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Troubleshooting generator transfer switch

DaveNay

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I a m finishing up installing my generator transfer switch today and I think I have a wiring problem...

I have a six circuit transfer switch wired in with a power inlet box outside. Everything is wired in and I am doing the final check before hooking up the generator. For checking the wiring, I have doing a continuity check between all four conductors. When the transfer switches are all in the "Line" position, I have continuity between neutral-ground and none in the other five combinations (L1-L2, L1-N, L2-N, L1-G, L2-G). With the transfer switches set in the "Off" position, I have the same continuity readings.

The problem (I think) is that when I put the transfer switches in the "Gen" position, I have continuity between every conductor!

I am 99.9999999999% certain this ain't right. Any ideas on where to look first? I am headed back to the basement to open the panel again and double check all the obvious things.
 
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FrancSevin

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Re: Electrical wiring question

I a m finishing up installing my generator transfer switch today and I think I have a wiring problem...

I have a six circuit transfer switch wired in with a power inlet box outside. Everything is wired in and I am doing the final check before hooking up the generator. For checking the wiring, I have doing a continuity check between all four conductors. When the transfer switches are all in the "Line" position, I have continuity between neutral-ground and none in the other five combinations (L1-L2, L1-N, L2-N, L1-G, L2-G). With the transfer switches set in the "Off" position, I have the same continuity readings.

The problem (I think) is that when I put the transfer switches in the "Gen" position, I have continuity between every conductor!

I am 99.9999999999% certain this ain't right. Any ideas on where to look first? I am headed back to the basement to open the panel again and double check all the obvious things.

I am not an elecrician but,,,,,,, I believe this is right. With the Gen not running you would have continuity through out the system but no power.
(Unless your problem is contact accross the transfer switch back to the grid.)
When my electrician hooked mine up he mentioned that very thing.

If a direct short would occur under power load, hopefully breakers would protect your components. Everything in the system is connected but current only flows if the ends are connected.
Hopefully that is thru a load.
Otherwise it is a loop and that means a direct short.

Just throwing in 2 cents here but you should wait for somebody more confident in their answer.

Remember, there are lots of old electricians and lots of careless electricians but very few old careless ones.
 

muleman

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Tired retired or Ohio are the guys to ask. I do good with things in front of me but not from the description you gave.
 

DaveNay

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Well now I am even more confused....I moved operations down to the breaker panel and I don't think the problem is with the transfer switch at all. I can't make sense of some things with my breaker panel. (All this was done with mains power disconnected). There are two single-pole breakers where if either one are in the "On" position that cause continuity between the two main bus legs of the breaker panel! One of these circuits participates in the transfer switch, but the other one does not.
 

FrancSevin

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Well now I am even more confused....I moved operations down to the breaker panel and I don't think the problem is with the transfer switch at all. I can't make sense of some things with my breaker panel. (All this was done with mains power disconnected). There are two single-pole breakers where if either one are in the "On" position that cause continuity between the two main bus legs of the breaker panel! One of these circuits participates in the transfer switch, but the other one does not.

Muleman is right, PM TiredRetired and hookup with him. He is aces to work with and has forgotten more about this stuff then most of us remember.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
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I just finally bought this switch Damn expensive transfer switch and am having my electrician hopefully wire it up in a permanent position in the next couple of weeks.

Does anyone have a line on where I can get about 100' of 000 copper wire? Since my generator won't be too far from my switch and main panel, the professionals said I don't have to buy 0000, which I had to buy for the long run to my barn.

Sorry I don't have any answer for you Dave. Generally generator issues end up being a problem of not having a separate 8' copper rod driven into the ground for their own grounding setup. All I want to do is just keep on sleeping if the power goes out and now worry if it's going to be hours, days or several weeks before it comes back on. Being that my wife calls me a "human furnace", I don't sleep well if it's above 70 in the bedroom. I suppose I'm fortunate that, according to her, I snore like a freight train if I'm sweating and have the covers thrown off, she works with me on the temperature thing rather than have dial wars with the thermostat.
 

DaveNay

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Well, it's probably just an I.D-10-T error on my part. As someone on another forum helped me with, it makes perfect sense that there is continuity between the conductors, otherwise there would be an open circuit and nothing would work! The continuity between L1 and L2 is from the inductive load of the 240v well pump motor.
 

FrancSevin

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Well, it's probably just an I.D-10-T error on my part. As someone on another forum helped me with, it makes perfect sense that there is continuity between the conductors, otherwise there would be an open circuit and nothing would work! The continuity between L1 and L2 is from the inductive load of the 240v well pump motor.

Glad that worked out. Your explanation makes sense especialy te well pump cross between the two legs. I feel more confident in my understanding of my own unit now.

Thanks for the feed back.
 
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