Interlock kit all day long. Just label your critical breakers in the panel to have on during an outage. Exact same as a transfer switch except the added benefit of being able to energize any other breaker as you see fit. Personally I prefer the flexibility of running anything in the house. A transfer switch removes any flexibility you have and forces a compromise. I have an 11,000 watt dual fuel on a 50 amp inlet but I could also use my 3300 watt on the same inlet with reduced breakers live at once. I appreciate the video, thanks!
@@timothywillis7872 hard to imagine why that would be the case. Interlock is required if a generator inlet is connected to the panel without a transfer switch.
@@timothywillis7872 I'm in Texas as well, but all of the electricians we've gotten quotes from offer both options. My understanding (as I haven't found anything in my research) is as long as there's no chance of back-feed there shouldn't be a legal issue. We're going interlock for the same reason @philpom did. If our needs are drastically different for an outage in winter vs summer and we want the options. Cool thing with a transfer though is that it is easier to tell once the grid is back up.
Agreed. The flexibility of an interlock is by a far superior choice. People just have to be aware of the wattage of what's being used on each circuit and what their generator can handle.
@@philp3512 absolutely, Reliance has a nice 2 line wattmeter box (cat.no.MB125) for monitoring that I installed. They also have a nice little PowerBack device that sounds an alarm when ulility power is restored.
I bought an interlock kit for $69.95 form my main breaker box. What a rip! I made one in 2 hours for my apartment box. People are misled by how many watts they need for power in an emergency. MOST power outages are emergencies. You do not need to run an electric water heater and electric clothes dryer at the same time, ever. You do not need to run your refrigerator all day long. Over Christmas weekend I had no power for 3 days. The fridge got to 44F and the freezer to 22F. Of course it was 48 inside the house. You can plug the fridge in when needed if you open it a lot. you can run most homes on 5000w or less generator.
@@alexd5188 : I got a portable gen that runs on gasoline nat gas and propane. I had a plumber hook up a nat gas line to the back and an electrician hook to the breaker box. I did the minor electric. It cost $2200 total and I have not yet needed to use it. Once the power went out and I waited 10 minutes and decided to walk around to turn it on and the power came back. Yes, having one and not needing it is better than needing it and not having it. Good luck to you in the coming days.
Super. Somebody is missing the ball by not making main breakers with extra generator terminals and wire control so that you can just hit a switch in your house and the main kicks off, connecting the generator. Yes, auto-transfer switches, but i'm talking inexpensive retrofit, not complete replacement. (Remote starting is possible with any generator that has a starter motor, so you would not have to go outside at all.) You can shut off almost anything inside that is not needed without killing the breaker. 💙 T.E.N.
Generally I think an interlock switch would work best for most people no matter the size of your generator. It allows you to easily change the loads and the size of generator. Clear instructions on its use should be posted in or near the panel. Lets say you were making dinner on your electric stove when the power went out, and you have a smaller generator. You can turn on the breakers for the range and kitchen lights. After the meal you can turn of the range and turn on the hot water heater and dishwasher. In the winter you would want the furnace on, in the summer the AC, or fans. If you're working in the garage you can turn those circuits on. With a transfer switch you are stuck with what you decided when you installed it.
Couldn't agree with you more. Mine powers my whole panel and I decide what I want to use and flip breakers accordingly. I.E. Turn the ac on to get it cool then turn ac off and water heater on for a little for showers then water heater back off and ac back on.
In the event of an outage, does that mean you have to first flip all breakers OFF before enabling the Interlock switch (or at least enough to bring the panel under the capacity of the generator)?
I decided to purchase an emergency power generator after receiving two emails from my electric company, warning me that I live in "what they consider to be", a high risk area, for "public safety power shut-off's" in the event of extreme temperatures and dry conditions. They said that if they deem the chance of wild fires to be high, they may choose to do a "Public Safety Power Shut-off" and that these power shut-offs may last anywhere from several hours to several days! I chose the Westinghouse 12,500 starting watts and 9,500 running watts, dual fuel, 30/50 AMP generator and I purchased two 40 pound propane tanks that hold 9.2 gallons of propane in each tank, along with a pigtail auto switchover propane regulator and a 50 foot, 50 amp power cord attaching to a 50 amp power inlet box and an interlock device. Based on the wattage I predict I'll be using, I expect to use 1/2 gallon of propane per hour, so with 18.4 gallons of stored propane, I should have enough fuel to last approximately 36 hours. When the first tank runs dry at approximately 18 hours, the auto switch-over will automatically switch to the second tank and I'll just un-hook the first tank and take it to my propane refill place to refill it, bring it home and hook it back up. A Certified Electrician charged $800.00 to install the power inlet box, circuit breaker and interlock device, including parts and the permit and that costs $64.00 at my local County Court House. The permit fee was also to cover the cost of a County approved Licensed, Certified Electrician to come out and inspect, approve and sign off on the installation, which never happened. I would have "much preferred" a Generac whole home system (24,000 watts) but the cost with installation and paying the gas company, $3,500.00 to bring a gas line and meter onto my property, would have totaled somewhere between $13,000 to $15,000.00 as opposed to the approximately $2,300.00 that I spent, in total. I also purchased a couple of portable emergency air conditioners at Loews and that cost approximately $600.00. UPDATE: Just a couple months after installing the backup power generator, PGE did do a "Public Safety Power shut off". We were on our generator backup power for 25 hours. The backup power generator performed flawlessly the entire time! Money well spent! We now have peace of mind.
Also I want to mention it DO exist transfer switches that don't hook into a subpanel, but into the main panel instead, which only consist of a tranfer switch and give same flexibility as an interlock. There are lots of transfer switches, even transfer switches that can automatically measure load current, and automatically start up generators and transfer over the power to backup when grid disappears, and transfer back & shut down generators when grid comes back. Some of these transfer switches will also have a in-line UPS too, so you have completely 100% uninterrupted power.
Bravo!! Finally a video that was helpfull and understandable at the same time. I have watched several how to do videos on transfer switches. This is the first one that was clear and to the point. Thank you!!!
Nice Video. I went with the 6 breaker Transfer switch powered by a remote start 4500 Watt inverter. Also plumbed it for Natural Gas as well as reg gas. Wanted to stay small so it wouldn't us too much fuel and inverter good for electronics and the RPMs drop when low load. This way I can run the basics, refrigerator, Furnace, lights, internet/ computers TV, Oven (gas oven but needs 110V to open gas valve).
Good explanation. I hooked up an interlock with a line coming from an external 50A plug and a 12,500 watt on propane. I can choose the circuits I want to run and during hurricane season in FL, life with the wife without A/C is hell. I do have a small generator I loan out to others or I can use during cooler months in my house if needed. Costs - the most expensive cost was the cable from the external plug to my circuit panel at $105 and the plug at $43, which you would have to buy anyway. Other costs were the interlock switch for $38, and a 50Amp circuit breaker for $8.
I had the Generac 30-amp Homelink transfer switch professionally installed. At that time, I had only a 2000w Harbor Freight inverter generator. When utility power failed, the small generator, with only two 120v receptacles, would not switch over power on the Homelink. After removing the HomeLink front panel, I used the provided lever to activate "test mode". Then, I could use the Homelink, but only at about 1800w continuous. I recently bought a Champion 4250w dual fuel generator, which has a 30-amp receptacle and should switch generator power to the HomeLink. Testing soon!
Interlock. 100%. You have complete control of what circuits you want to have power to in your entire house. Not to mention it is so much cheaper (and easier) to install.
Thanks! Good info, I'll share with less electrically minded friends who need to know the basics. I have used both and prefer the interlock even with my small generator. I have a small house and have changed over all my 220 appliances to gas which helped and I can almost run the entire house now. May re-use my transfer switch for a solar project but we will see.
THANK YOU so much for explaining this. This has helped me to decided that I need to go with an interlock kit verses a transfer switch. The interlock is just much more flexible. I don’t want to be locked into only being able to use a select amount of circuits.
Really high quality video. This in conjunction with your other video on the power inlet box puts together the whole topic in a really short amount of time.
