How to Install Reliance Controls ProTran2 Transfer Switch - Part 3 Wiring 

I just ordered mine. I hope it goes as quick!

Simplicity what we strive for, Falcon! So glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for the feedback!

I had to add some extra length by using additional wires tied together with marrettes on my install. 3 of the wires were too short. If only they were 6” longer. My master power switch is located at the bottom. The wires to the house filled up all of the available spots on the top so I was left with only one option - connect on the sides. I connected on the top right side but the 3 circuits on the bottom left were too far away for the wires to reach.

Thank you! I'm glad the video was helpful.

If the bonded neutral generator has a non GFCI protected 30 amp outlet to be connected to your inlet box, you won’t have issues.

That was super helpful thank you 🙏

what is a floating neutral generator ?

@heisenburg1144 It means the generator has no neutral wire grounded to the frame of the generator. You shouldn't have two neutrals grounded (one on the generator and one in your main panel in the house. Bad things can happen.) If you're going to hook up a generator for back up power to your house the neutral should be unbonded (disconnected). Most 5kw generators are bonded inside the motor housing. Easy to remove. Just replace it if you want to use the generator for any other purpose than powering your home where the neutral is already bonded (grounded). Contact the manufacturer of your generator and they will send you details on how to do it. I own a Firman and they sent the instructions. Just know that if the generator has a GFCI outlet and you disconnect the neutral it won't be a GFCI anymore (until you reconnect it). Hope that helps. It took me hours to find this out in clear language, lol.

Also you are not allowed to use a panel as a raceway.

Hello, it's ok just connect the wires as instructed and IGNORE the 2 neutral terminals on the breaker (they are just passing through the neutral before it lands on the neutral bar). It measures the power on the hot versus the neutral. The neutral is never disconnected even with the AFCI tripped. When you are in a power outage, running the generator and the power comes back on, it will trip the AFCI's since they don't know a generator is feeding their circuits downstream. The circuits still work on the generator, but when you switch everything back to LINE, the AFCI's are still off and you just have to remember to reset them.

Sure you can just change out the Dual C/B from a 20/20 to a 30/30.( or you can buy the RA306A it has the 30/30 installed).Also make sure the water heater does not Draw over the rated 7500W Gen. power for this box. And your GEN. can handle the power draw..If Over can you say SMOKE CHECK.

Hello! In a residential electrical system, the National Electrical Code (NEC) requires the neutral to be "grounded", commonly referred to as a "system bonding jumper". This is required at the service entrance panel, or the main panel. Whatever the panel where the lines from the meter are first terminated. This is usually the main panel although it could be an external disconnect. At this main panel or service entrance panel, the neutral needs to be grounded per the NEC, and this bond between neutral and ground can only be performed at one location and one location only in the electrical system. Correct, the grounds can be on their own bar, the neutrals on their own bar isolated from the cabinet (where the ground bar is installed), and the neutral can be grounded simply by driving screw through the neutral bar so that it becomes common with the cabinet, therefore grounding the neutrals. Or the grounds and neutrals can be mixed so some go to each bar, but this must be defined as the service entrance. However, in any subsequent panel (sub panel), the neutrals and ground must be entirely isolated from each other at all times. Only the main/service panel is where the neutral can be grounded (bonded) but nowhere else in the system should there be any common connection between neutral and ground - main panel only. Sub panels must not have this attribute. A good practice to to always keep grounds on ground bars and neutrals on neutral bars, so that if one panel is defined as the main panel, it's a lot easier to simply drive a screw to through the isolated neutral bar into the cabinet to ground it. This makes it easier for servicing, such as when a new disconnect or main panel is installed ahead of an existing main. Rather than having to separate all neutrals and grounds, either a ground wire can connect to the neutral bar, or screw can be driven into the cabinet through the neutral bar in order to create this system bonding jumper.

Hey Rynn, we appreciate the feedback. We've been doing a lot of creating lately and we will add your comment to the list of things to create!

Yep. No electrical connectors (marre) allowed in the main panel in Canada. Not in the U.S.

