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Thread: Electrican Question

  1. #1
    gramps
    Up here in Mt. WhereinthehellamI we just went thru our weekly blackout drill. This one only lasted for a couple of hours. This has been happening on a regular basis for years now to the point where I keep the 7000 watt generator handy. I want to go to the next step and eliminate the extension cords when I use the generator. I have a main box where the power comes onto my property; it has two breakers, 125 amps each, one for the workshop and one for the house. I would like to cut into the circuit that feeds the house wit an A/B switch and a 120/240 30amp outlet for the generator to feed power to the house. Every time I talk to a local electrician about this they get REAL NERVOUS. Is there some hidden problem that I don't know about?

  2. #2
    Riverbass
    There is no problem but don't use an A/B switch becuse when the power comes back on it will fry your gen. They make a switch that is an auto transfer switch, so when it see's power coming in from the other side it will stop the power from the gen and then just turn off your gen.
    good luck.

  3. #3
    probablecause
    auto transfer switch Riverbass is correct on this one. Go online to campingworld.com or another RV parts place and you can get one. RV's use them for exactly what you are wanting to do. Sometimes they are running shore power (plugged in) or they have to use their generator. Their basic function is to keep two sources of power from colliding into one.

  4. #4
    speedneeder
    In this application I would save some money and purchase a manual transfer switch.

  5. #5
    gramps
    There is no problem but don't use an A/B switch becuse when the power comes back on it will fry your gen. They make a switch that is an auto transfer switch, so when it see's power coming in from the other side it will stop the power from the gen and then just turn off your gen.
    good luck.
    The boat on the right side of your sig looks like it has barstools..........and I thought I was the only barstool boat here!!!

  6. #6
    Riverbass
    A lot of beer has been drank off them barstools.

  7. #7
    probablecause
    In this application I would save some money and purchase a manual transfer switch.This is ***boat and there is no spending cap. Besides, he is running a 7000 watt generator and probably won't be using more than 50 amps at a time. Even a 100 amp manual one from Harbor Freight (http://ww2.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42162) is still 260.00. PPL Motorhome (RV Store (http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...fer-switch.htm)) has a 50 amp auto transfer on sale for 135.00.

  8. #8
    Sleek-Jet
    There is no problem but don't use an A/B switch becuse when the power comes back on it will fry your gen. They make a switch that is an auto transfer switch, so when it see's power coming in from the other side it will stop the power from the gen and then just turn off your gen.
    good luck.
    Lineman don't like dieing either, the generator will back feed the system through the transformer.
    A throw over switch is mandatory if the generator is hard wired to the house service. You can get transfer switches at Lowes/Home Depot.
    Contact the utility and they'll have guidlines on what needs to be installed.

  9. #9
    speedneeder
    You are correct. What am I thinking- save a buck?
    I didnt see the advantage to and ATS vs. a MTS. If the gen set has contacts to auto start/stop then it makes good sense. If he has to manually start/stop the generator it kind of defeats the purpose of the automatic version. I didnt look up pricing but if you comparable units that are rated at the same amp/voltage the MTS are typically less money.

  10. #10
    Classic Daycruiser
    You might want to arrange what can be run off the generator. Your generator may not have enough power to run the AC at the same time as other appliances.
    Hospitals use backup generators, but not all equipment in the hospital will be hooked up to the backup

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