Was searching for this type of interlock but all the interlock I saw before was for panel with the main breaker separated from the rest of breakers. This video was very helpful.
Just installed one , didn’t read directions but have installed lots of other interlocks, I just measured where interlock would disable main from turning on and drilled holes, after seeing video and reading directions glad I didn’t read😂. Good kit for older panels as I was afraid I was going to have to make one myself for interlock.
I'm actually buying this right now for my Square D Meter Main I just installed. They just have the On/Off positions labeled in their drawing backwards. Everything else is correct. To be clear, in the drawing, the the main breaker would actually be on and the gen breaker would be off. To lock screws in place I'll just use Loc-Tite.
Exactly. And it should be obvious to most anyone that is proficient enough to install it when looking, and I hope there's never a case where someone goes on the literature alone. It's just crazy that it's been reported and brought to their attention for so, so long already, and still has not been corrected, especially with what should be a simple enough fix! Good luck with your install - the physical install went very smooth!
If you tighten the screws properly, no amount of wiggling the front plate will be able to loosen the screws. I do agree about everything else though. I just installed this exact interlock kit.
I was going to say it is possible that the picture is representing a CB box with the main power on the right hand bank, but after closer examination, that picture would still be wrong. Nice catch.
Ummmm… isn’t that just showing a reverse set-up… with the breakers on the right side of the panel??? Main is on and gen breaker is off and blocked? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
It's hard to see on the screen, but the Off/On labels on their breakers in their diagram are reversed. So for example, at the 5:08-ish mark, the way it's labeled, the gen breaker is On, and there's nothing preventing the Main breaker above from being switched to the right into it's own On position as well. In short, they just screwed up the labeling of On/Off in their diagram. A simple fix, but it's also something that had been brought to their attention for a long, long time. People had noted it a year before I made that video, and here it is a year later still, and it's still incorrect on their diagram. For 99% of the people installing this, it's easy enough to install correctly by using common sense, but there's always someone that this could cause an issue with if they found some way to follow their diagram to the letter.
Interesting critique of generator interlocks, good catch about the incorrect instructions. That is pretty terrible and dangerous for a safety related item. I installed an interlock kit when I installed our generator. The instructions for it was pretty clear and ours works as advertised, preventing both breakers being on at the same time. The NEC has requirement about removing the generator backfeed breaker since if the generator is running the CB contacts are hot so you don't want it flopping around. I thought from the title of your post it was going to be about the risk of having both breakers on if the breaker panel cover is removed. That is an inherent risk of using an interlock. It never occurred to be the installation instructions could be so wrong.
Energizing the grid is a myth. When the power goes out your neighbors and others on the grid don't unplug anything. They don't turn everything off. If you tried to back feed your city your generator is going to flip your breaker. I'm well aware of how transformers work and your voltage would be amplified but you still aren't going to power the grid without throwing your generator breaker. If you bypassed your breaker you'd fry your generator. As far as linemen go, they're trained to treat every thing as hot and ground lines they're working on. The only case of a death of a lineman due to backfeeding is only suspect. They have no clue if that was actually what killed him
Here is food for thought, how about call a qualified person. If you are not smart enough to figure how all of that works without instructions, call a guy that does. One very important reason is you will not know how to wire the inlet for the generator to the house. You want to see a real show it's a generator improperly wired to a panel. Or incorrect wire size.
How about how is that breaker gonna trip. Can you say house fire! They need someone with electrical experience making these diagrams! 🤙🏻👍🏻thanks for the video brotha!
Was that kit made by FLNGR? Mine was. Different panel. I have a cutler hammer. The photo was correct but the writing was wrong on the instructions. Im not an idiot and I knew the writing was just a typo I just thought it was weird. Instructions written by non-native English speakers (i.e. Chinese) I have found many discrepancies over the years beween what is said and what is meant. Also the instructions didnt really make clear what the zip ties were for.
Hello, I noticed all problems you explained and I really don't how they can sell a product like that on the market. Hope nobody had injury. I have a question, I have a Cuttler-hammer sub-panel for all my emergency circuits, so I want to install this sliding plate plate between an utility braker (left side panel) and an gen breaker (right side panel). What is the dimension of the square central section of the T-shape plate just to be sure it's large enough to keep my two breakers in opposite state.
The central section is 1 1/8" square (side to side and from top to bottom in that middle section itself). If it doesn't look like it'll work for yours going side-to-side, since it does slide freely, you might be able to find something on interlockkit.com/ for that particular setup. What I did was looked up the style I needed on that site but then bought the same style kit from Amazon as in the video. Physically it's the same setup, it's just the horrible instructions! Best of luck!