I live in a rural area with power outages often, especially during winter. The boxes my utility company uses come prefitted with interlock kits so that adding a power inlet is very simple since most people in my area have generators
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am looking into a couple of different scenarios with generators for a couple people. So this is educational for me.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I recently experience my first 2 day power outage in Norther Virginia. I want to be prepared for next time. I learned a lot from your video. Thank you.
Great! Yeah it is not fun being without power. I went about a week without it and it is really what prompted me to do everything that I have done. Thank you for the feedback.
I used a 10 circuit manual transfer switch for a few years and recently replaced it with the interlock kit. 8500 running watt generator. Much better set up for us.
Thanks for the excellent video. Concise and to the point. From the beginning, you set out to give us points to consider in each situation, as opposed to a definite answer that might not fit everyone. Well done.
Thank you so much for all of your well develop videos. Some years ago, I saw your oldest generator related video. Due to my budget and other related factors, I was able to create a my own locking mechanism. The one I needed was out of stock but principally was about $120 dollars delivered. Personally, I re arranged my circuit box to properly accommodate the order for my 240v. panel. This is important because it created a method for me to select 6 low power circuits along with 2 higher power consumption circuits. My main restriction to give power to the house was my generator. Lucky, I got one that produces about 8k of constant power and up to 13500k for peak events. In my view, the best option is the manual locking option. This is due to the fact that are less things that could go wrong and it is cheaper and a much straight forward option that just about any DIY person can actually handle.
Great info, thanks! It seems like the interlock is the only decent option for us. We have two furnaces running off an 80A sub panel in the furnace room, which also has breakers for lights and outlets in almost half the house. The 200A main panel in the electrical room powers the kitchen, water and sewage pumps (we’re on a well and septic), and the remaining lights and outlets. Given the staircase and finished walls and ceiling between the furnace and electrical rooms plus other framing obstacles, it would be a nightmare wiring job to connect the furnaces to a transfer switch in the other room.
Excellent explanation of the difference and who should install the transfer switch or the interlock. It clears up my confusion. Now I know what to buy. Great video!
Thank you so much for your very, very helpful videos!! I may not be able to do all this stuff with my arthritic hands anymore at age 69, but it gives me an idea what I'm getting into that I might have to pay for. Keep up the good work!!!!
Thank you for your concise explanation of the differences in the two approaches. We recently purchased a largish generator, 10k watt output, and have been looking into our options. Our power consumption calculation is about 8000w, so we purchased something that would not have to run at peak all the time. This allows for home heating with our pellet stove, cold food storage in two fridge/freezers, hot and cold water and lighting. Also figure we can switch off a few things and fire up a computer/TV for some DVD watching while we are "in the dark". We really have appreciated the effort that folks have put into providing clear information about our available choices. Your video and information are top notch! May 2022 bring us all peace and prosperity.
Excellent! Sounds like you all are doing your homework and getting everything setup right! I am glad you found the video helpful. Thank you very much for the feedback and enjoy the backup power!
For what its worth from a random internet stranger, I just installed a new outdoor load center with a main breaker and generator lockout w/ 50A input. I have 3 generators (for various reasons ranging from a 8kw welder to a 2250w 120v inverter) the 8kw will run my A/C, water heater, stove, microwave, etc individually with various lights and other small draws. It burns around 1gal/ hr at moderate load. For comparison my small inverter will run lights, fridge, freezer, TV, internet without issue. It burns a gallon every 6-8 hours or so. My typical usage for an extended outage is to run the 8kw intermittently cool or heat the house, shower, cook, etc in a couple hour time frame. After that I shut the 240V breakers off and run fridge, freezer, lights, and entertainment stuff with the smaller generator. Last large outage we had ~5 days running the small generator only was around $50 in fuel. Running the 8kw for 5 days would have been $420. The small generator I have was around $470. I keep a 55gal drum of 100LL aviation gasoline on site for all my small engines and as an emergency reserve for running the generators. Hope this helps or gives you something to think about.
I use a transfer switch with my Champion 7500 watt generator to power almost my entire house. I don't have my stove/range, heat pump or cloths dried powered by it because of the high amp draw. I have back up window a/c units for summer use if the power is out during hot weather that the generator handles quite easily. Even though it isolates the generator from the line I always throw the main breaker to guarantee no back feed of the power lines.
Thank you for this and your other video, I just purchased my first generator which is actually an inverter and I'm looking at stepping into a full house possibility over time. The first generator can certainly run critical need issues and I have the ability parallel them if I buy a second small one. I also am smaller because they're easier to move around and if one breaks I still have something happening whereas if I have one large one and it won't start I'm dead in the water. It's the military two is one and one is none Theory.
Very informative video. In our case we went with a interlock kit. Our range, clothes dryer and on demand water heater are propane. The only 220 items are our well pump and central air. We have a 13kw dual fuel portable genny that I can hook up to our in ground 250 gal propane tank in a few min. and plug into the side of the house. With our genny we can run the whole house without picking and choosing circuits.. Living in Florida it is important that AC operates.
Very helpful. I have a 4500w generator and will be using the transfer switch option. Of course, if you can get your hands on a whole house generator, I'd go with the interlock kit.
I’m going with a 50a interlock. I want to be able to choose what I want running. I’ll likely be getting the 7 or 8kw predator inverter. Very concise and informative video!
I use an interlock at my house in NJ. My home has natural gas. My 7000 watt generator can run everything but the central AC. During Sandy it was nice because I could turn on any light in any room with the interlock.
Thank you so much. You’re explanation was as clear as can be. Personally, I’d prefer the transfer switch. Simply because in an emergency when I’m not available. My family can operate the transfer switch without the worry of dealing with the panel.
i like the simplicity of a transfer switch, but i think even with having to micromanage what circuits are on and off, the versatility of the interlock kit cant be beat for evolving power needs, especially depending what season it is when you lose power
I think one of the biggest pros with an interlock is you have the flexibility to power any circuit. When I switch over to running on generator during an outage and before throwing the interlock I make sure to turn off the breakers for my electric water heater and electric dryer. These breakers are marked with red tape which makes them easy to identify. I have a 7,500 watt generator. For extended use I try and keep the wattage being drawn to no more than 6,000 watts. I have also installed a hard start kit installed on my central AC so it isn't a problem running it on a generator as once it has started it draws 2,200 watts.. My wife and I know that when on generator you have to selectively run no more than two high wattage appliances besides the refrigerator at the same time (a stove burner, the microwave, hair dryer, garage door opener, etc.) . If after a few days my wife gets tired of cool showers I have the option to switch off the AC and then run the water heater for forty five minutes. If in the worse case the generator would be overloaded it would just trip off line. For most people using a interlock and also by switching off all the 240v circuits would mean that they could run most everything else in the house while using a 5,000 watt or larger generator. With 12,000 watts then you can probably run most everything.
@@max4life352 do they offer the two in one 110 breakers for your box? while not my favorite I used a couple to pair up some light loads (mostly lighting circuits) to free up a pair of slots for a 220 breaker
@@max4life352 most panels are rated as the total amperage, spaces, and maximum number of circuits. The ones I am most familiar with the number of circuits is double the spaces indicating that you could have all tandem breakers. This rating should be on the inside of the hinged cover you can see and research
I’m almost ready to set up a generator inlet combined with a 48v battery & EG4 inverter(s) to a combiner box and run that back to a 125a breaker on an interlock in the main panel. Trying to capitalize on battery for main backup power and then use the generator to supplement grid power and also charge batteries with the EG4 chargeverter. Main idea is to use the generator to conserve gas / propane by only running the generator as needed until the batteries are charged. Thank you for this video. Lots more to think about.
Great video - very well put together! I would recommend measuring the power usage of the house and deciding based off of that rather than the raw amp ratings. I have a new house with 200 amp service, but with all the lights being LEDs, my regular energy usage is 1000 watts, very well within a small or medium generator to power everything. My peak continuous energy usage has been 9000 watts, but that is only with the dryer, AC, and oven on all at once - probably wouldn't try doing that when in an emergency situation. I prefer having everything connected and simply remembering not to turn on the dryer, oven, and AC all at once. Only thing I have to worry about is AC inrush, but I will be installing a soft start for that (which you provide an excellent video on too!).
