Manual Generator Switchgear Information
Installing a manual transfer switch requires planning, a step you should not skip. After you obtain a building permit and know your plan is approved, you can move forward with your installation. The plan you presented to the building department included your materials list and you should not make any substitutions until you call and obtain approval for different materials.
GE Generators. Enter your product's model number in the XXXXXX format that matches your product's data tag. Click below and enter your model number to search for your manual. GE Generators. Enter your product's model number in the XXXXXX format that matches your product's data tag. Manual Transfer Switches The Manual Transfer Switch allows the owner to start up a generator and restore power to pre-designated, critical circuits when utility power is not available. Suitable for residential and light commercial applications, they are a simple way to provide owners with a high level of safety and comfort. Generator control switchgear, typically used as part of a multi-generator electric backup power system at a mission critical facility, should have a life expectancy of at least 15 years. However, another important consideration for maximizing the life expectancy of the switchgear is the possibility of future load growth.
The building permit and inspection serve as additional insurance. If a fire were to damage your home, an unauthorized and non-inspected electrical modification could void your home’s insurance policy. A passed inspection tells the insurance company and prospective home buyers that the job was done right.
Install the Inlet Box and Transfer Switch
Mount the inlet box in the location chosen while planning the installation. Place the box against the wall, level it with a torpedo level, and mark the mounting hole locations with a pencil. Drill pilot holes for the screws, add some caulk to each hole to seal it, and screw the box to the wall.
Gen-Tran Power Inlet Box
Place the transfer switch against the wall on either the left or right side of the main distribution panel as planned. Level the transfer switch with a torpedo level and drill pilot holes for the screws. Screw the transfer switch to the wall. Caulk is not required indoors.
Run PVC conduit between the inlet box and the transfer switch. Connect the conduit to the inlet box and transfer switch with watertight connectors. Each length of conduit comes with a bell shaped end for easy connections, or you can make connections using PVC conduit connectors.
Note: Whenever the turns in the conduit exceed a total 360 degrees, an LB fitting or junction box is required.
Install PVC conduit support brackets every three feet for conduit sized 1 inch or smaller, and every five feet for 1 1/4-inch to 2-inch diameter conduit.
Connect the manual transfer switch to the main load center with PVC conduit and fittings. Connecting the conduit to the load center will require removal of the front panel and a knockout―turn off the main breaker first.
Warning: Always turn off the main circuit breaker before removing the front panel on the service panel. The large lugs that connect the main circuit breaker to the utility wires are always live and cannot be shut off in most circumstances. Do not touch the utility wires or the lugs on the main circuit breaker for any reason.
Connecting the Main Utility Supply
Locate the breakers that control the circuits the generator will supply during an outage and turn them off. Remove two, vertically adjacent breakers from the service panel. The rest may remain in place unless you plan to use them in the transfer switch.
Install the new, 240-volt, double-pole breaker that will supply the manual transfer switch. Feed the four supply wires through the conduit to the manual transfer switch. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from wire ends inside the main panel.
Route the wires neatly through the main service panel to their correct locations. Follow the conventions the original electrician used when wiring the box, and keep all the wires neat.
Loosen the lug screws on the new double-pole breaker and insert the ends of the two hot (colored) wires into the lugs. Tighten the lug screws firmly to the manufacturer’s specification. Connect the end of the white neutral wire into an empty space on the neutral bus bar―identified by the other white wires connected to it. The green ground wire attaches to the ground bus which has bare or green wires attached to it.
Note: NEC code requires bonding (electrically connecting) the white neutral bus to the ground bus in exactly one location. For this reason, many electricians use the same bus bar for both neutral and ground in the main service panel. Follow this convention only in the main service panel and only if it was already wired this way.
*To help make sense of your power situation, consult a licensed electrician before beginning any work.
Portable generators that supply a few essential devices with power are a cost effective option to keep the power flowing to refrigerators, well pumps and furnaces. Planning and preparing for a power outage requires more than just buying a generator, however. There are several key items to consider and one of those is how to bring power from the generator into the home.
A transfer switch is the easiest, safest and most convenient way to supply your home with electrical power during a power outage, but it requires installation in advance of the outage. A manual transfer switch is the best solution for connecting a portable generator.
Generator Connections
A portable generator moves to the place it is needed, and therefore is usually not permanently connected. Most people keep them in their garages or sheds. A special power cord with a plug on each end carries electrical current from the generator to an inlet box, sometimes called a “J-box.” One plug inserts into the generator receptacle, the other end plugs into the inlet box. The power cord has four wires for ground, neutral and two wires that each carry 120 volts, for a total of 240 volts.
Manual Generator Switchgear Information Systems
The inlet box is mounted on the outside of the home in a location where exhaust fumes from the generator will not enter the home through air vents or windows. The receptacle inside the inlet box is permanently wired to the manual transfer switch.
Transfer Switch Main Breakers
The manual transfer switch has two main circuit breakers similar to the main breakers in your service panel. One of the main breakers connects to the wires that come from the inlet box and control the power from the generator. The other main breaker connects to wires from your service panel and supply the switch with power from the electric utility. These wires connect to a branch circuit breaker in the service panel.
The two main breakers in the transfer switch are connected by a mechanical device that only allows one main breaker to be in the “ON” position at any time. Some transfer switches allow positioning both main breakers in the “OFF” position.
Essential Branch Circuits
The electrical circuits supplied by the generator connect to circuit breakers inside the transfer switch instead of in the main service panel. The wires are disconnected from the original breakers in the main panel and reconnected to new breakers in the transfer switch. The circuit breakers protect the wires from overloading whether the power is supplied from the generator or from the electric utility.
It is important to ensure that all branch circuit breakers adequately protect the wires that connect to them. If the original circuit breaker in the main service panel was fifteen amperes, the new breaker in the manual transfer switch for that circuit must also be fifteen amperes.
Manual Transfer Switch Operation
During a power outage, the generator is started and plugged into the transfer switch.
During normal operation, electricity flows from the utility into the main service panel and is distributed through circuit breakers. The circuit breaker in the main panel that connects to the transfer switch feeds power to the transfer switch, which then distributes that power to the essential circuits through the circuit breakers located within the transfer switch.
When power from the electric utility is interrupted, the homeowner positions the generator near the inlet box and starts the generator before any load is connected to it, then connects the power cord between the generator and the inlet box. The generator is now ready to supply power and the power switch or breaker on the generator is moved to the “ON” position.
Abb Switchgear Manual Pdf
At the transfer switch, the homeowner moves the main breaker for the utility supply to the “OFF” position, then turns the main breaker from the generator to the “ON” position. Power is now supplied to the essential circuits controlled by the manual transfer switch.