2020 Fall Home Improvement

Page 22 2020 FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT Lincoln Daily News September 24, 2020 One cord is plugged into a receptacle on the generator and the other end is plugged into a power inlet box. The electrician can then wire the power inlet box into the house and connect it to the electrical panel. When connecting to an electrical panel, it can be done in two ways: a. The electrician can install a manual transfer switch, which connects to a selection of emergency circuits most likely to be needed when the power is out. Then, in case of a power outage, the transfer switch can be powered on. b. The electrician can utilize an interlock switch that locks out/shuts off the main breaker while simultaneously turning on an emergency generator breaker. The interlock device allows only one power source at a time to feed circuits, either generator or utility power. In the event of a power outage, the interlock device is manually activated to enable generator power, allowing generator/ emergency power to feed the selected circuits. An interlock device can be used to power only emergency circuits or the whole house. Make sure that the connected loads do not exceed the generator’s capacity. It is notable that both types of switches should only be installed by a qualified electrician, but can be purchased from an electrical supply house. How to Wire a Portable Generator Knowing how big a generator is, what it is going to run and what the power source is are all important when using a generator. This Old House shows a natural gas generator, which will run indefinitely unless there is a problem with the grid. The emergency load generator will run a percentage of the house like refrigeration, heating and lights, but not bigger appliances. The 14-kilowatt system shown monitors itself and starts itself up on a regular basis to do a diagnostic and make sure there are no problems with it. A check will show if there is a problem. A panel with the automatic transfer system, controls whether the house runs under generator power or regular power. When the power goes out, the system waits to see if there is an actual blackout and not Continued n