How to Install a Manual Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator | Ask This Old House

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Ask This Old House master electrician Scott Caron visits Alaska to install a portable generator with a manual transfer switch to power hardwired appliances like a well pump and heating system using unleaded gasoline.
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Cost: $3,000
Skill Level: Moderate
Tools List for Installing a Manual Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator:
Drill
Lineman’s pliers
Wire strippers
Shopping List:
Portable gas generator
10-circuit manual transfer switch
Power inlet
10-3 non-metallic wiring
Wire nuts
Steps:
1. Mount the manual transfer switch near the main electric panel.
2. Select up to 10 circuits to be powered by the generator (240 volt circuits require two spots on the transfer switch).
3. Turn off power to the house at the main electric shut off.
4. Remove the cover on the main electric panel (work inside the electric panel is only recommended for licensed electricians).
5. Locate an available knockout hole on the electric panel and remove the plug. Attach the armored cable from the transfer switch to the electric panel.
6. Connect the ground and neutral wires from the transfer switch to the appropriate bus bars on the main panel.
7. Locate the first circuit to be powered by the generator and remove the power wire on the existing circuit breaker. Replace that wire with the red wire from the transfer switch marked “A.” Splice the black wire marked “A” from the transfer switch to the removed power wire using a wire nut. Repeat this process for all 10 circuits, ensuring the red and black wires from the transfer switch are a matched pair.
8. Use 10-3 non-metallic wiring to connect the transfer switch to a power inlet outside.
9. Use the provided generator cord to connect the power inlet to the generator (or make your own cable if a longer one is desired using bulk wire and connectors).
10. Ensure the generator has unleaded fuel and oil inside, then start the generator.
11. To test the wiring connections, flip the switches on the transfer switch from “Line” to “Gen.” The generator should power the selected circuits.
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How to Install a Manual Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator | Ask This Old House
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Опубликовано:

6 май 2017

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Комментарии : 1,5 тыс.

@itsnotan8 7 лет назад

Vin Diesel is a pretty good electrician.

@theedrstrangelove 2 года назад

If we buried our power cables like 95% of the planet this would be a non-issue.

@KawaRider88 3 года назад

Every new house should have a mandatory transfer switch!

@Daeason1 3 года назад

You should flip your transfer switch back to Utility(Normal everyday mode) before shutting down your generator. Shutting down your generator while your house is trying to pull electricity is very bad for the generator head and can permanently damage it.

@maximusdecimus8234 2 года назад

I prefer to not have out front where everybody can see it, 4 sec later, proceed to leave it where everybody can see it

@coreyw6498 3 года назад

Jesus h all those wires sharing 1 neutral LOL

@scorpion068 4 года назад

20$ says hes going to wheel it under the deck right next to the vents 😂

@checkyoursix5623 3 года назад

I have a permanently installed 8 kW genset, propane fuel from 2 100 gal cylinders, and an automatic transfer switch. It's saved the day a number of times since utilities were "deregulated". If you're going with a portable genset there are three things I'd recommend: (1) Document every circuit breaker at your service entrance. Make sure you have a list of every load that every circuit breaker serves. With a 200 A service, you can't power up every circuit with a 7 or 8 kW generator. You can buy a kit to help you do that at Lowe's, Home Depot, or Harbor Freight for $20-25 (or so). (2) Get a "dual fuel" generator - gas or propane, for example. Long term storage of a 20 or 30 # propane tank is much safer than long term storage of 5, 10, or 15 gallons of gasoline in a can in your garage or pole barn. (3) If you go with gas, use ONLY non-ethanol (and do this religiously) - like in your lawn mower or boat.

@mowcowbell 6 лет назад

An option for this homeowner would have been to purchase a dual fuel generator. This type of generator can run on gasoline or propane. Gasoline will go bad over time, even with fuel stabilizers. Propane on the other hand will never go bad, and will not gum up the carburetor of the generator. During a widespread outage, gasoline might be hard to find, especially if fuel stations have no power to run their gas pumps.

@ohhhsnap17 2 года назад

It's a Family business 🤣

@FiloYappins

I like how he introduced him to the utility room 😂😂😂😂

@ITStechy 4 года назад

Another nice thing about these manual transfer switches is that you leave one circuit not desired on genset power to alert you when line power is back with a radio and/or light plugged in. I keep my main HVAC breaker off until I know power from the grid has stabilized anyway and this is the way to go for alerting you safely.

@eyeheartsushi2212 7 лет назад

Great video. Loved the power flow animation.

@hightechredneck_0566 6 лет назад

5:14

@jbarrer2196 Год назад

When commercial line power is restored, it is better to FIRST flip all the transfer switches to LINE before shutting down the generator. If you shut down the generator while powering your household circuits, the power fluctuations may damage sensitive electronics or your AC.

@ElvisInNY 5 лет назад

I liked how they both agreed that the driveway was not the ideal location for the generator, but they both walked off camera at

@Kevin_747 7 лет назад

Interesting episode. We lived for a week and a half after a bad storm on a 4500 watt gen. Had lights, refrigerator and ran our gas fired furnace. When we cooked on an electric skillet I made sure the furnace wasn't going to kick on. All done with extension cords. I need to look into a manual transfer.

@ericguthrie3859 2 года назад

Certainly a better explanation for we the curious. I just have to understand how it works. I probably won’t be the one doing the work but at least I’m certain at how the power flow continues. Great graphics to detail what you were actually doing. Concise and directly to the point always staying on task.