siemens interlock kit
anyone install a generator interlock kit on a 200 amp Siemens panel..??? how did it go?? any pics or video?? thanks Before getting excited with an interlock check with your local code authority to see if interlocks are acceptable in your area. Some areas simply don't allow interlocks at all and some areas only accept interlocks that cannot be defeated by removing the panel cover. I agree check, I went with a manual transfer switch and a standard sub panel for the generator circuits. My inspector liked that much better than the Interlock kits. He has a hard time allowing them. -Bob the transfer switches have cheap breakers from what I have heard...... I agree, the type that routes in and out of your main panel with multiple leads and preparatory breakers seems overly complicated to me. Most of the time you are not using your generator but you make a mess in your panel with all the extra wires and splices. That is why I went with a simple Manual transfer switch. It comes with standard breakers (Cutler-Hammer) that you can pick up at the supply house or home center and works well with a sub panel of your choice. This is the one I used. Amazon.com: Reliance Controls TCA1006D Panel/Link 100-Amp Utility/60-Amp Generator Transfer Switch For Up To 15000-Watt Generators: Patio, Lawn Garden I can post a pic of the setup if you like. Bob the transfer switches have cheap breakers from what I have heard...... No. The transfer PANELS have what are known as supplemental circuit protection circuit breakers. They are acceptable for what they are used for but I agree that they are NOT the same as the circuit breakers in regular panels. What bob_m is advocating, and what I also advocate, is a standard sub-panel fed from the service panel through a three-position switch giving the sub-panel the ability to be powered from the utility (via a circuit breaker in the service panel), be completely off or be powered from an on-site generator. The cost is maybe a little more than the all-in-one transfer panels but the quality is definitely higher. Here is a switch that looks good and for a reasonable price. USA, Universal Changeover Switch|Manual Generator|3PDT Center OFF|Rotary Cam| RV Transfer Swith| Pedestal Power Supply | Boat Panel | Power Source| Utility | Line | Shore| Back-up Power| Solar Energy| Battery Charger| Rectifier | Transfer Switch| the transfer switches have cheap breakers from what I have heard...... Do you have an example? Transfer switches I am familiar with don't have circuit breakers in them unless they are service entrance rated. Check with your POCO and see if you can have this installed. Nothing to change or swap, easiest solution there is if you can swing it. Generlink please do post pics........................................ heres what I dont get... an interlock has a movable metal bracket that some inspectors dont like but a subpanel set up uses the same brackets ,just on a seperate panel,no??? Transfer switches I am familiar with don't have circuit breakers in them unless they are service entrance rated. Joe, he is talking about the (relatively) inexpensive transfer panels made by Reliance (and others) that use pushbutton supplemental circuit protection circuit breakers. The way I read the NEC these circuit breakers are not allowed to be substituted for approved branch circuit circuit breakers but since they are only in the circuit when on generator power it is a bit of a grey area. heres what I dont get... an interlock has a movable metal bracket that some inspectors dont like but a subpanel set up uses the same brackets ,just on a seperate panel,no??? No. Most aftermarket interlocks bolt to the circuit breaker panel's front cover and mechanically prevent both the panel's main circuit breaker and the designated generator circuit breaker from both being closed at the same time. It is easy to defeat this interlock by merely removing the four to six screws holding the cover in place. It is this ease of defeating the interlock that is the problem. Some interlocks supplied by the panel manufacturer permanently install the mechanical interlock in a manner that allows the removal of the front cover but still keeps the interlock in place an operational. These interlocks should pass local muster but there is no guarantee. Most transfer panels, the units that have several switches and interconnected pushbutton circuit breakers use double throw, center off switches where it is impossible to connect to both generator and utility power at the same time. There are a few double circuit breaker transfer switches made based upon a two-circuit circuit breaker panel with the two circuit breakers back-to-back and mechanically linked so that it is impossible to close both circuit breakers at the same time. The mechanical link between the two circuit breakers is either riveted together or uses a screw that has a security head making it difficult to disable the link. Other, usually self-contained, transfer switches are manufactured to make the connection of both sources impossible.
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