*NOT Sponsored* DIY - Install A Transfer Switch for Home Backup Power!! MUCH easier than you think!
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2023
- #diy #diyprojects #backuppower #shtf #prepping #generator #emergency #preparation #prepper
Save yourself HUNDREDS of dollars by DIY installing a Manual Transfer Switch for home backup power. It is WAY easier than you think it is....
WARNING: Working with electricity involves an inherent risk of injury or even death. Be aware that in many areas, doing ANY electrical work in your home requires a permit. And in some areas, may even require a licensed electrician to do the work.
Take care to follow all necessary safety precautions and fully understand the requirements in your area before attempting any electrical work.
Here are some great Manual Transfer Switch options worth considering:
10 Circuit (30A/7500W, the 1 I installed in the video): amzn.to/3uKZuOE
10 Circuit (without the external inlet box): amzn.to/3Gvq14M
6 Circuit Transfer Switch (push-button resets): amzn.to/3GvpKPi
6 Circuit Transfer Switch (switch resets): amzn.to/47TGOu0
4 Circuit Transfer Switch: amzn.to/3t0C7zW
Here are some great options for Home Battery Backup Systems that offer portability AND capacity expansion:
Bluetti AC300 + 2*B300: shrsl.com/4bikw
Bluetti AC500 + 2* B300S: shrsl.com/4bx49
Oupes Mega 3: amzn.to/3uORCLJ
Oupes Mega 5: amzn.to/3Rp2WHf
Note that to power 240V circuits, your power source must also be able to supply 240V. The ones listed above are 120V natively (in the US) and require dual-unit configurations to get 240V output. But even in 120V output, these back-up power systems work fine for all your 120V circuits with the same setup I demonstrate in this video, but you'll (typically) need an adapter cable to go from the RV30 connectors on the power stations to the L14-30 connector on the Transfer Switch generator cable.
RV30 (TT-30P) to L14-30R adapter (to use with cable that comes with the Xfer Switch): amzn.to/3GrN3Kc
As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you use the link(s) above. This does not impact to the price you pay through Amazon in any way, but it might help the channel in some small way. Every little bit helps and we sincerely appreciate your support! :) 
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Taping the wires into a funnel shape... attaching them to a wire fishing rod at the end... made feeding through the tube pretty simple.
Great video and step by step detailed information. This does give me confidence to add a transfer switch. Thank you for sharing.
Very good video, I installed a 10 circuit one in my house and a 6 circuit one in my garage sub panel. I would recommend WAGO wire connectors, as they take less space then the wire connectors that come with the kit and are easier to use. I use a 30 amp RV plug to connect to portable power station.. Set up for power outages, but switch each day from 4pm - 9pm when electricity rates are high,
Excellent presentation. Thank you.
I ordered the outside version R310A; same 10 breakers BUT it has a metal door with keys and generator plug is already installed.
Easy to follow serial videos from Reliance help understand step by step.
All you have to do is bypass each breaker using the matching letters on red and black wires, then your Neutral and Ground... then you're ready!
When you turn power on you can select LINE to feed AC to that breaker(s) selected OR if you have a solar unit or 2 Delta Pro you can power up your selected breakers for generator.
I saved the double breaker to use the AC unit (240 v) once I install a soft-start.
I can run AC and generator power simultaneously.
Thanks for your video.
Jesus, I get people need to make money but that quote was astronomical! It's almost like that's the I don't want to do it price. Glad you decided to do it yourself and share the info! Will definitely be coming back to this video once I get something up on my property. Bought bare to get out of the high traffic areas but with that comes added problems. Like hardly anyone around to do jobs like this. Thanks for the vid!
There’s another way to get this checked out. Just pull an electrical permit from your town. The inspector will make sure your work is safe. You will also avoid a home inspector discovering you did un-permitted electrical work when you sell the property (they will!). I did a job like this recently in NJ and the permit was only $80. The inspector was helpful and easy to work with.
Excellent advice! This particular kind of work in my county does not require a permit apparently, but I'm sure in many place it definitely does.
In my town, only licensed electricians can pull electrical permits. And it is insanely expensive to hire electricians in MA. Such a scheme.
