rh455 wrote:
John, in doing some research I found that the biggest fear of most is
that the main breaker may fail while in the off position thus still
allowing power flow as if it were still on. I suppose that this cenario
is still possible with an interlock kit. Is this right?


Pop, I don't have either switch at the moment, but don't I have to do
both of the steps you listed regardless of which switch I get? With a
cutoff, I go outside, throw the cutoff and lock it down. Then connect
the generator and turn on the circuits that I want. With a transfer
switch, I have to turn the main switch on the transfer switch from
utility to generator, connect the generator and select the circuits
that I want to run. Did I miss something? Aren't I doing the same steps
regardless of what switch I choose?

Another problem I'm facing is that the breaker box in my house is in a
confined area, barely wider than the box itself. I won't have any place
in the immediate area to install the transfer switch. From all ads I've
seen, the harness is only about 2'. The wall that the breaker box backs
up to is the breakfast area, so Wifey won't be thrilled about that. Any
ideas?

That is a straw man put forward in an attempt to answer those who say
that they would never forget to open the main first. I don't see a
failure of a main breaker in the closed position as at all likely. What
I do see as likely is that the user will be tired, stressed out, drunk,
or elsewhere. If the user is elsewhere then their no it all teenage
child, fed up with no power wife, or ever so helpful neighbor will
attempt to use a system were a single mistake in two separate operations
will cause injury of death. With the interlock kit and a fixed male
inlet there is no way to make a deadly mistake with a suicide cord or a
back feed to the outside utility lines. In forty years of electric work
I have never seen a main breaker fail closed. I have however seen more
than a dozen of them fail open or unable to reset after opening on
repeated overloads.

To overcome your limited space you can mount a SquareD rain tight, feed
through panel out doors between the meter and the point of entry of the
service conductors. That panel will contain the interlock kit. It will
also provide you an outdoor source for air conditioning, well pump,
outbuildings, jacuzzi, or any other outside load. The flanged inlet;
such as the one shown at
http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=21_27;
can be mounted right at the feed through panel. That will put your
generator operation all in one place.

If your home has any form of dual metering such as for off peak use of
AC or heating then you need to have the installation checked by an
electrician experienced in emergency power installations to eliminate
any possible sneak current paths between the two meters via equipment
served by both.

You won't have to select the circuits as long as you don't turn on too
much load there will be no problem.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison