Transfer Switch

[DoneWithIce]

Would someone knowledgeable of the best/ correct transfer switch to install to utilize the 240 bed circuit please care to respond? I’ve decided not to install my FCSP for 2 reasons for partial house backup. One is my electric utility requires me to use their charger to take advantage of the favorable charging rates here in NE FL and stay in their program. Second I called SunRun yesterday, you may guess how that went, conversation for another time.
If someone could recommend a transfer switch with 4 to 6 circuit capability that addresses the neutral bonding issue, I would be most appreciative. Thank you very much.

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[bmwhitetx]

Generac 6852. See this thread:
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-my-house-from-the-pro-power-240v-plug.14017/

There is also a meter collar that some utilities offer.
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...connect-pro-power-to-a-generator-inlet.18861/

 

[CyclopsThere]

Would someone knowledgeable of the best/ correct transfer switch to install to utilize the 240 bed circuit please care to respond? I’ve decided not to install my FCSP for 2 reasons for partial house backup. One is my electric utility requires me to use their charger to take advantage of the favorable charging rates here in NE FL and stay in their program. Second I called SunRun yesterday, you may guess how that went, conversation for another time.
If someone could recommend a transfer switch with 4 to 6 circuit capability that addresses the neutral bonding issue, I would be most appreciative. Thank you very much.

Just got mine done, tested, with one big issue that the electricians came back and fixed.

Got the Generac HomeLink 30a MTS
https://www.generac.com/residential-products/standby-generator-transfer-switches/home-link/6852/

The usual stuff with the bonded neutral, my electricians figured that one out right away. The puzzling issue was that the furnace wouldn't fire on generator.

It took some figuring out, but turned out to be that the furnace needed that separate ground. You can read my play by play in this thread with excellent suggestions from the forum. https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...setup-with-lightning.19259/page-4#post-393129

SunRun is a joke and Ford finally learned the hard way. I found my electricians via Ford's new recommendation, qMerit https://qmerit.com/ , and I couldn't be happier with the company they paired me with. I'm getting more work done soon with these folks. Prices have been fair.

 

[DoneWithIce]

Thanks Gents, good info to chew on.
I wish FPL in my area here allowed the collar, they don't, so can't go that route.
Trying to power my 2 ton ac unit, Daiken Fit with soft start. I'll post how that goes.
Also considering incorporating a couple of Jackery batteries with portable solar panels connected to get 6000 w at 240 to connect to that transfer switch. Would like to go with solar on the roof but my homeowners ins co would drop me, then I'd have to scramble to find another. FL is tough right now. Thanks again

 

[Danface]

I was going to use a transfer swtich but the electrician recommended using a lockout on the main panel so the truck can backfeed the entire house.
The wire is run, just waiting on the electrician to do the final hookup

I did buy a Reliance panel so if you go that route and are interested in it, please let me know and I can send along the details.

 

[Henry Ford]

I was going to use a transfer swtich but the electrician recommended using a lockout on the main panel so the truck can backfeed the entire house.
The wire is run, just waiting on the electrician to do the final hookup

This isn't compatible with the Lightning without overriding its GFCI system which isn't code compliant and, in my opinion, unwise if not unsafe.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

I was going to use a transfer swtich but the electrician recommended using a lockout on the main panel so the truck can backfeed the entire house.
The wire is run, just waiting on the electrician to do the final hookup

This is what lots of us have for the ProPower and/or a portable generator. But you will need to disconnect the ground pin on the female end of your generator cable for this to work with ProPower. I highly recommend clearly labeling that cable as having the ground lifted on the female end, and only using it for the truck. The truck has a GFCI built into the 240v outlet. The ground-neutral bond in the main panel will be seen by truck's GFCI as a fault and trip off the truck's circuit breaker instantly. Most portable generators do not have a GFCI on the 240v outlet and therefore don't have this issue.

This is not perfectly code compliant method, however it not creating hazards or bypassing safeties. The breakers in your home panel will continue to function normally.

When I put a generator inlet in my garage, I'm going to put a little red covered safety switch on the inlet box that disconnects the ground, that way I don't need a special cable.

 

[CyclopsThere]

I was going to use a transfer swtich but the electrician recommended using a lockout on the main panel so the truck can backfeed the entire house.
The wire is run, just waiting on the electrician to do the final hookup

I did buy a Reliance panel so if you go that route and are interested in it, please let me know and I can send along the details.

interested to hear how this works out! what's your draw needs? my electricians wanted me to manage the circuits I'd be needing or using. I suppose you'd do the same by flipping individual breakers?

 

[CyclopsThere]

This is what lots of us have for the ProPower and/or a portable generator. But you will need to disconnect the ground pin on the female end of your generator cable for this to work with ProPower. I highly recommend clearly labeling that cable as having the ground lifted on the female end, and only using it for the truck. The truck has a GFCI built into the 240v outlet. The ground-neutral bond in the main panel will be seen by truck's GFCI as a fault and trip off the truck's circuit breaker instantly. Most portable generators do not have a GFCI on the 240v outlet and therefore don't have this issue.