Hi David,
That does look pretty straight forward. you just have to take your time and double check everything and make absolutely 100% sure the power is OFF! Yes, the price of labor is ridiculous on everything. I have my brother do my brake jobs, saves a lot of money. Thank you for taking the time to how us how this is done.
Steve.
David, perfect timing for this video as I just purchased a 6 circuit Reliance transfer switch and you answered most of the questions I had.
I am going to do almost exactly what you did, install the 30 amp outlet into the switch and set it up next to my panel. Originally, I was going to install an interlock and just run one circuit for my well pump but the transfer switch is way better as I will setup my Renogy 1000s into split phase to power that circuit when needed. Thanks for giving me confidence to do this job!
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
These types of videos are gold for us solar junkies. I am very interested in installing a couple of these at a later date and Reliance was what I was interested in. Nice video thank you 👍🏻
Any suggestions on solar switches? I too have solar and I want a transfer switch that can accommodate both solar and b/u generator.
Thank you fro taking the time to show this,
A lot less involved them i could have thought, i like this idea, been thinking about it,
and now watching your video makes this project very helpful, Thank you again
Great video and explanation of the whole process.
Great great info!
Thanks RWO👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for the video. (I met you this evening - I am now subscribed to your channel).
This appears to be much simpler than I had thought. $450 huh? How am I gonna explain this one?? Lol Great video!
Loved the video!!!!
I saw the "not sponsored" and immediately subscribed. It's hard to find an unbiased tutorial or review.
One of my brothers just recently did his own installation of a home transfer switch. I believe he'll be using 4 EcoFlow Pros if/when the need arises.
I'm color blind, so I don't mess around with major sparktricity stuff.
You can cut the flex conduit to size. To more easily run the wire through the conduit, wrap the ends all together in electrical tape. Cheers! Thank you.
Hey David! No problem 😁
Great video and yes it does look fairly simple. Still good advice to have an electrician check your work and I’m guessing you have to pull some permits for such work. A good followup would be an automatic switching panel like the ones from Generac (probably about ~$6k to ~7k)
Good information for me as I learn. I could of used a tad more info on wiring the 240 leg. explaining about using both the red and white wires, etc. Thanks again.
The 240V circuits are always going to have 2 hot leads (regardless of color)...each connected to a separate 120V leg of the panel. So really, you don't treat them any differently than the single 120V circuits as far as wiring to the Xfer Switch. You just make sure that the 2 red and black wires you uses correspond to the 2 letters associated with your 240V switch pair on the Xfr Switch. If you stop the video @13:05 you can see that in my case, that is E and J. And both breakers for the 240V water heater connection now have red wires going into them (labelled E & J) and the original black and white wires that were there are now wired-nutted to the corresponding black E and J wires from the Xfer Switch.
I wonder if in the future you could do a short video on having 2 generator transfer outlets feeding a single panel. One from an outside generator and one from an inside power station. I haven’t seen any videos on this, although I hear people talk about this configuration.
I do believe we need some kind of a 240 on-off-on throw switch to guarantee the unused generator transfer plug is never energized. I just want to be sure I do it the correct way.
Thanks for all of your efforts in helping educate the newbies
I connect an outside gas generator and a battery power station to the same Reliance transfer switch. I simply plug in the transfer switch male twist lock socket to the power source needed. It is a manual switch of non-utility power sources without the need for a second transfer switch box. The reason for this setup is that the highest power is needed during the day thus making the gas generator noise and monitoring acceptable. Then during the night, the solar power station suffice for the reduced power needs, and above all, no noise and no gas tank filling in the dark. I use the same manual transfer switch demonstrated in this video.
The gas generator provides 240 V - 30 A power to the transfer switch. The wiring makes 240 volts available on parallel switches D-I and E-J if 240 V is required. I use the E-J combo to power a heat pump for heating or air conditioning. Then the remaining switches are supplied with 120 V generated power but in separate phases for the left A-B-C-D and right F-G-H-I. The gas generator needs the power usage to be balanced between the left and right side of the transfer switch.