@@CharlesOlcott Oups, it won't work in my case, the side to side has to be 1 3\4 to get 2 breakers on opposite state or gaboom. Thank's, i'll check your site.
Bro those drawings are wrong on your computer 💻 out at your main electrical panel you can’t have both generator power on and the main 200 amp panel breaker meaning PG&E power 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ broooooo your a knuckle take that inter lock kit and put it up ⬆️ on your main panel outside 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
That was the point of the video - the diagrams included with this particular kit are completely inaccurate and if there was a way to hook it up the way they were showing in their diagrams, it would allow both circuits to be energized. Clearly that's wrong, and NOT the way it should be ever hooked up, obviously. As for the rest, there's no difference in having the interlock in the house panel which requires the main breaker to be turned off, versus having it shutting off the main disconnect outside - there's nowhere along the line between the panels where there could be voltage introduced back into the system back to the meter and through the lines. An in-house interlock kit is more than sufficient; that's why they're made the way they are. Also, not ever home has a main disconnect outside anyway. New code requires it it many areas for new projects or re-work, but there are plenty of homes without the need for a main disconnect prior to the house panel, so that idea wouldn't allow for any possible generator hook-up to any older house that has no main disconnect outside, or for a main disconnect panel on new work that carries only a main breaker with no additional spots to accept a secondary breaker for a generator hookup. Not discounting that it isn't an option, but since it doesn't matter either way and as it's still code-compliant to use an interlock switch on the panel inside, that's the option I went with. Also allows my generator to be in an area that can be weather protected versus out at the meter pedestal in the lawn. Other than that, I actually do also shut the main disconnect off anyway out of precaution in the event I have to use it but again, it's not causing any danger either way (as long as whatever kit is used is installed correctly). And as always, anytime someone is unsure about installing something dealing with electrical circuits, contact an electrician or check with an inspector prior to any work!
Was searching for this type of interlock but all the interlock I saw before was for panel with the main breaker separated from the rest of breakers. This video was very helpful.
Interesting, note that if your generator inlet power cord isn’t plugged in and/or generator isn’t on then there’s no danger of backfeeding power.
Just installed one , didn’t read directions but have installed lots of other interlocks, I just measured where interlock would disable main from turning on and drilled holes, after seeing video and reading directions glad I didn’t read😂. Good kit for older panels as I was afraid I was going to have to make one myself for interlock.
If installed by a qualified electrician there is not an issue.
I'm actually buying this right now for my Square D Meter Main I just installed. They just have the On/Off positions labeled in their drawing backwards. Everything else is correct. To be clear, in the drawing, the the main breaker would actually be on and the gen breaker would be off. To lock screws in place I'll just use Loc-Tite.
Exactly. And it should be obvious to most anyone that is proficient enough to install it when looking, and I hope there's never a case where someone goes on the literature alone. It's just crazy that it's been reported and brought to their attention for so, so long already, and still has not been corrected, especially with what should be a simple enough fix! Good luck with your install - the physical install went very smooth!
If you tighten the screws properly, no amount of wiggling the front plate will be able to loosen the screws. I do agree about everything else though. I just installed this exact interlock kit.
I was going to say it is possible that the picture is representing a CB box with the main power on the right hand bank, but after closer examination, that picture would still be wrong. Nice catch.
Ummmm… isn’t that just showing a reverse set-up… with the breakers on the right side of the panel??? Main is on and gen breaker is off and blocked? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
It's hard to see on the screen, but the Off/On labels on their breakers in their diagram are reversed. So for example, at the 5:08-ish mark, the way it's labeled, the gen breaker is On, and there's nothing preventing the Main breaker above from being switched to the right into it's own On position as well. In short, they just screwed up the labeling of On/Off in their diagram. A simple fix, but it's also something that had been brought to their attention for a long, long time. People had noted it a year before I made that video, and here it is a year later still, and it's still incorrect on their diagram.
For 99% of the people installing this, it's easy enough to install correctly by using common sense, but there's always someone that this could cause an issue with if they found some way to follow their diagram to the letter.
Interesting critique of generator interlocks, good catch about the incorrect instructions. That is pretty terrible and dangerous for a safety related item. I installed an interlock kit when I installed our generator. The instructions for it was pretty clear and ours works as advertised, preventing both breakers being on at the same time. The NEC has requirement about removing the generator backfeed breaker since if the generator is running the CB contacts are hot so you don't want it flopping around.
