available. You can no longer depend on your power company with the producing restrictions required under present regulations, especially here in Calif!

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NRA Endowment member

That sounds like what I have.

For those of you using a portable generator , do NOT run it on your covered patio or in your garage .

To all of you who are using a portable generator without a transfer switch, take the cover off of your panel and make sure your main is replaceable.
From many years of service work, continued cycling of your main breaker could cause your breaker to not reset.
This pertains to very old panels and cheap panels, failing to reset can cause you to replace your whole panel.
This has been my experience so please use a transfer switch.

Electrical advice from a gun forum...some of these suggestions and solutions are cringeworthy on steroids. There are a few that are correct...the expensive ones. That should tell you something.

You have options.

Option 1: Hire a licensed electrician. Yes, it costs money. We currently charge $150 per hour per person, so if two of us are working on the install, it's $300 per hour and a whole house takes us about 9 hours depending on circumstances.

Option 2: Do it yourself with whatever you think will work and risk being homeless while the insurance company rebuilds the house that was destroyed by the fire.

Here's pics of one of our recent installs:





From a different job, just running the gas line on this job took well over an hour as several pieces of gas pipe had to be cut and threaded for proper fit, plus we had to make mounting brackets up in the shop before the job.



This job took extra time because when the house was built, the builder installed two, 200 amp services. Setting up the transfer switch to service the needed circuits in the two boxes wasn't something most people could do, even with help from someone who had rudimentary wiring experience. Also, while everything below the meter is dead with the meter pulled, the terminals at the top of the meter are still hot and have no protection.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

If you're installing a permanent generator, look for electricians and plumbers who have a lot of experience with installations. Not all do. My whole-house 20kw Cummins generator installation was very complex because my gas service and electrical service are on the opposite sides of my house. After much discussion, it was finally determined that it would be best (but not easy) to place the generator by the gas meter, and run the electrical cables through my unusual and complicated attic. Further complications were caused by my city's "unique" set of building codes, not shared with any other local cities, which required the generator to be at least 10 feet from any openable window, and at least 3 feet from the property line. My electrical contractor was an old pro at dealing with building inspectors, and he was able to get the them to sign off on the generator location in the only spot it could go. So experience counts in generator installation. Here it is:



It came with an automatic transfer switch and a load shed switch. The latter allows a circuit to a low priority appliance (the dryer in our case) to be shut down automatically if the demand on the generator is too high, without interrupting the its output to the rest of the house. All this stuff results in a really impressive outside wall that is the envy of the neighborhood :



And yes, thanks to our city code, I have a big red button to push if I need to stop the generator. I feel like President Trump when he told the Little Rocket Man from Korea, "I've got a much bigger button."

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What, me worry?

I was the one that suggested the patio. In my case it's a perfect option.

The patio has a roof so the genny is protected from the rain. It is not an enclosed room, it is open on 3 sides so it is completely ventilated. If it was run, all the windows on the house were kept closed.

When you come right down to it, having a small portable genny simply to cover the necessities in an emergency might make sense. But when you go for a big one, and now need transfer switches, electricians at $150 / hour, etc., maybe a whole house unit is more cost effective. We did ours for $4K.

It certainly give you peace of mind. Example, from what ALL the weather guessers are saying we are going to get hammered with snow starting in a few hours. (have seen reports of up to 2' in my area) With the weight of snow and the Kamikaze driving ability of way too many people the chanced of going out on the generator, probably for a long period are extremely high in my rural area. We have a whole house Generac and as of yesterday a full tank of propane. (we probably will not have internet or cable TV, if street power goes out,if so we will be doing a lot of reading) This could be a 2 day storm!

Whatever will be, will be but as I always say prepare for the worst and hope for the best. 4X4 truck with plow is parked ready to do battle and the tractor is also ready as a backup if TSRHTF.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Please hire a pro with a license.
Also surge protection now required at the main, so spend another
couple hundred on cascade protection. Main-sub-panels-local for those
high $$ units. (Washer-Refrig, ect.) Hire a EC that has ground tester as well. Know what your reading is and get it down to lowest level.
The 2020 and 2023 NEC has several new requirements that will
add cost to a new home and remodel jobs, if adopted by your local
AHJ. Upgrade now if you want to save $$.
State Inspector/and master sparky since 94, Sarge
Adder: FYI, some breakers, gear, ect. are up to 47 weeks or more backorder. Due to current supply issues.

I'll preface this by noting I used to live in the Pittsburgh area and did "old work" wiring on the side. I've been gone 30+ years so the inspection system might have changed, but I doubt it. Unless North Huntingdon or the county suddenly created their own electrical inspectors.

Take a real close look at posts 18. 39 & 40. To install the auto transfer switch, you have to pull the meter to cut off all power to the house to allow you to wire in the transfer switch. THE METER BOX IS GOING TO BE HOT WHILE INSTALLING NEW WIRING!!!! Your electric company is going to be unhappy to find the seal to their meter cut & missing. If you do the work yourself without inspection by the Middle Atlantic Inspection Department, if there's problems with your work, your insurance isn't gonna cover the results. The utility also may well have issues with you as MAID inspected your entrance panel and meter hookup before the utility connected to them.

The manual transfer switch mentioned in post 32 makes a lot of sense and is way cheaper than an automatic transfer switch but it's possibly (depending on how it's connected) going to require professional installation too, for the same reasons.

There are-or used to be- electricians who did side jobs.

The plug in system works as follows: you install a 240 v breaker of appropriate amperage for your generator in your entrance panel and run proper gauge wiring to a receptacle/plug. Label the breaker "Generator Input".

Then to use the genset, turn off the big breaker (panel master) at the top of the entrance panel to disconnect from the grid. Fire up your genset and plug it into the receptacle/plug, turn off all breakers you don't want working or can't power and turn the "GI breaker" on. Turn breakers on/off to manage load as needed.

To return to grid power, turn the "GI breaker" off [keep the genset running for 5 minutes or so to cool down], turn the master breaker on and turn your individual circuit breakers on.

YES, for Gods sake.

I grew tired of dealing with extension cords and since I’m two years from retirement, this was installed today (by the “pros”).

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Pass it on.
Mark

We could have had a larger Generac, but as I have said before this is for an emergency. To completely cover ALL the circuits in my house would have been a substantial price increase. So, we chose a less expensive option to make it affordable We will just have to live without all the "luxury" comforts of home.

What we DO have - furnace, sump pump, all refrigerators and freezers, garage door opener, a light in every room, a computer, one single TV, a microwave oven and washing machine.

What we don't have - 220V stove, 220 volt AC, pool filter, out buildings and every single ceiling light and fan in every room.

We can still cook, use the toilet, get the car out and check the internet for weather updates. What else do you really "need"?

Just a couple comments, things have really changed from the old days.
With today's smart meters and requirements due to liability, if you pull
a smart meter without permit and coordination with the power co. you could be subject to: 1. service fee-they send a truck to check trouble.
2. perhaps service crew-takes your meter and says, no meter (power) until inspection. The old days of pulling a meter, making repairs, reinstall
meter, get paid are over. LOL Sorry to go on, just letting the public know
about current changes and beware of (oh I know a guy). One of reasons
electrical work cost so much, we spend half our time dealing with all
above paperwork/phones/permits/ect.
just my .02 Sarge

This is what I did:

Generator-Update

"For those of you using a portable generator , do NOT run it on your covered patio or in your garage."

My generator IS in my garage, which is 60' from the house.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Nice, that sort of look like behind my house!-

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!