The solar or battery power station supplies power only in 120 V - 20 A max like 2000 - 2200 W. Thus, if the power station supplies 120 V in only one phase, the wattage load does not need to be balanced between the left A-B-C-D and right F-G-H-I. One has to make sure the total loads operating at once do not go over the power station inverter allowed wattage (in my case 2200 W). I just do not have 240 V to power the heat pump or any other 240 V load. To use the transfer switch both left and right sides at 120 volts, I use a "Y" cable bought on Amazon named "ONETAK NEMA 2 Port 5-15P 3 Prong Plug Male Household to L14-30R 4 Prong Female Receptacle Twist Lock Y Combiner STW 3 Feet 120V/240V 30 Amp Generator Welder Dryer Power Cord Adapter". I just unplug the gas generator from the transfer switch socket and plug in the "Y cable" twist lock instead. At the other end of the "Y cable", both 120 V regular male plugs connect to 2 separate female sockets on the power station. One socket supplies the left side of the transfer switch (A-B-C-D), the other feeds the right side (F-G-H-I). I put the critical 120 V loads on the left side of the transfer : refrigerator, freezer, modem-router for the Internet, and some lighting. These loads are supplied by the UPS socket on the power station The right side of the transfer switch supplies non critical wall outlets to power "one at a time" of microwave oven, counter top oven, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, 120 V - 1500 W max space heater, TV, computer and multi screen system or else.
The gas generator is a 7500 W pure sine wave with a 9000 W max temporary loading. The solar power station is a combination Pecron E1500 LFP (for UPS support) 2200 W, 120 V pure sine wave, recharged on its 32-95 V DC input by a Pecron E2000 LFP thru the external Pecron "brick" charger. The E2000 LFP two 32-95 V DC inputs recharge on 2400 W installed standard solar panels and connected to 2x3072 W Pecron EB-3000 batteries plus one separate 48 V - 5 K LFP battery. In total, the solar-power bank set up can provide about 13000 Watts.
Manual switching the "off grid" power sources from gas to battery bank at will. Not complicated, just manual and just when needed. Automatic is possible but would cost a whole lot more.
Hello! I enjoyed watching your videos and learned a lot. I have a 10-switch transfer switch. Is it safe to have all those cables crammed up in the conduit? Thank you!
Use a distribution panel interlock kit and you don’t have to choose 6 or 10 circuits. With an interlock kit you have access to any one or all of your circuits.
My well pump is two 30amp circuits together. What size transfer switch would i need?
I had the reliance 6 breaker installed and now I wish I would have the 10 breaker installed.
Yeah, I originally installed the 6 circuit switch too because that's what I had at my previous house...but once I got the 10 circuit switch with the Bluetti Home Integration Kit, I pulled the 6 circuit switch out and bought the 10 circuit switch so now I have 2 of them (one on each panel).
Great video!!!!. Best video I’ve seen installing a transfer switch. So question? When you switch to generator power, there is no way to back feed to the grid?
Nope. These Manual Transfer Switches are specifically designed to so they cannot to that.
So I guess its OK to install 2 receptacles on this Reliance Transfer switch as long as one is not running 2 at a time generators be it battery generator or gas?
if your panel is in the closet, can you install a transfer switch?
Good 👍 stuff doesn’t look that complicated..
Would the new Anker F3800 and the Eco Flow Delta Pro Ultra work with this transfer switch? What are your thoughts on these two battery/inverter setups?
Now when you switch to generator mode you must also turn the main breaker off correct? What would happen if you got power restored from the grid and the main breaker was on?
No need. When you switch a circuit to generator, it cannot get power from the grid or vice-versa. Backfeeding is not possible by design.
Hi, congrats to you. This is a fine simple step by step video, very well explained. I have a question. The circuit for the furnace includes the fan of the Air handling unit? Or do I need to add the A/C unit. I ask because I'm planning to use a 2200W generator on emergencies only, to run the furnace, lights and the fridge in Winter.