Hey Jonathan, I appreciate the feedback! Yes getting a good reading of what wattage is actually used is a great way to size what you will need. Sounds like you are doing it right and getting yourself all setup just in case you need to be! You will definitely love that soft start kit. It is a gamechanger.
you are obviously missing the inrush from many other devices with motors because the typical fridge is around 1200 watts right there. If you have several (and a freezer?) you have 3600 watts you forgot about, even though the average run draw is 2 - 3 amps. Edit: if you have forced air heating you have blower motors to deal with. If they are 10 years old they likely do not have a soft start.
@@rupe53 thanks for the reply. You're absolutely right. I fortunately only have 1 fridge/freezer and I'm going to give How to Home's soft start installation a try for my HVAC. He put out a really cool video explaining how to set one up. th-cam.com/video/uowVMYuPs-U/w-d-xo.html I already tested the heat and my generator had no issues powering that, it did die on trying to power the air condition condenser. In-rush definitely is something worth considering.
@@nicklopez5298 ... look at the data tag on the unit. It has figures for run amps and something else called LRA, which stands for Locked Rotor Amps. That's roughly the draw for starting up the compressor. Most gen sets can handle around 140% of their rated amps as a start surge if the "peak power" is not listed. Be aware that peak, inrush, start surge, etc is only for a few seconds.
I just did an interlock setup. It was $40 for power inlet box, $90 for the interlock kit, $20 for a double breaker, $28 for a mount plate for the power inlet box (so it would sit flat on the siding). I also needed a chunk of wire about 10' long for the power inlet box. I had that as a left over from a previous job. I have limited room where my panel is and there was no space to install a transfer switch.
Everytime I go to Electrical Store they don't have any Transfer Switches, Interlock kits, no power inlet boxes.. Are they playing "stupid?" Or, are they stupid. An other store does not offer any Solution.
For me, the big deciding factor was that my breaker box, while it had some breakers in it (sewer pump, dryer, and a few more), it has 3 large (100A) breakers for "Upstairs", "Downstairs" and "Garage" which lead to three subpanels. If I wanted to be able to switch individual things from upstairs or downstairs, I'd have to rewire them all the way back to the main panel, otherwise I'm going to use large breakers on a transfer switch and still have to go and turn on and off individual circuits not to overload the generator. The interlock kit was much more straight forward.
Wait ... one interlock in the main breaker panel does not solve your problem. It gives you the same choice (on or off) for each subpanel. It does not give you remote control to individual breakers in the subpanels.
To add to this great video and discussion. An outage is not the time to be figuring this out. Need to prove what will and wont run, how much fuel will you use and how much do you store? I am a retired electrician and finally got my stuff almost all squared away and tested recently here in New England. In my opinion we should shut the main once or twice a year and prove everything works. Might need to swap some breakers and balance the load. Do you have access to an amprobe? Run for 12-24 hours and know your fuel consumption, and learn what you can live without. I can survive for a while on a 2000 watt inverter generator. It can run on 3 gallons a day.
It seems like the transfer switch is ideal if you plan to switch to generator power often, or if the person doing the switching doesn't understand the loads within the house. I think the interlock switch would be what I'd personally use, as its nice to have the flexibility to switch what is powered in case you need to use something you didn't plan on when you installed the transfer switch. Although, I'd probably write up a "interlock guide" that shows what breakers to disable for normal 'generator'/backup use.
That's the one thing I never understood about the transfer switch, it supports say 6 breakers and that's it...OK got it but why not just use an interlock kit and just turn those 6 on from the main breaker panel rather than move it over to a separate panel? Also, the interlock gives way more flexibility.
@@rustynail6819 Because some ones wife at some time will just turn every thing on and smoke the generator ask me how i know... 🤣🤣 why i went with Transfer Switch.
The flexibility of powering the whole panel is really nice if you are technically inclined and understand what you are doing. I have a transfer switch that feeds the whole panel. I shut off all the breakers and then flip a few key circuits back on. I color coded the essential circuits with small stickers to make the whole process very quick. But in an extended outage, maybe you really need to do some laundry or power some otherwise "non-essential" load for a few hours. But that flexibility requires understanding, in advance, how much power various appliances use and keeping a kind of rough wattage budget in your head as you flip things on and off. A transfer switch is better if you want the whole process to be simple and foolproof. Fire up the generator, push one switch and the food doesn't spoil, the internet comes back on, etc.
Good explanation. I chose an interlock kit, because a transfer switch installation would have required running wiring to my main panel and to 2 distant sub panels. I don't bounce up and down to the panels and constantly flip circuit breakers. I have typed instructions next to the panels, including the order in which breakers should be flipped on (something important to have with a transfer switch as well), and turn a specific set of breakers on when I need my generator. In rare cases, I'll turn one off and turn a different one on.
Transfer switch is more ideal. 1) Interlocks can’t be used everywhere legally, transfer switches can. 2) When the power is out people shouldn’t try to keep their home running exactly like before. It’s wasteful with fuel (which could be in short supply) and most people only use 50% of a generator capacity at any given time. A transfer switch makes people focus on what they really need and have it be sized to the generator they have.
@@johncontos264 I think it depends on your local rules and even the utility that gives you electric service. My city and utility forbids interlocks because it can be defeated by removing the cover panel.
I have a little Honda EU2200 generator that I've used in the past by running extension cords all over the house when power has gone out. I wanted to implement a more convenient way to do this with minimal trouble and cost. And I was able to do so as follows. I have one of those older Sylvania/Zinsco load centers and there's no ready-made interlock kit that I could find for it. So I simply installed a normal external outlet below my load center connected to dedicated circuit breaker #4. Then I did a little re-arranging of the load center so that the circuits I want to power are all on even numbered CB's. So when the power goes out, I turn off all CB's including the mains. Then I connect the generator to the external outlet using a short double-male X-cord and start up the gen. Then turn on CB#4. Then turn on the other even-numbered CB's one at a time. That powers up both frig's, the furnace, the computers, TV, surveillance system, burglar alarm and most of the lighting. Now of course, I would never turn on the main breakers while the gen is running! Total cost, less than $50.
Its not for everyone but an Interlock is in my panel. I got lucky when I shopped for mine, It was around $15 for my panel. I saw others for different panels costing $75 and up. With my needs and requirement is was a no brainer.
interesting video. Thanks for making it. Since I haven't bought a generator yet I will use the money I save going with the home interlock kit and and apply that to my generator purchase to buy a bigger unit. This way I will be able to power my whole ( if my daughters aren't home ) house
I facilitate generator to house units, and I always install #6 wire from the generator inlet box. IF generator has the 30 amp outlet, the house inlet, of course, will also be 30 amps. To anticipate, my customers might eventually UPGRADE to a larger generator (50 amp outlet) then all I have to change is the house inlet box . The #6 wire is what the 50 amp calls for. I believe most upgrades are bigger generators and electric start. I also recommend during the upgrade for a dedicated 120 volt weather proof receptical for easy access to charge the generator battery if ever needed. Most of the time I install breaker lockout on the panel. I always discuss customer energy usage. (Well pump, electric dryer, electric stove, central A/C) . And have customers write down 'operating sheet' so I can talk them through it on the phone as necessary.
My house originally came with a main panel & a sub panel in my house. The original main panel on the house had all the large wattage devices on it like the water well pump, stove, hot water heater, HVAC, & also last but not least a breaker for the sub panel too! The crazy thing about my main panel was that there was no main breaker on it! The original sub panel on my house had most of the other smaller amperage / wattage house circuits on it for lights, refrigerator, etc. Now of course I knew my medium size generator would not be able to power all of these big wattage appliances & I wasn't going to try it either. So some of these sub panel circuits would be the ones that I wanted to be able to power if an emergency happened (except for the well pump for water). To fix the dilemma I had, I moved the high importance (water supply) well pump from the main panel to the sub panel. Now I also installed a new sub panel on it that had a main breaker on it for the interlock switch (because my original sub panel didn't have a main breaker on it). BTW - I also don't plan on using the electric dryer & microwave (still on the sub panel) when using my 7000 watt generator. So what I plan on doing is to turn these breakers OFF to stop an accident "generator overloads" from happening. I also have wattage meters attached to the sub panel too so we can check wattage useage while running the generator. I have informed the wife about we can't use all house appliances during power outages as well... I actually asked electrical companies to give me estimates to fix my original panels so I could connect a generator & they gave me a lowest $15,000 bid to do this job. I said WTF & hell no. I did all this stuff myself for $200-$300...
I have looked at both options and I tend to favor the interlock kit. I will add there is one additional option. You can have installed a generator connector that connects to the main power coming in. When you connect your generator and turn on the power it senses the power and disco's it from the main lines.
You asked how I installed my transfer switch. I have a 3 position switch- utility live- neutral (in between the two power sources)- and generator live. This way current is provided to the panel from one source only. Again this is very important so that my generator cannot feed into the grid where you might have downed power lines.
Thank you for this video. I am currently building my own place and this information helped me decide on the power failure route I am going to take. Seriously appreciate the time you took to make this video!
I would have wanted to see the comparison between a larger, whole house transfer switch compared to the interlock. I went interlock, figuring I'm eventually going to add batteries and get an Enphase smart switch, so I am going cheap until then.
I use an interlock and I got a 2200 watt gen. Furnace is gas and I have a wood stove. Literally for lights and tv. Works great. Get the right cord you can power both sides of the panel.
I went with a transfer switch because my main breaker/meter is in an electrical closet I don’t have easy access to. Either one you go with, you’ll be far better off than the vast majority of homeowners which typically dont have any backup power beyond flash lights and candles.
@HowToHomeDIY Hi Adam, thank you for all your interesting topics. They really help us understand what we need to consider for our homes. Do either of these 2 systems you describe here use a power inverter between the generator and the circuit panel?
I have the interlock. My reasoning was the interlock gave much more versatility. I can run all my outlets and outside lights for security during an outage. And cost was much lower on labor cost to hiring an electrician
Suggestion - for a temporary situation or a permanent solution, get a Generlink meter base adaptor. Would recommend the 40 amp unit. Safe, very easy to use, super easy (5 min.) for the electric company to install. I have no ties to the company. I bought one and it's a great solution. Using it with my Generac standby genset. Simply plug in the cord when needed, unplug when done.
More flexibility with the interlock kit switching to different breakers, but the transfer switch is thought out and planned for the rated amperage needed.
I went the expensive route. (Whole house generator 24KW) Before I had a 13,000 generator and I lost power at 2am. There was a hellacious storm going on and it was too dangerous to go outside and hook things up. I suffered all night long due to the house being hot. I still have my 13,000 sitting in my storage shed all nice and shiny but it's never going to get used now. Unless someone else loses power.
I am recommending interlock kit as well. It costs no more in the end by the time you factor in the cost of the transfer switch, and gives you far more flexibility. My 5000 watt inverter generator (6250 peak) will run everything I need... Fridge, Freezer, lights, TV, Internet, Ceiling fans, Microwave, and just about anything else EXCEPT the central air (though it will run the gas furnace because the blower is on breaker of its own). My entire setup even with the pro install was only $1350. Most modern houses with energy efficient appliances don't take much power to run, though if the house is all electric and you want to stay warm, then yeah, 5kw may not be enough. For me, 5000 watt was the smallest 240v inverter generator I could find. I could have done with smaller if they made something, but you really need 240v generator to make the interlock work for all of the circuits. I recommend to everyone that asks about it to skip the transfer switch. It just doesn't make sense.
Same here regarding whole panel back up using Two each EU-2000i Honda Generators. I converted my 240VAC/40AMP dryer breaker to be our new generator input breaker since our drier runs on Natural Gas using just a 120VAC receptacle. I made a parallel fused jumper across the 40AMP generator breaker to power every 120volt load in the house on the same single phase. Steps to run generator 1 Open Main Breaker 240VAC 2 Open AC Condenser Breaker 240VAC 3 Start Generators and Plug in 120VAC/30AMP Cord to dedicated Input Receptacle 4 Close Output Breaker on Honda Parallel Kit 120VAC 5 Close 120VAC/40AMP Input Breaker for Generator Tie and now the entire home has power for every 120VAC load including the N.G Furnace. We have a natural Gas Furnace, Water Heater, Range, and Dryer and Use 2 each 6000BTU Window units for Cooling, so this reduces our total load significantly compared to an all-electric home. This system works great with only a few load combinations requiring any load shedding mostly for starting inductive loads. We are using this for emergency backup power on a 1800 square ft home in Houston TX.
The DuroMax XP4850EH dual fuel is the smallest 240v ,Peak Wattage on Gas is 4,850 with Running Wattage 3,850, on Propane is Peak Wattage 4,608, Running Wattage 3,658, I run my home 2300 sq ft home in Florida with propane all I run is all ceiling fans 4 bed rooms, TV.s Fridge, well pump, lights, and PC's, no central AC. or water heater, I have a propane stove, running it with the interlock. I only spend $320 for my set up without the generator, 3 years ago I pay $ 375 for the generator, so my total was out the door for $695 give or take. oh yeah when I run the well pump I turn off all ceiling fans.
Good video. Very informative. Some homes like mine have the main breaker outside and the breaker box inside. This doesn't allow me to have an interlock switch because the main is a single breaker box. So a licensed professional would not install an inlet box and breaker to my panel without the ability to put in a interlock switch. So a transfer box would be ideal. However my neighbor is an electrician and we installed a inlet and breaker. I just have to make sure i flip my main on and off before i do anything. I will eventually switch to a transfer box. JFYI
Thank you for the videos. They’re very informative. My question is how do I know what size generator I’ll need to run the whole house. How do I add up all the wattage my house has in it Thank you
Interlock kit all day long. Just label your critical breakers in the panel to have on during an outage. Exact same as a transfer switch except the added benefit of being able to energize any other breaker as you see fit. Personally I prefer the flexibility of running anything in the house. A transfer switch removes any flexibility you have and forces a compromise. I have an 11,000 watt dual fuel on a 50 amp inlet but I could also use my 3300 watt on the same inlet with reduced breakers live at once. I appreciate the video, thanks!
@@timothywillis7872 hard to imagine why that would be the case. Interlock is required if a generator inlet is connected to the panel without a transfer switch.
@@SuperVstech that’s what Texas power told me. If I wanted to run a generator as a back up, I had to use a transfer switch.
@@timothywillis7872 I'm in Texas as well, but all of the electricians we've gotten quotes from offer both options. My understanding (as I haven't found anything in my research) is as long as there's no chance of back-feed there shouldn't be a legal issue. We're going interlock for the same reason @philpom did. If our needs are drastically different for an outage in winter vs summer and we want the options. Cool thing with a transfer though is that it is easier to tell once the grid is back up.
Agreed. The flexibility of an interlock is by a far superior choice. People just have to be aware of the wattage of what's being used on each circuit and what their generator can handle.
@@philp3512 absolutely, Reliance has a nice 2 line wattmeter box (cat.no.MB125) for monitoring that I installed. They also have a nice little PowerBack device that sounds an alarm when ulility power is restored.
I bought an interlock kit for $69.95 form my main breaker box. What a rip! I made one in 2 hours for my apartment box.
People are misled by how many watts they need for power in an emergency. MOST power outages are emergencies.
You do not need to run an electric water heater and electric clothes dryer at the same time, ever. You do not need to run your refrigerator all day long. Over Christmas weekend I had no power for 3 days. The fridge got to 44F and the freezer to 22F. Of course it was 48 inside the house. You can plug the fridge in when needed if you open it a lot. you can run most homes on 5000w or less generator.
@@alexd5188 : I got a portable gen that runs on gasoline nat gas and propane. I had a plumber hook up a nat gas line to the back and an electrician hook to the breaker box. I did the minor electric. It cost $2200 total and I have not yet needed to use it. Once the power went out and I waited 10 minutes and decided to walk around to turn it on and the power came back. Yes, having one and not needing it is better than needing it and not having it. Good luck to you in the coming days.