I thought from the title of your post it was going to be about the risk of having both breakers on if the breaker panel cover is removed. That is an inherent risk of using an interlock. It never occurred to be the installation instructions could be so wrong.
Energizing the grid is a myth. When the power goes out your neighbors and others on the grid don't unplug anything. They don't turn everything off. If you tried to back feed your city your generator is going to flip your breaker. I'm well aware of how transformers work and your voltage would be amplified but you still aren't going to power the grid without throwing your generator breaker. If you bypassed your breaker you'd fry your generator.
As far as linemen go, they're trained to treat every thing as hot and ground lines they're working on. The only case of a death of a lineman due to backfeeding is only suspect. They have no clue if that was actually what killed him
Here is food for thought, how about call a qualified person. If you are not smart enough to figure how all of that works without instructions, call a guy that does. One very important reason is you will not know how to wire the inlet for the generator to the house. You want to see a real show it's a generator improperly wired to a panel. Or incorrect wire size.
How about how is that breaker gonna trip.
Can you say house fire! They need someone with electrical experience making these diagrams!
🤙🏻👍🏻thanks for the video brotha!
But.... breakers aren't made the way they are drawn. Still could confuse.
The kit that I used for my breaker panel those screws I had to put some Loctite on it was in the instructions
Was that kit made by FLNGR? Mine was. Different panel. I have a cutler hammer. The photo was correct but the writing was wrong on the instructions. Im not an idiot and I knew the writing was just a typo I just thought it was weird. Instructions written by non-native English speakers (i.e. Chinese) I have found many discrepancies over the years beween what is said and what is meant. Also the instructions didnt really make clear what the zip ties were for.
Hello, I noticed all problems you explained and I really don't how they can sell a product like that on the market. Hope nobody had injury. I have a question, I have a Cuttler-hammer sub-panel for all my emergency circuits, so I want to install this sliding plate plate between an utility braker (left side panel) and an gen breaker (right side panel). What is the dimension of the square central section of the T-shape plate just to be sure it's large enough to keep my two breakers in opposite state.
The central section is 1 1/8" square (side to side and from top to bottom in that middle section itself). If it doesn't look like it'll work for yours going side-to-side, since it does slide freely, you might be able to find something on interlockkit.com/ for that particular setup. What I did was looked up the style I needed on that site but then bought the same style kit from Amazon as in the video. Physically it's the same setup, it's just the horrible instructions! Best of luck!
@@CharlesOlcott Oups, it won't work in my case, the side to side has to be 1 3\4 to get 2 breakers on opposite state or gaboom. Thank's, i'll check your site.
No brainer!
Great catch! Somebody made a boo boo on that diagram.
Bro those drawings are wrong on your computer 💻 out at your main electrical panel you can’t have both generator power on and the main 200 amp panel breaker meaning PG&E power 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ broooooo your a knuckle take that inter lock kit and put it up ⬆️ on your main panel outside 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
That was the point of the video - the diagrams included with this particular kit are completely inaccurate and if there was a way to hook it up the way they were showing in their diagrams, it would allow both circuits to be energized. Clearly that's wrong, and NOT the way it should be ever hooked up, obviously. As for the rest, there's no difference in having the interlock in the house panel which requires the main breaker to be turned off, versus having it shutting off the main disconnect outside - there's nowhere along the line between the panels where there could be voltage introduced back into the system back to the meter and through the lines. An in-house interlock kit is more than sufficient; that's why they're made the way they are. Also, not ever home has a main disconnect outside anyway. New code requires it it many areas for new projects or re-work, but there are plenty of homes without the need for a main disconnect prior to the house panel, so that idea wouldn't allow for any possible generator hook-up to any older house that has no main disconnect outside, or for a main disconnect panel on new work that carries only a main breaker with no additional spots to accept a secondary breaker for a generator hookup.
Not discounting that it isn't an option, but since it doesn't matter either way and as it's still code-compliant to use an interlock switch on the panel inside, that's the option I went with. Also allows my generator to be in an area that can be weather protected versus out at the meter pedestal in the lawn. Other than that, I actually do also shut the main disconnect off anyway out of precaution in the event I have to use it but again, it's not causing any danger either way (as long as whatever kit is used is installed correctly).
And as always, anytime someone is unsure about installing something dealing with electrical circuits, contact an electrician or check with an inspector prior to any work!