Greetings Gents,

Just got back from Home Despot with a pile of goodies to build my
electrical distribution panel for the ChangFa generator (pictures will
be forth coming...)

While the main purpose for the generator is mobil power for remote job
sites, I also want to run the house off of it when the inevitable
happens. Towards that goal, I am looking for a 200amp 240V manual
transfer switch to go between the utility meter and my exterior 200amp
electrical panel. Seems simple enough, but have you seen the prices
of these things?? Grainger wants $499 for a simple manual transfer
switch. Even Harbour Fright wants $340 buck for a Cutler-Hammer
model..

Anyone have any other ideas on an inexpensive and simple transfer
switch?

Currently I'm watching Ebay, but who know's what you get there.

I now see the attraction of the evil method of pulling the electric
meter or flipping off the main breaker, and hard wiring in a
generator.. (And yes, I understand all the reasons why this is a
terrible and dangerous thing to do!)


Take Care,
James Lerch
http://lerch.no-ip.com/atm (My telescope construction, Testing, and Coating site)

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge

"James Lerch" wrote: (clip) Anyone have any other ideas on an inexpensive
and simple transfer switch? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You may be finding switches that are rated to switch 200 amps under load.
You don't need that. You need a switch that will carry 200 amps.

The way I initially built my transfer system was with cable plugs. I wired
the house to the meter through a length of flexible cable that had a heavy
twistlock plug in the middle. I attached a similar cable to the generator
with a matching plug. In the event of a power failure, I unplugged from the
meter and plugged into the generator (with a flashlight in my armpit.) This
accomplishes the purpose, and absolutely prevents cross feeding between the
generator and the utility lines.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:46:03 GMT, in rec.crafts.metalworking you
wrote:


"James Lerch" wrote: (clip) Anyone have any other ideas on an inexpensive
and simple transfer switch? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You may be finding switches that are rated to switch 200 amps under load.
You don't need that. You need a switch that will carry 200 amps.

The way I initially built my transfer system was with cable plugs. I wired
the house to the meter through a length of flexible cable that had a heavy
twistlock plug in the middle. I attached a similar cable to the generator
with a matching plug.

Where o where did you find 200amp capable twist lock plugs? I kind of
like the idea, as long as code enforcment is happy with it as well...
Take Care,
James Lerch
http://lerch.no-ip.com/atm (My telescope construction, Testing, and Coating site)

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge

"James Lerch" skrev i en meddelelse
...

Where o where did you find 200amp capable twist lock plugs? I kind of
like the idea, as long as code enforcment is happy with it as well...

Camlock connectors are widely used in the entertainment industry ( and
incidentally they look a lot like the connectors used on stickwelders in
europe ) http://www.audiopile.net/Technical_L...tt_camlock.jpg

Another option may be CEE form connectors, widely used across europe:
http://www.shop.licht-geluid.nl/Afbe...compositie.jpg

The biggest ones available is a 5 pin ( 3 phase + neutral + gnd ) 125 amp
for a 230/400V setup..

Best thing about the CEE connectors is that they are close to indestructible
and pretty much waterproof... ( Wouldnt drop them in a lake tho :-)

/peter

On Fri, 1 Jul 2005 13:34:17 +0200, "Q" wrote:


"James Lerch" skrev i en meddelelse
...

Where o where did you find 200amp capable twist lock plugs? I kind of
like the idea, as long as code enforcment is happy with it as well...

Camlock connectors are widely used in the entertainment industry ( and
incidentally they look a lot like the connectors used on stickwelders in
europe ) http://www.audiopile.net/Technical_L...tt_camlock.jpg

Another option may be CEE form connectors, widely used across europe:
http://www.shop.licht-geluid.nl/Afbe...compositie.jpg

The biggest ones available is a 5 pin ( 3 phase + neutral + gnd ) 125 amp
for a 230/400V setup..

Best thing about the CEE connectors is that they are close to indestructible
and pretty much waterproof... ( Wouldnt drop them in a lake tho :-)

Interesting, they also look a lot like welding cable connectors used
on the Miller Big 40 DIesel welding machines as well.

I'm buying a 200amp transfer switch, I know that much for certain.
The question that remains is the simplest way to go from the transfer
switch to the generator, while still keeping the generator portable.

But first, I should probably make sure the generator gets finished

Take Care,
James Lerch
http://lerch.no-ip.com/atm (My telescope construction, Testing, and Coating site)

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge

"James Lerch" skrev i en meddelelse
...

Interesting, they also look a lot like welding cable connectors used
on the Miller Big 40 DIesel welding machines as well.

I'm buying a 200amp transfer switch, I know that much for certain.
The question that remains is the simplest way to go from the transfer
switch to the generator, while still keeping the generator portable.

CEE forms would be my suggestion... Safe, relatively cheap and definately
reliable..

You could just leave a length of SOJ hanging off the transfer switch.. Plug
it in the gennie when needed..

Most Euro places ( and probably some american places too ) have CEE forms in
the 3 ph + neutral + gnd version available in 125 amp ( per ph@ 230/400V )
models.. They should cost about 50$ each...

The size range is: 16,32,63 and 125 amp 3 phase... Some UK places also stock
these in single phase versions..