Super. Somebody is missing the ball by not making main breakers with extra generator terminals and wire control so that you can just hit a switch in your house and the main kicks off, connecting the generator. Yes, auto-transfer switches, but i'm talking inexpensive retrofit, not complete replacement. (Remote starting is possible with any generator that has a starter motor, so you would not have to go outside at all.) You can shut off almost anything inside that is not needed without killing the breaker. 💙 T.E.N.
Generally I think an interlock switch would work best for most people no matter the size of your generator. It allows you to easily change the loads and the size of generator. Clear instructions on its use should be posted in or near the panel.
Lets say you were making dinner on your electric stove when the power went out, and you have a smaller generator. You can turn on the breakers for the range and kitchen lights. After the meal you can turn of the range and turn on the hot water heater and dishwasher. In the winter you would want the furnace on, in the summer the AC, or fans. If you're working in the garage you can turn those circuits on. With a transfer switch you are stuck with what you decided when you installed it.
Couldn't agree with you more. Mine powers my whole panel and I decide what I want to use and flip breakers accordingly. I.E. Turn the ac on to get it cool then turn ac off and water heater on for a little for showers then water heater back off and ac back on.
In the event of an outage, does that mean you have to first flip all breakers OFF before enabling the Interlock switch (or at least enough to bring the panel under the capacity of the generator)?
@@MrTeamriab To turn on or off a main breaker it is always best to shut off all the breakers first. Then turn the circuits on one at a time.
I decided to purchase an emergency power generator after receiving two emails from my electric company, warning me that I live in "what they consider to be", a high risk area, for "public safety power shut-off's" in the event of extreme temperatures and dry conditions. They said that if they deem the chance of wild fires to be high, they may choose to do a "Public Safety Power Shut-off" and that these power shut-offs may last anywhere from several hours to several days!
I chose the Westinghouse 12,500 starting watts and 9,500 running watts, dual fuel, 30/50 AMP generator and I purchased two 40 pound propane tanks that hold 9.2 gallons of propane in each tank, along with a pigtail auto switchover propane regulator and a 50 foot, 50 amp power cord attaching to a 50 amp power inlet box and an interlock device. Based on the wattage I predict I'll be using, I expect to use 1/2 gallon of propane per hour, so with 18.4 gallons of stored propane, I should have enough fuel to last approximately 36 hours. When the first tank runs dry at approximately 18 hours, the auto switch-over will automatically switch to the second tank and I'll just un-hook the first tank and take it to my propane refill place to refill it, bring it home and hook it back up.
A Certified Electrician charged $800.00 to install the power inlet box, circuit breaker and interlock device, including parts and the permit and that costs $64.00 at my local County Court House. The permit fee was also to cover the cost of a County approved Licensed, Certified Electrician to come out and inspect, approve and sign off on the installation, which never happened.
I would have "much preferred" a Generac whole home system (24,000 watts) but the cost with installation and paying the gas company, $3,500.00 to bring a gas line and meter onto my property, would have totaled somewhere between $13,000 to $15,000.00 as opposed to the approximately $2,300.00 that I spent, in total. I also purchased a couple of portable emergency air conditioners at Loews and that cost approximately $600.00.
UPDATE: Just a couple months after installing the backup power generator, PGE did do a "Public Safety Power shut off". We were on our generator backup power for 25 hours. The backup power generator performed flawlessly the entire time! Money well spent! We now have peace of mind.
Also I want to mention it DO exist transfer switches that don't hook into a subpanel, but into the main panel instead, which only consist of a tranfer switch and give same flexibility as an interlock. There are lots of transfer switches, even transfer switches that can automatically measure load current, and automatically start up generators and transfer over the power to backup when grid disappears, and transfer back & shut down generators when grid comes back. Some of these transfer switches will also have a in-line UPS too, so you have completely 100% uninterrupted power.
This really breaks everything down so well. I really appreciate this video prior to meeting with an electrician for an install.
Bravo!! Finally a video that was helpfull and understandable at the same time.
I have watched several how to do videos on transfer switches. This is the first one that
was clear and to the point. Thank you!!!
Glad to hear it! Glad it was helpful for you! Thank you for the feedback Gene!
Nice Video. I went with the 6 breaker Transfer switch powered by a remote start 4500 Watt inverter. Also plumbed it for Natural Gas as well as reg gas. Wanted to stay small so it wouldn't us too much fuel and inverter good for electronics and the RPMs drop when low load. This way I can run the basics, refrigerator, Furnace, lights, internet/ computers TV, Oven (gas oven but needs 110V to open gas valve).
Awesome video Adam, You do a great job keeping it simple and direct call covering all the bases.
Good explanation. I hooked up an interlock with a line coming from an external 50A plug and a 12,500 watt on propane. I can choose the circuits I want to run and during hurricane season in FL, life with the wife without A/C is hell. I do have a small generator I loan out to others or I can use during cooler months in my house if needed. Costs - the most expensive cost was the cable from the external plug to my circuit panel at $105 and the plug at $43, which you would have to buy anyway. Other costs were the interlock switch for $38, and a 50Amp circuit breaker for $8.
I had the Generac 30-amp Homelink transfer switch professionally installed. At that time, I had only a 2000w Harbor Freight inverter generator. When utility power failed, the small generator, with only two 120v receptacles, would not switch over power on the Homelink. After removing the HomeLink front panel, I used the provided lever to activate "test mode". Then, I could use the Homelink, but only at about 1800w continuous. I recently bought a Champion 4250w dual fuel generator, which has a 30-amp receptacle and should switch generator power to the HomeLink. Testing soon!
Interlock. 100%. You have complete control of what circuits you want to have power to in your entire house. Not to mention it is so much cheaper (and easier) to install.
unless customer has a 200 amp zinsco meter main. good luck. or some other 40 year old weird panel.
Not to mention with the cost of the transfer switch you can put that into a better generator
Thanks! Good info, I'll share with less electrically minded friends who need to know the basics. I have used both and prefer the interlock even with my small generator. I have a small house and have changed over all my 220 appliances to gas which helped and I can almost run the entire house now. May re-use my transfer switch for a solar project but we will see.
THANK YOU so much for explaining this. This has helped me to decided that I need to go with an interlock kit verses a transfer switch. The interlock is just much more flexible. I don’t want to be locked into only being able to use a select amount of circuits.
Perfect video! Straight forward information. Exactly the info I’ve been searching for, thank you!👍
Really high quality video. This in conjunction with your other video on the power inlet box puts together the whole topic in a really short amount of time.
I live in a rural area with power outages often, especially during winter. The boxes my utility company uses come prefitted with interlock kits so that adding a power inlet is very simple since most people in my area have generators
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am looking into a couple of different scenarios with generators for a couple people. So this is educational for me.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I recently experience my first 2 day power outage in Norther Virginia. I want to be prepared for next time. I learned a lot from your video. Thank you.
Great! Yeah it is not fun being without power. I went about a week without it and it is really what prompted me to do everything that I have done. Thank you for the feedback.
I went with a Pulsar 6500 dual fuel and a 6 circuit transfer switch. Perfect fit for our size home. The install was straight forward.
I used a 10 circuit manual transfer switch for a few years and recently replaced it with the interlock kit. 8500 running watt generator. Much better set up for us.
Thanks for the excellent video. Concise and to the point. From the beginning, you set out to give us points to consider in each situation, as opposed to a definite answer that might not fit everyone. Well done.
Thank you so much for all of your well develop videos. Some years ago, I saw your oldest generator related video. Due to my budget and other related factors, I was able to create a my own locking mechanism. The one I needed was out of stock but principally was about $120 dollars delivered. Personally, I re arranged my circuit box to properly accommodate the order for my 240v. panel. This is important because it created a method for me to select 6 low power circuits along with 2 higher power consumption circuits. My main restriction to give power to the house was my generator. Lucky, I got one that produces about 8k of constant power and up to 13500k for peak events. In my view, the best option is the manual locking option. This is due to the fact that are less things that could go wrong and it is cheaper and a much straight forward option that just about any DIY person can actually handle.
