In article 1110762826.da03817dab4404b254e2c71e1ad4489f@bubba news, (Way Back Jack) wrote:
On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:02:46 GMT, "toller" wrote:
"Way Back Jack" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 22:24:14 GMT, "toller" wrote:
Why would you choose a switch with 8 or 10 circuit capability if your
generator supports 12?

Cause you simply don't have more than 8 circuits you need to power during
a
blackout; and all the extra wiring fills up your breaker box pretty fast.
I have a 6 circuit transfer switch and had trouble deciding on the 5th and
6th circuits, as I only really wanted 4.

OK, in your estimation, how many circuits would be typically involved
in this bare-bones scenario:

Refrigerator; oil-fired furnace; well/water storage tank; water
neutralizer/softener; water heater; sump-pump.

Water softener is obviously not a critical device.

If the water heater is 240v, then you have 7 circuits there.

No, six circuits. But two of them are 240V circuits (the water heater, and the
well pump). Five if you subtract the unnecessary water softener.

All these
items should be on their own circuit. Or is this a trick question?

That's just silly. There's no need to put each of these on its own circuit.
Neither a furnace blower nor a sump pump is a particularly high-current
device, so these two could share a circuit, and still have capacity left to
support lights or outlets. And a water softener draws hardly any current, so
it could share a 120V circuit with any of the other loads.

Adding one circuit for some lights and your TV gets you to 8.

Lights can share a circuit with either the refrigerator or the furnace and
sump pump, as long as you don't try to turn night into day.

So a more realistic count at this point is
two 240V circuits:
- water heater
- well pump
two 120V circuits
- oil furnace + sump pump + optional water softener + a few outlets
- refrigerator + some lights

(I don't have a water heater, sumppump, well, or softener; so 4 was plenty
for me.)

I *hope* you mean you don't have an *electric* water heater... ;-)

No trick question. I'm just stupid on these issues and trying to
learn. Thanks.

No, not "stupid". Uninformed.

Ignorance can be cured, but stupidity is forever.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?