The connections of the RED and BLACK wires to the circuits in the house will always be the same, no matter what type of circuits they are connecting to. However some circuit breakers such as AFCI or GFCI will have a neutral passing through a sensor on the breaker before landing on the neutral bar, this is so the power can be monitored to ensure the same power on the "hot" is matching the power on the "neutral". It's possible to install a matching AFCI or GFCI breaker in the transfer switch, and that would require a rewiring of the neutral for that circuit to pass through both breakers, but the RED and BLACK connections are unchanged.

Great observation. It's not always that black wires are on branch circuit breakers, various 240v circuits will use a back and a red, or a black/red and white as the 2nd pole.

#6

A great Question IMHO.....I would pay $10 for the longer wires

We had to make custom length wire.

I realize Im quite randomly asking but does anybody know of a good site to watch new series online?

@Cash Anders Lately I have been using FlixZone. You can find it on google :)

@Cash Anders I use Flixzone. You can find it on google :)

Any wires in your breaker panel that are connected directly to the "hot" terminal of any circuit breaker on the bus bar, is a "HOT" wire. It doesn't matter what color it is, it could be blue or pink or even striped or polkadot. It still is a hot wire so it can only be perceived that one way, regardless of the color of the insulation on the wire. Although most wiring from branch breakers in a residential system usually has black insulation, it's just not always the case and there are numerous exceptions or examples of other colored insulators being used for various reasons. Either way, the RED wires from this transfer switch marked A, B, C, etc, have to connect to selected BREAKERS in your panel. The BLACK wires from the transfer switch also marked with the same letters corresponding with the toggle switches, have to connect to the WIRES that were previously in your breakers, but were removed to insert the RED wires. So RED to breaker, BLACK to load wire, it doesn't matter what colors the house wires are, these instructions must not be deviated from. Please do not connect any BLACK wire from the transfer switch, to any breaker in your panel, as that would result in the generator back feeding power towards the utility.

Hey thanks for watching! Yes, the green wire can be connected to either the ground bar or neutral bar in the main panel. The ground and neutral bars in your main panel are bonded which means either can act as the ground bar.

We really appreciate you sharing your feedback! We'll look into this in the future when we film more installations :)

Spoke to the Tec and he told me what’s do

@@SheikShak can you reply what the tech said? I have same.

Just how you did the rest do the same thing……….

Correct, if the ground and neutral bars are common, which is what should be the case in any "main" panel, then the ground wire can go to any common bar and the neutral wire can go to any common bar. Since the neutrals and grounds are common there isn't an isolated neutral bar or ground bar as they are interconnected.

Correct…

It depends on whether the split receptacles are sharing a neutral or not. If they are sharing a neutral then both wires must be connected to the transfer switch on a 2 pole breaker with a handle tie on the toggle switches above. If each receptacle has it’s own neutral, one or both may be connected to the transfer switch on different breakers.

Hi! The green ground wire will go to the ground bar in the sub panel and the white wire will attach to the neutral bar in the sub panel. Hope this helps :)

Hello, you would not need to run a separate ground and neutral to the sub panel since it's assumed the panels have a common ground and neutral, where the system is bonded (at the service entrance). It would create a new relationship between the panels which you do not want, so instead you run the generator's neutral and ground to the one main panel and just the hot wires to the circuit in the sub panel. So can I ask, where is the main power coming from to feed the sub panel if it's not fed by the main panel? Thank you

I watched the video again the guy wires the furnace to circuit C is that REQUIRED?

How much power does that Electric water heater Draw ?? I bet way over 7500W Limit

I have my panel all apart and have run into the same thing. I see you haven’t got a response since asking your question. What did you end up doing?

Hello thank you fo the inquiry and for choosing this transfer switch. The A and B positions have 10 gauge wire behind them which is why we say they have a maximum rating of 30 amps. All other positions have 12 gauge wire and we say they have maximum ratings of 20 amps. You don't have to change the transfer switch breaker to match the house breaker, as long as it protects the wiring at all times, which it does in this case by having a 20 amp breaker protecting 30 amp wiring. The breakers in the transfer switch are only in-use when the generator is powering the system. If someone feels the 20 amp breaker will pose any sort of problem and potential for tripping on that appliance during generator operation, then the breaker probably should be changed. It's just unusual for a 30 amp circuit/appliance to actually have a continuous current draw that exceeds 20 amps, but it's possible. Since the A and B positions have 30 amp wiring, and the rest of the circuits have 20 amp wiring, there isn't any wiring to support a 40 amp circuit requirement. Unless that circuit can be dowsized to a 30 amp breaker and connected to A and B instead of this other 30 amp circuit you mention, it cannot be used with this type of transfer switch due to being too large for the transfer switch wiring, and the actual toggle switches which are all 30 amp rated components.