Great info, thanks! It seems like the interlock is the only decent option for us. We have two furnaces running off an 80A sub panel in the furnace room, which also has breakers for lights and outlets in almost half the house. The 200A main panel in the electrical room powers the kitchen, water and sewage pumps (we’re on a well and septic), and the remaining lights and outlets. Given the staircase and finished walls and ceiling between the furnace and electrical rooms plus other framing obstacles, it would be a nightmare wiring job to connect the furnaces to a transfer switch in the other room.
Great video, I just did a video on my set-up. I opted for the InterLock for the exact reason you stated. Thanks for the detailed overview!
Awesome! Glad you were able to get it all setup and are ready to go! Thanks for the feedback Fran.
Excellent explanation of the difference and who should install the transfer switch or the interlock. It clears up my confusion. Now I know what to buy. Great video!
Thank you so much for your very, very helpful videos!! I may not be able to do all this stuff with my arthritic hands anymore at age 69, but it gives me an idea what I'm getting into that I might have to pay for. Keep up the good work!!!!
You are very welcome! I am glad you doing it helpful. Thank you very much for the feedback Gerald!
Well done. direct and to the point with no rambling, Thank you
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback!
Very helpful. Now I finally know what I'm going to do to connect my gen to my house.
Great presentation. Was leaning to transfer switch, now I am convinced, transfer switch.
Excellent info and presented quickly/professionally.
Thank you for your concise explanation of the differences in the two approaches. We recently purchased a largish generator, 10k watt output, and have been looking into our options. Our power consumption calculation is about 8000w, so we purchased something that would not have to run at peak all the time. This allows for home heating with our pellet stove, cold food storage in two fridge/freezers, hot and cold water and lighting. Also figure we can switch off a few things and fire up a computer/TV for some DVD watching while we are "in the dark". We really have appreciated the effort that folks have put into providing clear information about our available choices. Your video and information are top notch! May 2022 bring us all peace and prosperity.
Excellent! Sounds like you all are doing your homework and getting everything setup right! I am glad you found the video helpful. Thank you very much for the feedback and enjoy the backup power!
For what its worth from a random internet stranger, I just installed a new outdoor load center with a main breaker and generator lockout w/ 50A input. I have 3 generators (for various reasons ranging from a 8kw welder to a 2250w 120v inverter) the 8kw will run my A/C, water heater, stove, microwave, etc individually with various lights and other small draws. It burns around 1gal/ hr at moderate load. For comparison my small inverter will run lights, fridge, freezer, TV, internet without issue. It burns a gallon every 6-8 hours or so. My typical usage for an extended outage is to run the 8kw intermittently cool or heat the house, shower, cook, etc in a couple hour time frame. After that I shut the 240V breakers off and run fridge, freezer, lights, and entertainment stuff with the smaller generator. Last large outage we had ~5 days running the small generator only was around $50 in fuel. Running the 8kw for 5 days would have been $420. The small generator I have was around $470. I keep a 55gal drum of 100LL aviation gasoline on site for all my small engines and as an emergency reserve for running the generators. Hope this helps or gives you something to think about.
@@danielh4995 thanks for that info good to hear real world stuff.
Are u running gas NP, NG
@@danielh4995 have u considered a no load low idle generator would do same
I use a transfer switch with my Champion 7500 watt generator to power almost my entire house. I don't have my stove/range, heat pump or cloths dried powered by it because of the high amp draw. I have back up window a/c units for summer use if the power is out during hot weather that the generator handles quite easily. Even though it isolates the generator from the line I always throw the main breaker to guarantee no back feed of the power lines.
I have to say that you really helped me figure out which one to buy. Thank you very much.
Gave all the information I needed in the most simplistic way, thanks.
thanks it gave me a better understanding, since I want to get my generator hooked up to my panel
Thank you for this and your other video, I just purchased my first generator which is actually an inverter and I'm looking at stepping into a full house possibility over time. The first generator can certainly run critical need issues and I have the ability parallel them if I buy a second small one. I also am smaller because they're easier to move around and if one breaks I still have something happening whereas if I have one large one and it won't start I'm dead in the water. It's the military two is one and one is none Theory.
Super informative. I'm planning to purchase a 13kw portable and this helps me decide how to connect it.
Thanks for answering all my questions. Good video right to the point I like that.
Very informative video. In our case we went with a interlock kit. Our range, clothes dryer and on demand water heater are propane. The only 220 items are our well pump and central air. We have a 13kw dual fuel portable genny that I can hook up to our in ground 250 gal propane tank in a few min. and plug into the side of the house. With our genny we can run the whole house without picking and choosing circuits.. Living in Florida it is important that AC operates.
I grew up in Central Florida without A/C. I've been sleeping with a fan ever since.
Very helpful. I have a 4500w generator and will be using the transfer switch option. Of course, if you can get your hands on a whole house generator, I'd go with the interlock kit.
Thanks for the clarity of this. I had no idea what to do
Thank you Mr. Again I really appreciated this video with it information. Simple, easy and well explain.
I’m going with a 50a interlock. I want to be able to choose what I want running. I’ll likely be getting the 7 or 8kw predator inverter. Very concise and informative video!
Sounds good! Glad you found the video to be helpful. Thanks for the feedback!
Just bought the 8750 Predator Inverter Generator and initial impressions are good so far.
I use an interlock at my house in NJ. My home has natural gas. My 7000 watt generator can run everything but the central AC. During Sandy it was nice because I could turn on any light in any room with the interlock.
Great explanation. Gave me more information than I received from talking to several electricians!
Thank you so much. You’re explanation was as clear as can be. Personally, I’d prefer the transfer switch. Simply because in an emergency when I’m not available. My family can operate the transfer switch without the worry of dealing with the panel.
You are very welcome. That is certainly a smart thought to take into consideration. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
I went interlock even with the family, training them when you are gone is key though.
Outstanding explanation, thanks for the time and energy on this video 🤙😎
i like the simplicity of a transfer switch, but i think even with having to micromanage what circuits are on and off, the versatility of the interlock kit cant be beat for evolving power needs, especially depending what season it is when you lose power
I think one of the biggest pros with an interlock is you have the flexibility to power any circuit. When I switch over to running on generator during an outage and before throwing the interlock I make sure to turn off the breakers for my electric water heater and electric dryer. These breakers are marked with red tape which makes them easy to identify.
I have a 7,500 watt generator. For extended use I try and keep the wattage being drawn to no more than 6,000 watts. I have also installed a hard start kit installed on my central AC so it isn't a problem running it on a generator as once it has started it draws 2,200 watts.. My wife and I know that when on generator you have to selectively run no more than two high wattage appliances besides the refrigerator at the same time (a stove burner, the microwave, hair dryer, garage door opener, etc.) . If after a few days my wife gets tired of cool showers I have the option to switch off the AC and then run the water heater for forty five minutes. If in the worse case the generator would be overloaded it would just trip off line.
For most people using a interlock and also by switching off all the 240v circuits would mean that they could run most everything else in the house while using a 5,000 watt or larger generator. With 12,000 watts then you can probably run most everything.
Thanks for the input Peter! Could very well be helpful for others in your situation!
@@max4life352 do they offer the two in one 110 breakers for your box? while not my favorite I used a couple to pair up some light loads (mostly lighting circuits) to free up a pair of slots for a 220 breaker
@@max4life352 most panels are rated as the total amperage, spaces, and maximum number of circuits. The ones I am most familiar with the number of circuits is double the spaces indicating that you could have all tandem breakers.
This rating should be on the inside of the hinged cover you can see and research
I’m almost ready to set up a generator inlet combined with a 48v battery & EG4 inverter(s) to a combiner box and run that back to a 125a breaker on an interlock in the main panel.
Trying to capitalize on battery for main backup power and then use the generator to supplement grid power and also charge batteries with the EG4 chargeverter.
Main idea is to use the generator to conserve gas / propane by only running the generator as needed until the batteries are charged.
Thank you for this video. Lots more to think about.
Great video - very well put together! I would recommend measuring the power usage of the house and deciding based off of that rather than the raw amp ratings. I have a new house with 200 amp service, but with all the lights being LEDs, my regular energy usage is 1000 watts, very well within a small or medium generator to power everything. My peak continuous energy usage has been 9000 watts, but that is only with the dryer, AC, and oven on all at once - probably wouldn't try doing that when in an emergency situation. I prefer having everything connected and simply remembering not to turn on the dryer, oven, and AC all at once. Only thing I have to worry about is AC inrush, but I will be installing a soft start for that (which you provide an excellent video on too!).
