Generator to house transfer switch.

[rickf]

I know I should search this because I have seen it on here but I am sort of running short on time. I am going down to mount and wire the transfer switch now and I still have equipment to move tomorrow. I hope you guys can cut me some slack this time and point me towards the post. What I need is the wiring from the generator to the house. Do I run a ground to the house ground from the generator ground. What about the neutral? You get the idea. I figure I am going to lose power before Sunday morning.

Rick

 

[KsM715]

I know you dont want to hear it, and its probably to late but you really should contact a qualified electrician for this type of stuff.

Do you have the right size wire for the load your going to put on that generator? Do you know what circuits you absolutely need and which ones you dont?

Ground the genset, the house panel should already be grounded. And yes you need a neutral from the generator to the house panel when your using the genset.

 

[Tlauden]

What we always do is just kill the main breaker in, we have a plug underneath the panel, plug in the generator, kill the main so you don't backfeed the grid and keep on the circuits ya need. Really simple...

 

[KsM715]

The problem with that is there are many people (especially ones new to generator use) that forget to flip that main breaker.

They do make retro-fit breaker lock-outs for existing panels that can be set up so you cannot flip the breaker that the generator is hooked to without switching off the main. And vise versa so you dont burn up your generator when the power comes back on and you forget to unhook it before you switch back to grid supplied power.

 

[rickf]

Tlauden, I want it to be legal and safe and what you are suggesting is neither. With your setup there is the possibility of having the main on at the same time as the generator. With a transfer switch it is impossible to have both on together.


Ksm, I am fairly well qualified. I am a maintenance mechanic for a college and work on electrical a lot. Mostly 277, 240 and 120. I thought remembered there was something different with hooking to the military gen-set. I will just have to search. I just thought that being in a pinch I could get a little help.

 

[robert c neth]

try to google transfer switch electric or similar.i find answers to everything on google.

 

[abh3]

My 40kw genset is hooked up through a 200A Cutler Hammer transfer switch. In the switch each 120v leg has it's own lug (obviously) and the ground lug is shared with the ground back to the meter base and to the main panel. I added another ground rod from that lug just to be sure, the local elec. co-op guys liked my work and we were in business in a few hours...

The 'practical farmer' approach is when in doubt drive another ground rod for individual devices and boxes, then if you loose some connection in the system then you still have individual grounds.

I'm on the Gulf Coast and used to do stupid stuff during hurricanes like pull meters and stick a 2-pole breaker into the box with a genset wired into it and the gen ground wired into the ground bar. It worked to run wells and cool fridges/freezers for me and my neighbors/friends but it's seriously unsafe and dumb...

 

[quickfarms]

You are both right

Transfer switches are great for new construction or people who are not familiar with electricity.

 

[coyote62ny]

you need 4 wires from the gen set to the house 2 hot wires 1 neutral wire and 1 ground wire if your transfer switch switches the neutral along with the hot leads you are ok if it does not switch the neutral wire you have to unbond the neutrat wire at the generator[ unbond neutral from ground at the generator] hope this helps you we are expected to get hit with the storm here in upstate ny sunday as well im ready as far as the generator goes hope everybody that gets this storm makes it ok