Reliance Controls Thank you for clearing that issue up👌 and thanks for your time.

Did you ever figure this out? Mine is recessed too, not sure the best approach

Hey! You're special to us :) You can ignore the white wire in the breaker and only remove the black wire- replace the black wire with our red wire. Then connect our black wire to the wire you removed from the breaker. Hope this helps, let us know if we can answer any more questions.

Absolutely! The neutral is a thicker gauge wire, just in case, there are any large imbalances. Let us know if we can answer anything else for you!

You would just run the neutral and ground (which are extensions of the generator) to one panel in a system, as you want to avoid creating a new neutral relationship between two panels with the 10 AWG neutral wire.

@@RelianceControls Thank you. Just to confirm, the switch red and black can be extended (if needed) from the main panel to the sub panel circuit and the switch neutral and ground stay connected to the main panel bar, correct? I'm assuming the switch red and black could be extended by connecting more red and black wire inside the main panel and running it through conduit to the sub panel where they will be connected to the sub panel circuit breaker.

Hello, i'm sorry for the problem. It's most likely that the RED transfer switch wires (ABCDEF) are connected to the house wires, while the BLACK transfer switch wires are connected to the circuit breakers in the house, which is the reverse way to connect them according to the instructions. They need to be reversed before it will work.

@@RelianceControls I double checked everything and traced everything back to the main breaker and the main has a burn spot

Hey Hawk Daddy! The actual circuit breakers are only active when the toggle switches are in the “Gen” position, so they won't kill power while using the utility. However, the toggle switches do have an off position. The center position with kill either/both utility and generator. Let us know if you need any help!

I think it’s to let you know when first installing. Once installed there’s no point for it typically. Also each wire needs to be trimmed and some installs shorter than others. I’m sure if they put it at the end some users would be complaining it was in the way or the wire had to be cut with it at the end.

#10 3 wire actually has 4 wires in the jacket. It's 3 wire plus a ground.

Thanks for watching our video. Yes, Wago connectors are okay to use. We always suggest that the hardware be UL listed though. Let us know if this helps!

He says yes in Part 1 at 2 mins, 26 secs.

So, I'll start by saying. I'm not an electrician, but I've done some research and thinking on this. Technically, no... while it COULD travel theoretically as there is a physical path..there is no reason for it to. The electricity is trying to get back to the source, albeit through all possible paths, but not at the same rate, but based on resistance.. so more of best path, and less of worst path... taking this path, it would go all the way back to the power transformer through your main panel, out the neutral where there is no "hole" for the electricity to fill as the source of power is NOT the power company, so there is no "flow" in that direction, then it would have to try to get back to the generator through ground (the actual ground in this case). Over hundreds of feet or more to the generator frame. That doesn't seem likely or even plausible.. but I'm sure there is some remote scenario where this could happen and someone will tell me I'm wrong 😆 which I'm happy to be, if that's the case.

Hello, it's great that you checked the wiring and watched the video. If they wired the Black ABCDEF wires to the breakers, it definitely is wrong and should be changed/addressed as soon as possible. Do not use the generator until this is fixed. Additionally, if there is an "inlet" plug for the generator cord on the transfer switch, or outside, these prongs might be LIVE with voltage until the wiring is corrected. First the power should be shut off to the transfer switch, by either turning the MAIN off or turning all breakers off that the switch is wired to. Then someone should open the transfer switch to verify the BLACK wires are attached to the CENTER-rear position of the Toggle Switches, while the RED wires should be on the TOP-rear terminals of the Toggle Switches. It's unknown if the previous owner changed any internal wiring in the transfer switch so I would feel better if it's reviewed as well. Once that is verified, then power should be completely shut off to the entire panel, and then the connections can be changed so that the RED wires are going directly to the household circuit breakers, and the BLACK wires are going out to the circuits/loads. The generator will not be able to power those circuits until this is corrected.