Hey Jonathan, I appreciate the feedback! Yes getting a good reading of what wattage is actually used is a great way to size what you will need. Sounds like you are doing it right and getting yourself all setup just in case you need to be! You will definitely love that soft start kit. It is a gamechanger.
you are obviously missing the inrush from many other devices with motors because the typical fridge is around 1200 watts right there. If you have several (and a freezer?) you have 3600 watts you forgot about, even though the average run draw is 2 - 3 amps. Edit: if you have forced air heating you have blower motors to deal with. If they are 10 years old they likely do not have a soft start.
@@rupe53 thanks for the reply. You're absolutely right. I fortunately only have 1 fridge/freezer and I'm going to give How to Home's soft start installation a try for my HVAC. He put out a really cool video explaining how to set one up. th-cam.com/video/uowVMYuPs-U/w-d-xo.html I already tested the heat and my generator had no issues powering that, it did die on trying to power the air condition condenser. In-rush definitely is something worth considering.
@@rupe53 I have a outside packaged a/c unit not sureaybe 4ton not sure the start watts hit
@@nicklopez5298 ... look at the data tag on the unit. It has figures for run amps and something else called LRA, which stands for Locked Rotor Amps. That's roughly the draw for starting up the compressor. Most gen sets can handle around 140% of their rated amps as a start surge if the "peak power" is not listed. Be aware that peak, inrush, start surge, etc is only for a few seconds.
I just did an interlock setup. It was $40 for power inlet box, $90 for the interlock kit, $20 for a double breaker, $28 for a mount plate for the power inlet box (so it would sit flat on the siding). I also needed a chunk of wire about 10' long for the power inlet box. I had that as a left over from a previous job. I have limited room where my panel is and there was no space to install a transfer switch.
Everytime I go to Electrical Store they don't have any Transfer Switches, Interlock kits, no power inlet boxes.. Are they playing "stupid?" Or, are they stupid. An other store does not offer any Solution.
Answered a question I’ve wondered for several yrs. 👍🏼
For me, the big deciding factor was that my breaker box, while it had some breakers in it (sewer pump, dryer, and a few more), it has 3 large (100A) breakers for "Upstairs", "Downstairs" and "Garage" which lead to three subpanels. If I wanted to be able to switch individual things from upstairs or downstairs, I'd have to rewire them all the way back to the main panel, otherwise I'm going to use large breakers on a transfer switch and still have to go and turn on and off individual circuits not to overload the generator.
The interlock kit was much more straight forward.
Glad you found the right solution for you! Appreciate all the feedback.
Whole house generator
Wait ... one interlock in the main breaker panel does not solve your problem. It gives you the same choice (on or off) for each subpanel. It does not give you remote control to individual breakers in the subpanels.
Awesome. Clear cut answers. Thank you very much.
Really great information in this video. Good job man!
REALLY INFORMATIVE INFORMATION.WISH I HAD FOUND IT SOONER.THANK YOU.
Very good video. Now that I see this I think an interlock system would suit my purposes better.
To add to this great video and discussion. An outage is not the time to be figuring this out. Need to prove what will and wont run, how much fuel will you use and how much do you store? I am a retired electrician and finally got my stuff almost all squared away and tested recently here in New England. In my opinion we should shut the main once or twice a year and prove everything works. Might need to swap some breakers and balance the load. Do you have access to an amprobe? Run for 12-24 hours and know your fuel consumption, and learn what you can live without. I can survive for a while on a 2000 watt inverter generator. It can run on 3 gallons a day.
It seems like the transfer switch is ideal if you plan to switch to generator power often, or if the person doing the switching doesn't understand the loads within the house.
I think the interlock switch would be what I'd personally use, as its nice to have the flexibility to switch what is powered in case you need to use something you didn't plan on when you installed the transfer switch. Although, I'd probably write up a "interlock guide" that shows what breakers to disable for normal 'generator'/backup use.
That's the one thing I never understood about the transfer switch, it supports say 6 breakers and that's it...OK got it but why not just use an interlock kit and just turn those 6 on from the main breaker panel rather than move it over to a separate panel? Also, the interlock gives way more flexibility.
@@rustynail6819 Because some ones wife at some time will just turn every thing on and smoke the generator ask me how i know... 🤣🤣
why i went with Transfer Switch.
@@Mr_Meowingtons yup!!
Very simple BUT very helpful. Two thumbs up! Thank you
You are very welcome! Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback Cornelius!
The flexibility of powering the whole panel is really nice if you are technically inclined and understand what you are doing. I have a transfer switch that feeds the whole panel. I shut off all the breakers and then flip a few key circuits back on. I color coded the essential circuits with small stickers to make the whole process very quick. But in an extended outage, maybe you really need to do some laundry or power some otherwise "non-essential" load for a few hours. But that flexibility requires understanding, in advance, how much power various appliances use and keeping a kind of rough wattage budget in your head as you flip things on and off. A transfer switch is better if you want the whole process to be simple and foolproof. Fire up the generator, push one switch and the food doesn't spoil, the internet comes back on, etc.
Good explanation. I chose an interlock kit, because a transfer switch installation would have required running wiring to my main panel and to 2 distant sub panels.
I don't bounce up and down to the panels and constantly flip circuit breakers. I have typed instructions next to the panels, including the order in which breakers should be flipped on (something important to have with a transfer switch as well), and turn a specific set of breakers on when I need my generator. In rare cases, I'll turn one off and turn a different one on.
That is the way to be. Prepared! Then there is no guessing when you have to use it. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
You do an excellent job with your explanations! Thank you for keeping it simple for us!
Transfer switch is more ideal. 1) Interlocks can’t be used everywhere legally, transfer switches can. 2) When the power is out people shouldn’t try to keep their home running exactly like before. It’s wasteful with fuel (which could be in short supply) and most people only use 50% of a generator capacity at any given time. A transfer switch makes people focus on what they really need and have it be sized to the generator they have.
Very good comment. Are interlock systems legal in Texas ? Where is a good place to look for the code about it? Thanks
@@johncontos264 I think it depends on your local rules and even the utility that gives you electric service. My city and utility forbids interlocks because it can be defeated by removing the cover panel.
I have a little Honda EU2200 generator that I've used in the past by running extension cords all over the house when power has gone out. I wanted to implement a more convenient way to do this with minimal trouble and cost. And I was able to do so as follows.
I have one of those older Sylvania/Zinsco load centers and there's no ready-made interlock kit that I could find for it. So I simply installed a normal external outlet below my load center connected to dedicated circuit breaker #4. Then I did a little re-arranging of the load center so that the circuits I want to power are all on even numbered CB's.
So when the power goes out, I turn off all CB's including the mains. Then I connect the generator to the external outlet using a short double-male X-cord and start up the gen. Then turn on CB#4. Then turn on the other even-numbered CB's one at a time. That powers up both frig's, the furnace, the computers, TV, surveillance system, burglar alarm and most of the lighting.
Now of course, I would never turn on the main breakers while the gen is running! Total cost, less than $50.
Its not for everyone but an Interlock is in my panel. I got lucky when I shopped for mine, It was around $15 for my panel. I saw others for different panels costing $75 and up. With my needs and requirement is was a no brainer.
interesting video. Thanks for making it. Since I haven't bought a generator yet I will use the money I save going with the home interlock kit and and apply that to my generator purchase to buy a bigger unit. This way I will be able to power my whole ( if my daughters aren't home ) house
I facilitate generator to house units, and I always install #6 wire from the generator inlet box. IF generator has the 30 amp outlet, the house inlet, of course, will also be 30 amps. To anticipate, my customers might eventually UPGRADE to a larger generator (50 amp outlet) then all I have to change is the house inlet box . The #6 wire is what the 50 amp calls for. I believe most upgrades are bigger generators and electric start. I also recommend during the upgrade for a dedicated 120 volt weather proof receptical for easy access to charge the generator battery if ever needed. Most of the time I install breaker lockout on the panel. I always discuss customer energy usage. (Well pump, electric dryer, electric stove, central A/C) . And have customers write down 'operating sheet' so I can talk them through it on the phone as necessary.