This is not perfectly code compliant method, however it not creating hazards or bypassing safeties. The breakers in your home panel will continue to function normally.

When I put a generator inlet in my garage, I'm going to put a little red covered safety switch on the inlet box that disconnects the ground, that way I don't need a special cable.

my electricians did that as a temporary thing during testing, then supposedly did something more code compliant including adding a 2nd grounding rod. they didn't touch my cable

 

[Danface]

Thanks for the heads-up/info. I'll talk to my electrician and let him know about the GFCI in the truck. He's not going to do anything that's out of code so I'll let folks here know what he recommends ... at least here in Massachusetts!

 

[Runaway Tractor]

Thanks for the heads-up/info. I'll talk to my electrician and let him know about the GFCI in the truck. He's not going to do anything that's out of code so I'll let folks here know what he recommends ... at least here in Massachusetts!

Yeah it's highly likely the electrician is not going to modify the cable for you.

 

[Danface]

Yeah it's highly likely the electrician is not going to modify the cable for you.

Agreed. I still have the xfer switch if need be. I seem to think that having more than one path to ground in the system isn't supported by code. BTW, the grounding is done by bonding on both sides of the water meter.

 

[chl]

Thanks Gents, good info to chew on.
I wish FPL in my area here allowed the collar, they don't, so can't go that route.
Trying to power my 2 ton ac unit, Daiken Fit with soft start. I'll post how that goes.
Also considering incorporating a couple of Jackery batteries with portable solar panels connected to get 6000 w at 240 to connect to that transfer switch. Would like to go with solar on the roof but my homeowners ins co would drop me, then I'd have to scramble to find another. FL is tough right now. Thanks again

I am not in Fla but I guess we all are paying for fires out west and flooding in the south, north, east, west, everywhere, because my homeowner's ins went up dramatically last year before I noticed - on auto-pay - and was going to jump again this year, so I switched to bundle with GEICO auto and cut the premium substantially. The old ins also wanted to re-inspect my house - had it for 30 years with no claims and no inspections - and then require me to make repairs or not renew, and they told me this 30 days before renewal!! What a racket.

I agree with the GENERAC recommendations - they seem reasonably priced anyway. But any transfer switch that switches the neutrals will work.

The advice above to cut the ground pin could get someone killed or start a fire, but for sure will result in failing inspection! Do NOT do it!

I never had any trouble with my furnace with my old transfer switch that did not switch neutrals, running off a gas generator - saved my butt onetime after an ice storm and one time when the outside temp was 10 degrees F.

I never tried to hook up the A/C, as people may have mentioned the start up current on A/C compressors is large unless you use a soft-start device (expensive) so can over load the generator or other source like the lightning. In a pinch (outage in summer) I can use a window A/C or two upstairs to cool things down - here in the mid-Atlantic anyway.

 

[CyclopsThere]

I never tried to hook up the A/C, as people may have mentioned the start up current on A/C compressors is large unless you use a soft-start device (expensive) so can over load the generator or other source like the lightning. In a pinch (outage in summer) I can use a window A/C or two upstairs to cool things down - here in the mid-Atlantic anyway.

We are in a very special spot where we think our AC unit is small enough (very small house) that we can hook it up. I'll book a date this week with the electricians to come back out and try hooking up, and we'll run some tests knowing that we'll have a contingency if it doesn't work/faults out the truck.

They looked at soft start and our unit and thought it would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

The advice above to cut the ground pin could get someone killed or start a fire, but for sure will result in failing inspection! Do NOT do it!

This is a wild overreaction not based on reality. There is nothing to get anyone killed, and nothing to start a fire. If you're going to make such outrageous claims, back it up with factual examples or data. And not some completely absurd edge case that would burn the house down with or without the hookup.

There are lots of things that are in the name of safely doing what needs to be done in an emergency. This is one of them.


Circuit breakers in the panel will continue to operate just as they always have before. NOTHING about this changes the existing breaker's ability to function properly. This includes normal overload, GFCI, and AFCI type breakers. Fault current will get back to the source over the hot and neutral legs from the panel to the truck, just like it does when going back to the source on the utility pole outside the house. There isn't a separate grounding conductor going out to the transformer either. So to claim this is starting fires is non-sense.

By leaving the ground intact through the generator cable up to the female plug, you're protecting the cable itself from ground faults. Like if you run it over with a lawn mower or it gets water into it. The truck (or generator) overload and GFCI will handle it because it's bonded at the truck.

There is NOTHING to start a fire and NOTHING is unprotected. The only thing that is unprotected, is the page of the code book that says the bond needs to be at the first disconnect, which technically is the truck's built in circuit breaker. The end.

Cite code all you want if you're that much in love with it. I get it. We all get it. It's not the perfect code compliant method. We all get that a transfer switch is better. We all get it. And we're all still going to do what is safe, practical, prudent, and temporary in an emergency.

Meanwhile, there's millions of occupied and approved homes with knob and tube wiring or ungrounded outlets and no AFCIs and no GFCIs all across America that are actual fire risk that kill people. I'll worry about this safe and practical temporary emergency hookup when someone starts worry about actual dangers first.

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