Hey Sean! Yes, you can. Any UL Listed 1” interchangeable breaker will work!

Hello, thank you for the question! The neutral wire coming out of the conduit with all of the RED and BLACK circuit wires (marked A, B, C, D, etc), will connect to the neutral bar, which is entirely isolated from ground and cabinet, if this is a sub panel. The ground wire (GREEN) from the transfer switch, in turn, connects to the ground bar in the sub panel, which is again separate entirely from the neutral bar.

I meant on the Pro/Tran side tho, where the breakers are located, I don't see anywhere to tie in the neutral too.

I am going to connect it to a inverter is that where I tie in the neutral?

@@alexcantu1400 Sorry, you are referring to the input side (generator/inverter). The inverter will have a neutral as well. The neutral wire in the transfer switch does not come pre-connected to anything. So, one part of this neutral wire will be exiting the conduit and going into the electrical panel with the other transfer circuit wires (reds/blacks), the other end of this same neutral wire, should be basically sitting in the bottom area of the transfer switch, ready to connect to the "incoming" neutral from the generator or inverter. edit: If you already pulled all of the wires and this neutral through the conduit and into the electrical panel, if you don't see the other end of it in the bottom area of the cabinet, it may have been pulled too much and now the other end is somewhere inside the conduit itself - if this is the case you will have to find it and pull it back out with enough slack so that it can sit in the lower compartment, and connect via wire nut to the incoming neutral from the generator or inverter. When I say find it and pull it back out, I mean you probably will have to remove the conduit and pull the neutral wire back through the knockout at the bottom of the transfer switch.

A 240 circuit requires the use of a "double-pole" circuit breaker, this terminology is constant. A double-pole breaker is simply 2 single-pole breakers bracketed together in most cases. Think of it as 2 circuits and 2 breakers (just tied together). Even though your utility power is commonly referred to as "single phase", it's best understood as having "2 phases" or "2 lines of 120 volts". We call this 120/240 volts as measuring between each 120 volt line with a proper meter will show us a 240 volt difference. But this is a measurement between their peak wave forms and unless these wave forms are studied and the frequency understood, it's much easier to move past this and just look at circuits as 1-pole or 2-pole. If you have a double-pole breaker in your panel for a specific appliance, it's probably due to having a 240 motor or element within that appliance. It must connect to 2 toggle switches (such as A and B) in the transfer switch, as it's basically the same as 2 circuits in its wiring, but it needs power from both "phases" of the generator and needs to follow our instructions for wiring. If you have a single-pole breaker for a 120 volt circuit, then it just wires to 1 toggle switch. If you ignore the terminology associated with "phases" especially the idea of "single-phase", since it doesn't necessarily mean what most people might presume it means, this question might answer itself.

Kristie, I'm sorry for the delayed response but this is not a stupid question! Yes, if you're using the transfer switch with a 120 V generator then the double pole breaker can be separated and wired to two different 120 V circuits in the main panel. Hope this is helpful but we're here to help if you need anything else :)

If you are asking about the generator's neutral and where it goes: it is one of the 3 or 4 wires in the generator's cord,the neutral particularly travels through this transfer switch, into the house breaker panel, and connects to the neutral bar in that panel. If it's the main service panel of a system, the neutral is grounded so the neutral/ground bars are going to be common. So now there is a straight connection from the neutral in the generator to the neutrals of all of the circuits in the house that could be powered by the generator, which is necessary to create a return path for all of the power used by the generator to return to the generator. --- For a portable generator that happens to have its neutral 'bonded' to its frame (and all other conductive parts of the generator that are all tied together, ie. the "ground" parts), then correct there is a neutral to ground connection at the main service panel and a neutral ground connection inside the generator. This isn't really a concern to the majority to understand these systems and what that entails, the code will be interpreted and applied differently by every single person, so it's really up to whoever is involved as to whether someone feels there is an issue with this setup. It's very common. Most generators that do come with an internally bonded neutral to frame can be easily modified to have the neutral separated - most generator manufacturs will assist and support this modification as it's really a feature that is only even requried on OSHA jobsites. There are many conflicting opinions portable generators being bonded versus floating neutral (where the neutral is not grounded in the the generator) as it can be subjective much safer in most conditions. --- If someone has an issue with the generator simply having the internal bond between neutral/ground, and for whatever reason it will not be disconnected in the generator, the only option left with that same machine is to use a "3-pole neutral switching transfer panel". This will be an interlocked panel board where all selected circuits and their neutrals MUST be completely moved to a new sub panel, and the sub panel has to have an approved transfer mechanism isolating the hots and the neutral from the generator versus utility. If you have any questions please contact our support@reliancecontrols.com email, thank you.