Typically the Furnace itself (the inside unit with the blower) is on a single 120V 15A or 20A circuit. If you have Central A/C, that's usually on a separate dual circuit breaker of at least 30A. So if you're just needing to plan for backup power for heat, you'd only need to include that 120V circuit for the Furnace and not the Central AC breaker (which would significantly increase the costs to connect a power station setup that could handle 240V 30A-50A loads).
@@ReeWrayOutdoors thanks a lot
Would a Pecron E1500LFP with the 30A outlet work with this transfer switch box?
The 30A output connector on the E1500LFP is a DC output, so no, you would not connect it to a transfer switch like this. You COULD connect the 120V outputs to the transfer switch though, but you'd be limited to 20A.
I see you provided a shortlist of "powerstations" that you could use as a battery backup system alongside this Transfer switch. What was about these systems that make them suited for this application? Knowing that info would be useful. More specifically I have a Pecron E1500LFP + EP3000 system (~4KWH), would that also work with this Transfer switch? If not why not?
The Pecron definitely would work with a manual transfer switch for 120V loads. You'd just need to get an adapter cable to adapt from the standard 3-prong 120V outlets to the inlet box on the transfer switch. And just keep in mind that you'll be limited to about 20A total output using the configuration.
@@ReeWrayOutdoors Thanks! Merry XMAS
Online named " NEMA 2 Port 5-15P 3 Prong Plug Male Household to L14-30R 4 Prong Female Receptacle Twist Lock Y Combiner STW 3 Feet 120V/240V 30 Amp Generator Welder Dryer Power Cord Adapter". @@Jetter638
Thank you this answered my questions above!
Great video but don't forget to put a cover over your external power plug
Sometimes I think people want to work one job and not work the rest of the week. My brother put ours in.
So if I understand correctly, the breakers in the transfer switch box are just used when switched to GEN and the original breakers in the original location are used when on LINE. ???
That is correct. If the switch is set to Line (aka grid), the switch box breaker does nothing.
And I like to add, that when the switch is in the off position, it cuts the power to that circuit in both the transfer switch and main panel.
I have a question. Why didn’t you hook up all of your circuits? Could have you purchased a bigger box? Or multiples? I noticed in your sub panel box you didn’t choose to hook up breaker that went to lights and that’s something I would want working in a power failure?
I have some lights on the backup circuit but not others. And another option would be to just add a 240V inlet connector direct to the panel and wired through an interlock switch (so both the inlet and grid cannot be on at the same time.) This effectively puts the entire panel on backup power which might be more convenient for you. Personally I like having the manual control to have some circuits on grid with others on generator/battery/solar.
Good video, but wish you explained the basic idea of how the current flow will change via the transfer switch, you know, how it works. You just did "hook this to this etc" without a basic overview so folks could understand what the thing does and how it keeps your current from backflowing to the grid. I bet you get a lot of questions on if this keeps electricity from the grid, since you didn't give an overview. Love your vids, great topic for this one, convinced me to put one in myself!
Yeah, fair point! It's always a balancing act to try and include as much information as I can, without making every video 45+ mins long! But basically, the transfer switch is taking the hot wire from each main service panel circuit that you select, and connecting it to a physical switch that is EITHER connected to grid (LINE) power, OR generator (GEN) power. And while you can have SOME circuits on LINE and some on GEN at any given time, any individual circuit cannot be on both at the SAME time (ie back feeding to the grid, which is an obvious 'no-no').
I hope you do realize that you put your 30 amp hot water tank circuit on a 20 amp circuit in your transfer switch. I hope it doesn't give you any trouble in the future or cause a fire.
You're 100% right about that! I had made the assumption when I bought this MTS that being a 30A version it would have at least 1 240v pair with 30A breakers...but you're right, the bottom 4 are all 20A...and that IS a concern. I'll be swapping it out for a different version...probably the A310A that does have 30A breakers.
None of them come with 30A breakers. You have to buy it yourself and install it in positions A and B only. The wire gauge in A and B position are 10-gauge wire. All the other positions use 12-gauge wire.
I dont understand transfer switches , i live in a rented home..if i get permission for this is this something that can be removed easily?