I dont know anything about electrical codes in the US, but I doubt it would
be a problem using something like these in the US ( connectors are rated for
twice the voltage and twice the current compared to what you need )

Altho: You might want to consider looking in your neighbours shed to see
what kind of outlet he is using... That way you could steal power :-)

www.cameltraders.com can sell you the camlocks and appropriate cable if you
choose that route.. I have not done business with these people personally,
but they have an excellent reputation within the entertainment industry..

/peter

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:29:34 GMT, James Lerch wrote:
On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:46:03 GMT, in rec.crafts.metalworking you
wrote:
The way I initially built my transfer system was with cable plugs. I wired
the house to the meter through a length of flexible cable that had a heavy
twistlock plug in the middle. I attached a similar cable to the generator
with a matching plug.

Where o where did you find 200amp capable twist lock plugs? I kind of

A 200amp plug is pretty beefy. I took a similar approach, but I did it
with a 60amp subpanel instead of the main. The subpanel plugs into a
60amp outlet powered from the main panel, or it plugs into an adjacent
outlet powered by a generator.

I also permanently grounded the subpanel, instead of
connecting/disconnecting the ground with the plug.

like the idea, as long as code enforcment is happy with it as well...

Don't know about that. In my case, I designed it to be easily rewired
if at some point that should be desirable. I believe it to be safe and
compliant, but I would not be suprised if there were some corner case
which prohibits permanent fixtures (the subpanel) from being cord and
plug connected to other permanent wiring.

sdb
--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

In article
,
"Leo Lichtman" wrote:

"James Lerch" wrote: (clip) Anyone have any other ideas on an inexpensive
and simple transfer switch? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You may be finding switches that are rated to switch 200 amps under load.
You don't need that. You need a switch that will carry 200 amps.

Many switches will carry many times their rated load as long as you
don't open it under load. I 'sucessfully' used a 15 amp DPDT switch in
a magnet circuit that used 50 apms at full load, worked great since I
needed to reverse polarity at essentially zero current. Put up a big
sign warning to NEVER flip the switch unless the power supply was OFF.
Worked great until some fool flipped the switch at full power to see
what would happen; It exploded like a hand grenade.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

James Lerch wrote:

Greetings Gents,

Just got back from Home Despot with a pile of goodies to build my
electrical distribution panel for the ChangFa generator (pictures will
be forth coming...)

While the main purpose for the generator is mobil power for remote job
sites, I also want to run the house off of it when the inevitable
happens. Towards that goal, I am looking for a 200amp 240V manual
transfer switch to go between the utility meter and my exterior 200amp
electrical panel. Seems simple enough, but have you seen the prices
of these things?? Grainger wants $499 for a simple manual transfer
switch. Even Harbour Fright wants $340 buck for a Cutler-Hammer
model..

Anyone have any other ideas on an inexpensive and simple transfer
switch?

Currently I'm watching Ebay, but who know's what you get there.

I now see the attraction of the evil method of pulling the electric
meter or flipping off the main breaker, and hard wiring in a
generator.. (And yes, I understand all the reasons why this is a
terrible and dangerous thing to do!)


Take Care,
James Lerch
http://lerch.no-ip.com/atm (My telescope construction, Testing, and Coating site)

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge


Northern tool sent a catalog today with those things..manual switch for
100 A is $ 129 with fancier units higher. Look around to see what
they've got. they might just have something cheap that will do the job.
northerntool.com


Koz

"James Lerch" wrote in message
...
Greetings Gents,

Just got back from Home Despot with a pile of goodies to build my
electrical distribution panel for the ChangFa generator (pictures will
be forth coming...)

There is a cheaper way if you are willing to pick 8 of your Home's circuits
to connect to your generator. Home Depot carries a $120.00, 60 amp generator
panel. It has a mechanical interlock so the panel can only be powered from one
source at a time.

Store SKU # 311215
Internet # 162355
Catalog # 100096290

Vaughn

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:23:35 GMT, "Vaughn"
wrote:


"James Lerch" wrote in message
...
Greetings Gents,

Just got back from Home Despot with a pile of goodies to build my
electrical distribution panel for the ChangFa generator (pictures will
be forth coming...)

There is a cheaper way if you are willing to pick 8 of your Home's circuits
to connect to your generator. Home Depot carries a $120.00, 60 amp generator
panel. It has a mechanical interlock so the panel can only be powered from one
source at a time.


I saw those, but I've got 15kw of power (well... I should have 15Kw of
power), so I'd like to be able to use it... I don't expect to be able
to run ALL my 220vac appliances at once, but it would be nice to run
each one individually if the power is out for extended periods...

Hacking apart a new 200amp meter base, and building a simple double
pole - double throw switch is starting to look attractive.... I wonder
how doable that might be, and if it would pass code when its done.


Take Care,
James Lerch
http://lerch.no-ip.com/atm (My telescope construction, Testing, and Coating site)

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge

James Lerch wrote:


Hacking apart a new 200amp meter base, and building a simple double
pole - double throw switch is starting to look attractive.... I wonder
how doable that might be, and if it would pass code when its done.

Don't bother, it won't