I’m a licensed general contractor and as I understand, national electric code prohibits inserting more than one neutral wire per terminal inlet. Most common solution is to remove and install a longer neutral bar. Confirm Neutral bar is compatible with your service panel brand and model before purchase. or buy that manufacturer’s bar directly.

@@bulkmailbullseye70 Thank you

Hi Edwin! The white and green wires inside the wiring compartment of the ProTran should be connected to the incoming neutral (white) and ground (green) from the generator. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns. You can also call us @ (800)634-6155 anytime. Thanks!

I’m having the same issue... didn’t come with a neutral wire from the transfer switch

Hi Keith, thanks for reaching out. There's a wiring compartment in the bottom of the transfer switch that will have color-coded wires! Let us know if this doesn't help.

Hi @jcnlala9461 thanks for reaching out with your question. Seems like there are a lot of specifics in your situation and it may be better to talk through it. Please give us a call and our support team will be able to answer your questions!

Hello, the double-pole breaker in the house panel is showing a RED and BLACK wire already connected as part of the house wiring. The color of the wires connected to the circuit breakers are usually black, but a lot of electricians will use red or white wires along with a black wire when wiring a 240v circuit due to the way wiring is sold (red/black/white/green). Even though the wire is red it's not from the transfer switch, it's just an example of what someone might see on a 240v circuit.

Thanks for the info. It's awesome you guys are active in the comments section and should let the right person/people know I said so. I recently purchased/installed a MB75 generator load monitor. Good stuff

@@RelianceControls, actually, you run the two color wires through conduit so you know to connect to A and B on the bus bar so you'll have 240v , not because romex comes that way. We actually will use other colors for hot wires, blue for lights

@@alicecurtiss959 I don't understand what you mean by this. A and B are just 2 of the 6 switches on a 6 switch transfer switch as shown in the video, there is no romex involved, the factory wires exit a single provided conduit from the transfer switch, and bring all 14 wires (12 circuit wires + neutral and ground) into the house breaker panel, to connect to the 6 selected breakers. These are factory installed wires marked with A and B, and C, D, E, and F. They are all acting as inputs and outputs of the toggle switches in the transfer switch. The prewired RED and BLACK colors are critical because they are acting as LINE IN and COMMON OUT. This is not a sub panel, A and B are not any sort of primary "feed" into the transfer switch as a whole. The only primary feed is from the generator, to the bus bar in the transfer switch with its breakers. Really, this transfer switch is 6 independent transfer switches in one cabinet, all connected on the load side of each household branch circuit breaker that is selected. I don't know what you are trying to explain or clarify, any additional information would be appreciated.

You can get an extra neutral bar at a local hardware store in various lengths for your specific application.

The first part of the video (part 3 of series) shows the white insulated wire as the neutral wire going to the neutral bar. All of the red and black wires marked with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F are the wires for the 6 switches that should be connecting to the 6 breakers (and their load wires) that are selected.

Reliance Controls thank you very much! Are the abcdef wires connected to just the breakers in the transfer switch or are they connected to the breakers and something else?

Thank you, there is a pair of red and black for each letter (red and black A, red and black B, red and black C, etc.). After a breaker is selected in the panel, the circuit wire is removed from that breaker and the red A for example would connect to the breaker in its place. The black A wire then would connect to the circuit wire previously in that breaker. This is repeated for all 6 pairs of wires. The result is the circuits are routed through the toggle switches in the transfer switch, independently, in the end there are really 6 transfer switches in the one cabinet. The breakers in the house panel protect the circuits during normal power, while the breakers in the transfer switch protect the circuits during generator power.

Hey ds99! Thanks for being patient while we looked a bit further into your question. Based on our interpretation of the Ontario code, it is permissible to use wire nuts in the main panel. Ultimately, it is up to the local inspector and their interpretation whether anything done electrically is allowable or not. To be 100% certain, our best recommendation is to consult with a local electrician or inspector.

@@RelianceControls Thank you very much for this answer. I appreciate that. This finalized my decision to go with the Reliance transfer switch. Can’t wait to get it all hooked up. I’ve watched more videos on it and the installation can be easily reversed so if I decide to sell my house I can put everything back to the way it was originally.

@@ds99 We're glad to have helped! Sounds like a smart move. Let us know if you need any guidance with installation!

I live in Ontario and our codes say each electrical wire must be removed from the main panel and wired direct into the transfer switch without using the red, black connecting wires as you do in the USA. The 30 amp breaker is what feeds power to the panel and can be turned off when the generator is being used. Please clarify if I am wrong.

@@davidspicer9949 Does this mean you could actually have the city power coming into your home and the generator power both on at the same time? That sounds tremendously dangerous. I wonder why they would recommend this over the transfer switch. By the way when I opened my electrical box I saw that there was a twist cap on a wire already. It seems the wire was cut too short to reach the circuit breaker so the electrician extended it by using another piece of wire and a marrette. My house was built in 2017 and inspected so I’m assuming the connection was approved and ok. My circuit breakers are all ACFI breakers. When I switch to generator it becomes non-ACFI circuits.

It is allowable under various conditions. Article 312.8 of the NEC 2017 gives provisions for splices, taps and feed-through conductors. It's mainly about the free space in the enclosure so that any splices don't exceed certain cross-sectional areas of that space inside the panel.

The transfer switch is an indoor rated cabinet model, while the outdoor plug-in (power inlet box) is located outside and hard wired to the transfer switch outside. There are the same outdoor versions available with larger NEMA 3R cabinets (outdoor rated)

The outlet can go outside but the transfer switch has to be mounted beside sub panel

Did this get an answer. I have same question

Hey Steve, I'll admit I'm probably just another hack speaking his 2 cents, but I thought it was worthwhile to note that I have read through a lot of wire connector instructions in my time, and most of them say the same thing - pre-twisting is acceptable but not required. Not once have I seen a wire nut instruction sheet state that you need to pre-twist wires using pliers and that you cannot do so by hand. It's pretty common practice from my experience, these are not very big wires. If that's your personal rule then great, it's nice to learn about other opinions on these types of things. If you are referring to something else besides pre-twisting wires before applying a wire connector, I'm sorry I misinterpreted your comment.

Since this is a pretty easy DIY project just keep the tools the homeowner needs to buy to a minimum and twist the wires buy hand. If that person wants to get further into electrical work, then there are a lot of tools available for them.

Hey! That's right- you always connect the red wire from the transfer switch to the breaker in the main panel and connect the black wire from the transfer switch to whatever wire you removed from the breaker. Hope this helps but let us know :)

@@RelianceControls Perfect. Thanks. I was a bit nervous about wiring up the panel myself, but I watched your videos several times, and along with the instructions and labeling, it was easier than I thought. Great DIY project. Thanks!

We love to hear it@@don7117 Thank you so much for sharing!!

Hello, yes the wiring will be the same. Note that during generator power, the breaker in the transfer switch is being used while the GFCI breaker in the house panel is not. This does mean that during generator mode there is no GFCI protection for the circuit. Most of the time it won't be required to have GFCI protection during emergency power, but if it is required or needed, a GFCI breaker can be installed in the transfer switch and it will need special wiring in that case.

@@RelianceControls can you share the special wiring needed?

@@purelyinvinciblellc Hello! We've made a small kit of all the necessary wiring and a terminal block to help with the installation of GFCIs. For 4 & 6 circuit transfer switches, the model number is NK06. For 8 & 10 circuits, the model number is NK10. Please feel free to reach out to our support team @ (800)634-6155 if you need a hand getting one on order. Thanks!