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Electral question from those in he know
TooBig
Member Posts: 28,559 ✭✭✭
Thinking about installing a generator fuse panel in my basement so my general question is about what to expect on price. Outside plug going to the generator electoral panel and wiring to my regular fuse box.
Just asking to see if I can afford it and thanks and Just a estimate :?: :?: :?:
:shock:
Just asking to see if I can afford it and thanks and Just a estimate :?: :?: :?:
:shock:
Comments
To answer your question, around here an electrician costs $125 to show up. I'm guessing $150 to $300 or who knows for the box and labor?? Hope that helps......
The "Switch you need is called a transfer switch. They can be manual (you flip the switch) or automatic (it switches itself)
Purpose is to make it impossible for your house to be powered by BOTH the generator and the power company at the same time.
If you are not an electrician and comfortable working with 200 amp circuits, would STRONGLY suggest this is an area where do-it-yerself is a bad idea. Pay the man, let him work.
Your homeowner's insurance company will thank you. The poor schmoe trying to fix the downed powerline will thank you.
THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don't know what to make of this statement??????
I guess gun shop FFL' s should not talk about guns???
Professional Cooks and chiefs should keep quite about making stews????
A licensed electrician's advice NOT to try something may just save his life.
Some jurisdictions have not approved it yet but may soon.
serf
I mostly agree with those above. If you haven't already done more simple wiring around this house, this may not be what you want to start with.
I'd also ask what your generator is (or will be). That will largely determine the type, size, and expense of the install. If you have an automatic generator, it is silly to have a manual transfer switch. If you only have a <10k generator, then perhaps unless the idea is to run your home climate control, you'd be best served just plugging it in to what you need. For many years I had a portable 6.5k generator. I'd mainly use it in the winter ice storms that knocked out power to our rural place. It takes them a while to restore power so I just fire it up after a few hours and run the fridge and freezer for a while to cool them back down. I'd also generally place a few fans to help push the heat from the fireplace to the far reaches of the house.
In the summer, I connect it to a mini-split A/C in my server room. I then drag air mattress and bedding in there. It has a bathroom in there and this small 8x12 room becomes my 'lifeboat'.
Now, I have a 15k Generac. It is considered portable, but honestly that isn't very realistic even though it is on wheels. It is just too heavy, too small of tires and the times I need it, those two things are a problem. I have decided to go ahead and get an automatic transfer switch so that I am ready should I either build this one in, or add a bigger fixed unit.
I am confused by your "Outside plug going to the generator electoral panel and wiring to my regular fuse box." Generally those that use a plug are the smaller generators. Those are often not fed into the breaker box at all unless the box is one of the types that has a small portion dedicated for generator. The reason for this (may be obvious) is that a small generator cannot handle the whole house. If you are conscientious when you plug it in and go turn off all but the desired breaker(s) that will work as long as you don't over power the generator. You MUST have some type of disconnect if you run generator power to the breaker box. It is illegal and dangerous not to as you can shock electrical workers working on the line.
So, back to your actual question. Like mentioned earlier, most electricians will charge $100+ just to show up. Around here (Oklahoma) residential rates are slightly cheaper and they'd probably wire up a single receptacle, run the wire directly through the wall and to another outlet(s) on the inside. When you mention "wiring it to my regular fuse box" they won't (shouldn't) wire a receptacle directly to the box without a transfer switch. Manual switches are not as expensive as automatic but I'd consider an automatic if you ever think you may upgrade to a fixed "On Demand" type standby generator. The other issue I mentioned above, unless you have a breaker panel that has a portion that are dedicated to work with generator and the rest not, then you'll have to be very careful to shut off loads beyond what your generator can handle. Specifically watch for appliances like oven, dryer, microwave and also your main climate control. A couple of those can draw 50 amps or more.
You made my point. If you would read it. Ok you tell him to do this and not totally adverse in electric work he does it not QUITE right. He gets killed ,electrocuted, house maybe burns, short out wiring because you old him "how" to do it.
If you don't get what I am saying, I don't care. Electric jobs are for people who know what they are doing. `
It's electronic with special sensors and will not allow to energize or back feed to the power service line and shock a lineman, Also if you buy a generator and it can't hold the load it simply drops the overload breaker on the generator. So it all been engineered to work just fine without all the hassle of installing a switch and having a separate breaker box for emergency power.
Such calculate your load to your size of your generator and it will run just like a standby system at 1/3 the price but you will have to fuel it manually still. Buy a big dog house to house it and your set. https://www.southcentralpower.com/electrical-services/products/generlink-2/
Watch the electricians and generator companies lobby against safe effective work arounds just like oil companies have against mass transit like they have in Europe. Don't take the beans off my kitchen table is their motto!
serf