My house originally came with a main panel & a sub panel in my house. The original main panel on the house had all the large wattage devices on it like the water well pump, stove, hot water heater, HVAC, & also last but not least a breaker for the sub panel too! The crazy thing about my main panel was that there was no main breaker on it! The original sub panel on my house had most of the other smaller amperage / wattage house circuits on it for lights, refrigerator, etc. Now of course I knew my medium size generator would not be able to power all of these big wattage appliances & I wasn't going to try it either. So some of these sub panel circuits would be the ones that I wanted to be able to power if an emergency happened (except for the well pump for water). To fix the dilemma I had, I moved the high importance (water supply) well pump from the main panel to the sub panel. Now I also installed a new sub panel on it that had a main breaker on it for the interlock switch (because my original sub panel didn't have a main breaker on it). BTW - I also don't plan on using the electric dryer & microwave (still on the sub panel) when using my 7000 watt generator. So what I plan on doing is to turn these breakers OFF to stop an accident "generator overloads" from happening. I also have wattage meters attached to the sub panel too so we can check wattage useage while running the generator. I have informed the wife about we can't use all house appliances during power outages as well... I actually asked electrical companies to give me estimates to fix my original panels so I could connect a generator & they gave me a lowest $15,000 bid to do this job. I said WTF & hell no. I did all this stuff myself for $200-$300...
I have looked at both options and I tend to favor the interlock kit. I will add there is one additional option. You can have installed a generator connector that connects to the main power coming in. When you connect your generator and turn on the power it senses the power and disco's it from the main lines.
go for interlocm kit. The last option you mentioned is a stupid too risky decision that please avoid. No offense intended.
You asked how I installed my transfer switch. I have a 3 position switch- utility live- neutral (in between the two power sources)- and generator live. This way current is provided to the panel from one source only. Again this is very important so that my generator cannot feed into the grid where you might have downed power lines.
Great video. Concise and clear. Thank you
Thank you for this video. I am currently building my own place and this information helped me decide on the power failure route I am going to take.
Seriously appreciate the time you took to make this video!
Awesome! Glad this was helpful for you. Good luck on the build!
This is good stuff. I'm just at the start of this process but if I went down the wrong path it would be difficult to go back I think.
I would have wanted to see the comparison between a larger, whole house transfer switch compared to the interlock. I went interlock, figuring I'm eventually going to add batteries and get an Enphase smart switch, so I am going cheap until then.
I use an interlock and I got a 2200 watt gen. Furnace is gas and I have a wood stove. Literally for lights and tv. Works great. Get the right cord you can power both sides of the panel.
I went with a transfer switch because my main breaker/meter is in an electrical closet I don’t have easy access to. Either one you go with, you’ll be far better off than the vast majority of homeowners which typically dont have any backup power beyond flash lights and candles.
clear, detailed and very helpful. Thank you.
@HowToHomeDIY
Hi Adam, thank you for all your interesting topics. They really help us understand what we need to consider for our homes.
Do either of these 2 systems you describe here use a power inverter between the generator and the circuit panel?
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO, IT WAS VERY HELPFUL!
I found this content very helpful, especially the price value
I am glad you found it helpful. Thanks for the feedback!
I have the interlock. My reasoning was the interlock gave much more versatility. I can run all my outlets and outside lights for security during an outage. And cost was much lower on labor cost to hiring an electrician
Great video. Thanks for the information. What was the model of interlock kit you are using?
Thanks for taking the time to share this information.
You are welcome Lloyd! I hope you found it helpful.
Suggestion - for a temporary situation or a permanent solution, get a Generlink meter base adaptor. Would recommend the 40 amp unit.
Safe, very easy to use, super easy (5 min.) for the electric company to install.
I have no ties to the company. I bought one and it's a great solution. Using it with my Generac standby genset. Simply plug in the cord when needed, unplug when done.
Very expensive compared to interlock and some utilities don’t allow it.
More flexibility with the interlock kit switching to different breakers, but the transfer switch is thought out and planned for the rated amperage needed.
This was the video I needed thank you!
You are welcome! Glad it was helpful. Thank you for the feedback!
I went the expensive route. (Whole house generator 24KW) Before I had a 13,000 generator and I lost power at 2am. There was a hellacious storm going on and it was too dangerous to go outside and hook things up. I suffered all night long due to the house being hot. I still have my 13,000 sitting in my storage shed all nice and shiny but it's never going to get used now. Unless someone else loses power.
Could you talk about grounding the portable generator when using it for household and other situations?
This was very helpful!
Great description, thanks!
I am recommending interlock kit as well. It costs no more in the end by the time you factor in the cost of the transfer switch, and gives you far more flexibility. My 5000 watt inverter generator (6250 peak) will run everything I need... Fridge, Freezer, lights, TV, Internet, Ceiling fans, Microwave, and just about anything else EXCEPT the central air (though it will run the gas furnace because the blower is on breaker of its own). My entire setup even with the pro install was only $1350. Most modern houses with energy efficient appliances don't take much power to run, though if the house is all electric and you want to stay warm, then yeah, 5kw may not be enough. For me, 5000 watt was the smallest 240v inverter generator I could find. I could have done with smaller if they made something, but you really need 240v generator to make the interlock work for all of the circuits. I recommend to everyone that asks about it to skip the transfer switch. It just doesn't make sense.
Same here regarding whole panel back up using Two each EU-2000i Honda Generators.
I converted my 240VAC/40AMP dryer breaker to be our new generator input breaker since our drier runs on Natural Gas using just a 120VAC receptacle. I made a parallel fused jumper across the 40AMP generator breaker to power every 120volt load in the house on the same single phase.
Steps to run generator
1 Open Main Breaker 240VAC
2 Open AC Condenser Breaker 240VAC
3 Start Generators and Plug in 120VAC/30AMP Cord to dedicated Input Receptacle
4 Close Output Breaker on Honda Parallel Kit 120VAC
5 Close 120VAC/40AMP Input Breaker for Generator Tie and now the entire home has power for every 120VAC load including the N.G Furnace.
We have a natural Gas Furnace, Water Heater, Range, and Dryer and Use 2 each 6000BTU Window units for Cooling, so this reduces our total load significantly compared to an all-electric home.
This system works great with only a few load combinations requiring any load shedding mostly for starting inductive loads. We are using this for emergency backup power on a 1800 square ft home in Houston TX.
The DuroMax XP4850EH dual fuel is the smallest 240v ,Peak Wattage on Gas is 4,850 with Running Wattage 3,850, on Propane is Peak Wattage 4,608, Running Wattage 3,658, I run my home 2300 sq ft home in Florida with propane all I run is all ceiling fans 4 bed rooms, TV.s Fridge, well pump, lights, and PC's, no central AC. or water heater, I have a propane stove, running it with the interlock. I only spend $320 for my set up without the generator, 3 years ago I pay $ 375 for the generator, so my total was out the door for $695 give or take. oh yeah when I run the well pump I turn off all ceiling fans.
Good video. Very informative. Some homes like mine have the main breaker outside and the breaker box inside. This doesn't allow me to have an interlock switch because the main is a single breaker box. So a licensed professional would not install an inlet box and breaker to my panel without the ability to put in a interlock switch. So a transfer box would be ideal. However my neighbor is an electrician and we installed a inlet and breaker. I just have to make sure i flip my main on and off before i do anything. I will eventually switch to a transfer box. JFYI
Reliance has a nice 200 amp outdoor rated manual transfer switch with interlock. A little expensive put it might be a good option for you.
Great information. Thanks. I can now make a decision clearly.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful. Thanks a lot for taking the time to let me know!
Thanks,just what i was looking for
Thank you for the videos. They’re very informative.
My question is how do I know what size generator I’ll need to run the whole house. How do I add up all the wattage my house has in it
Thank you
Great and informative videos. I think I have learned something. Thanks so much. John
Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback John!
Adam, you're a fine teacher, and this was VERY well explained. (Liked & Subscribed from long ago) Kudos John 3:16