Actually it would be pretty easy to remove. Now that I know how easy they are to install, I kind of regret not taking the one from my previous house out and bringing it with me. But then, it was only 6 circuits and I really do like having the 10 circuit switch.
Thanks David. Most interesting. Do you know anything about the insurance ramifications of doing this yourself? If for some reason this setup would be the source of a fire, and it was not installed by a licensed electrician, would an insurance company refuse to pay? Right now that's probably my critical concern. I'd rather pay now to make sure the insurance company will cover the loss rather than risk losing hundreds of thousands in a disaster.
You raise a good question. I honestly do not know with 100% certainty...and I suspect it might depend on the insurance company and the local requirements where you happen to live. I suspect if a permit is required, and you don't get one...and then have a major problem...the insurance company is going to take that as an opportunity to deny a claim. But if you DID get a permit and it passed inspection, I don't see how they'd be able to deny a claim and prevail in court if you sued as a result. Following the local rules is key, for sure.
@@ReeWrayOutdoors Completely agree with you. My research in the interim led me to the same conclusion - check with your local zoning or coding authority and absolutely for sure call your homeowner insurance company.
? On the main panel ,,breakers ,,,,why not just take your switch box wires and just add them straight to your main breakers instead of splicing them to your black wires to the main breaker ,,,,,,I done mine this way to a cabin if mine and all you have to do is just turn off the main breaker when you want to use the switch box and then you have control of the switch box breakers ,,,,,,,,,does that make sense ? Or another option
The primary reason you'd not want to do that is that I believe it's an NEC code violation because if you forget to manually turn off the main breaker, and then add generator power through the transfer switch, you'll be backfeeding to the grid, which is a huge 'no-no' without an interlock switch and an approval from the local Utility.
Hey David! Have you already ran the giveaways by chance?
I have, yes. I've posted the randomly drawn comments on my community page and have notified the winners with a reply to their comment. 2 or 3 of the winners have yet to respond so you may have another chance since I'll be redrawing in the new few days if they fail to respond!
I like the video but it doesn't show how you wired the double breaker for your water heater. I think both reds go to the breakers and both blacks go to what was the white and black in the breakers... just to confirm
Yes that's correct. You wire it the same as the other circuits...just making sure you're using the 2 switch wires from the double switch on the manual xfer box. Easy-peasy
Not so easy in some countries, where I am you have no choice but use a licensed electrician. Because there’s paperwork for every new installation has to be filled out with license numbers of those involved. To not do it can affect your insurance if any claims are made and can effect the sale of your house if the paperwork doesn’t match what’s there!
Yeah that's a great point. 👍 I was surprised to learn that I didn't even require a permit for this in my area.
I wish you would have shown more detail on wiring the red wire to the black of the breaker. My Reliance 6 spot came with no directions so I had to rely on RUclips videos. Interesting note; I had an electrician wire mine up because he was there replacing my main panel and for some reason, the Hall sensors do not work. I just have to ascertain how much each breaker can run.
Hmmmm...the hall sensors should have a hot wire (red or black) going through the ring. I will say it's easy for them to slip off when you trying to wire the L14-30P inlet. I'd double check to make sure the red and black leads coming off the inlet are still going through the sensors... if they are and you're still not getting an indication on the front panel meters when you definitely have a load running there's probably a wiring issue between the sensors and the meters. Just my best guess....
Happens to be a white wire? So casually...
My transfer switch is my dryer plug, make $30 connector cable, turn off main switch, plug in, power house. Yes I know what this cable is called, if ya point a gun at your head, it's a suicide gun. LMAO
Above $500 you need hire an electrician to do the job
Bogus info. Depends on your codes. In AZ homeowners can do any work themselves, with the local permit and inspection.
oh? Not a licensed electrician??? Admitting to doing illegal work doesn’t make it legal… lol. It means, when the AHJ goes to take you to jail *he’s likely to fine you an arm and leg… 😂😂😂
Do you need to be a licensed electrician to do this kind of project where you live? And if so, where is that, may I ask? I did consult with a licensed electrician before proceeding and I was assured that not only did it not require licensed electrician in my country, but also did not require a permit (though it's still recommended to have it inspected).