Electrical Advice - Lost Power on Circuit

OhioTC18 said:

PB,
Did you ever get this problem sorted out?

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I did! Today! It only took me two months to get around to it. A trip to the hospital followed by a vacation, followed by a string of birthdays, then spring break and finally I got around to it!

It was a bad switch in my Generator transfer switch. I removed that circuit and wired it back into the main panel and everything is good! Except I need to replace my transfer switch since it has a bad circuit and I don't have any faith in it anymore.

I had reset the breaker on that switch (it's separate from the switch) but hadn't actually tried the switch. The switch wouldn't budge. I looked inside the transfer switch box and there was no sign of rodent activity so I think it was just a bad switch.

I did take the long road to finding this but I did use my Lan Tracker to trace the wires which was useful in finding the box that the wire lead to and to trace where the wires all went. I also bought one of those non-contact testers which was pretty cool too.

It's good thing I don't do electrical work for my career 'cause I would sure be slow.

Anyone have an opinion on this:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321039_200321039

Reliance Generator Transfer Switch — Single Circuit, 7500 Watt

Ideal for control of farm buildings, irrigation systems, community wells, telecommunication substations, traffic signals and more! Weather-resistant cabinet is zinc-plated steel with powder-coat finish, gasket lined and lockable (padlock not included). Built-in power inlet can accommodate a generator cord with door closed and locked. Safe transfer switch gear keeps the generator isolated from the utility at all times. Outdoor surface mount. UL listed. 5-year limited warranty. U.S.A. Factory shipped.

Additional Specs

• L14-30 built-in power inlet

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My generator is Coleman 5500/8500 gas generator.

My house has two 200 amp panels. I only need to hook the generator up to the basement one as it is the one that feeds the well and hot water tank. It also feeds a dryer and and stove but I wouldn't run those with the power out. The rest are just electrical outlets which I do want the generator to feed (gotta keep the computers,fridges, and freezer running).

My old switch had a bunch of individual circuits but I'd rather just have one single circuit than all the individual ones.

Any thoughts?

PBinWA said:

It's good thing I don't do electrical work for my career 'cause I would sure be slow.

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Glad you got it figured out.
Oh by the way, you would have been fired by now if you did it for a living, or pretty hungry by now

PBinWA said:

Anyone have an opinion on this:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321039_200321039

Any thoughts?

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I don't believe I like that one...

When I zoomed in, it appears that it will only do 120v. Fed into your panel, only one bus bar will be hot. That means no 220v (is your well pump 220?) and only one side of your breaker box will be hot. Anything on the other side won't have juice.

If you want a big transfer switch, I have a new one sitting on a shelf. I think it's this one.
http://www.homepowersystems.net/catalog.asp?prodid=553773&showprevnext=1

While you are thinking about that switch could you please detail for us how in the hell you can get away with not fixing something for 2 months? My wife would have been throwing a fit or calling someone to come fix it!

muleman said:

While you are thinking about that switch could you please detail for us how in the hell you can get away with not fixing something for 2 months? My wife would have been throwing a fit or calling someone to come fix it!

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How do you know his wife didn't call someone else to come in and fix it and taking credit for it??

bczoom said:

When I zoomed in, it appears that it will only do 120v.

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The specs say it has a L14-30 inlet. That would be 4-wire 125/250V.
But you're right the picture appears to show a 3 wire inlet.

muleman said:

While you are thinking about that switch could you please detail for us how in the hell you can get away with not fixing something for 2 months? My wife would have been throwing a fit or calling someone to come fix it!

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If my wife calls someone then she has to pay them. Its good and bad but we keep our finances separate most of the time. She has a good job and makes more than me so if she doesn't like the service she can always hire someone.

OhioTC18 said:

The specs say it has a L14-30 inlet. That would be 4-wire 125/250V.
But you're right the picture appears to show a 3 wire inlet.

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I'm trying to be good and resist the urge to just backfeed through the dryer circuit. Like I said, as long as I don't run the stove or the dryer then my generator seems to run everything I need during a power outage.

I'll try to see if I can dig up some more info on this switch.

OhioTC18 said:

The specs say it has a L14-30 inlet. That would be 4-wire 125/250V.
But you're right the picture appears to show a 3 wire inlet.

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I zoomed in on the picture and on the right side, in all that writing, I did not see 220.
L14 is 220? I assume the -30 is the amps.

bczoom said:

L14 is 220? I assume the -30 is the amps.

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Yes L14's come in 20 and 30 Amps

bczoom said:

I zoomed in on the picture and on the right side, in all that writing, I did not see 220.
L14 is 220? I assume the -30 is the amps.

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