On Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:04:40 -0500, "Pete C."
wrote:


Tim Wescott wrote:

On Wed, 12 Nov 2014 18:26:54 -0500, Pete C. wrote:

Tim Wescott wrote:

What's the switch called that you use to cut a circuit over from street
'lectricity to a generator?

And do they come in a little 15- or 20-amp version?

I just lost most of today's opportunity to work to a power outage (big
windstorm today), and spent my down-time buying a generator. I can
just toss an extension cord through the window of my office to the
generator,
but it'd be nice to connect it to my office plugs instead.

Transfer switch. Not something I recommend to anyone these days in most
cases. Look for an interlock kit to match your electrical panel.
Interlock kits are available for most panels now, in many cases OEM
interlock kits, and they are less expensive and more versatile than a
traditional transfer switch. I use a Square D interlock kit on my 200A
QO panel with a 30A generator feed breaker. It works very well and the
OEM interlock kit was ~$60.

I only bought as much generator as I need to keep working, so I really
only need (or want) to supply one or two circuits.

I could do a whole-panel switchover, but then I'd need to shut off
everything but the office lights & plugs before I started up the
generator.

Spend $60 on an interlock kit for your panel and $30 on an inlet box, or
spend only a little less to rework those circuits to feed single
receptacle boxes next to the panel and put plugs on the circuit
conductors so you can unplug them from the panel feed and plug them into
an extension cord from the generator. Don't forget to factor in the cost
of the extension cords.

Basically, doing it half-ass will cost about $75 and doing it right will
cost about $100 and give you the flexibility to power whatever circuits
are needed at the time.
Generally speaking I've found if doing it half-assed costs $100 ,
doing it right, if you can do it yourself like you do the half-assed
job, can be done for $80