Working Pro Power using Generator Lockout Kit to Feed the Whole Panel

[Maquis]

Does anyone know why I couldn't have interlocks on both of my adjacent panels, with a 30A breaker being fed by the the generator inlet on one (like Dan's setup), and another 30A breaker coming back out (with a handle tie to the interlocked breaker) and feeding a third 30A breaker in the 2-4 position (also interlocked) in the second panel? I borrowed Dan's photo and duplicated it to show the to panels and proposed configuration. I've see a lot of online discussion about this, and it usually revolves around using a splitter and two inlets or a junction box. I understand I couldn't run everything on both panels at the same time, but the circuits we would want to energize in an outage are spread just evenly enough between the panels that it would be a nightmare to try to rearrange, and it would mess up the load balance, I would think. Any thoughts on this setup?

What you describe should work fine.

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[drewfaulk]

What is the intended use for this setup? The single most important thing is to prevent power going to the generator while the main is connected/hot/"on" and vice versa.

Just to accomplish the same thing you did, only with my two-panel setup. This would allow me to use a single generator inlet in an outage to feed both my panels. The advantage would be not having to put all my critical circuits on one panel, which would be a nightmare and would mess with the load balance. All I would have to do would be to shut off all non-critical breakers in both panels, flip both interlocks, and turn on the generator. Because the second panel would be fed by the first (which is interlocked), and is also interlocked itself, back-feeding power shouldn't be possible. I would also add a breaker handle tie between the interlocked panel 1 breaker and the one below it that feeds the second panel, just as a belt and suspenders precaution.

 

[drewfaulk]

What you describe should work fine.

Great. Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Danface]

Ah,

Just to accomplish the same thing you did, only with my two-panel setup. This would allow me to use a single generator inlet in an outage to feed both my panels. The advantage would be not having to put all my critical circuits on one panel, which would be a nightmare and would mess with the load balance. All I would have to do would be to shut off all non-critical breakers in both panels, flip both interlocks, and turn on the generator. Because the second panel would be fed by the first (which is interlocked), and is also interlocked itself, back-feeding power shouldn't be possible. I would also add a breaker handle tie between the interlocked panel 1 breaker and the one below it that feeds the second panel, just as a belt and suspenders precaution.

Ah, got it. That'd work fine!

My setup is about to be obsolete, there"s a pilot program in Massachusetts which will be installing the Ford/Sunrun HIS and a V2X inverter which will be used at high demand times in the summer to feed the grid.

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