Powering House through Transfer Switch

[Maquis]

By code your neutral should only be bonded in the main panel.

Small clarification: it must be bonded at the service disconnect. In most cases, that’s the main panel, but not always.

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[Pioneer74]

Small clarification: it must be bonded at the service disconnect. In most cases, that’s the main panel, but not always.

I stand corrected.

 

[davehu]

I, too, had a 5000w portable generator with a transfer switch installed when we built our house a few years back. I am familar with the neutral/ground bonding issue but my elementry understading of electricty leads me to ask: why couldn't an electrician install a simple SPDT switch specifically to switch the gounds? Seems like for those of us who already have a transfer switch it would be a very economical solution vs buying/installing a new transfer switch????. My lightning will be delivered (hopefully) in the next 6-8 weeks. My electrician is mulling this over but we're going to wait until the truck actually arrives to do anything.

 

[Maquis]

I, too, had a 5000w portable generator with a transfer switch installed when we built our house a few years back. I am familar with the neutral/ground bonding issue but my elementry understading of electricty leads me to ask: why couldn't an electrician install a simple SPDT switch specifically to switch the gounds? Seems like for those of us who already have a transfer switch it would be a very economical solution vs buying/installing a new transfer switch????. My lightning will be delivered (hopefully) in the next 6-8 weeks. My electrician is mulling this over but we're going to wait until the truck actually arrives to do anything.

You need to switch the neutral, not the ”grounds.” The problem would be that if you don’t ALWAYS have the 2 switches in sync, you’d be operating without a neutral and the voltage which is supposed to be 120-0-120, can shift anywhere between 240-0-0 and 0-0-240 which starts letting the smoke out of 120V loads.

Purchasing and installing the correct transfer switch is the way to go.

 

[davehu]

You need to switch the neutral, not the ”grounds.” The problem would be that if you don’t ALWAYS have the 2 switches in sync, you’d be operating without a neutral and the voltage which is supposed to be 120-0-120, can shift anywhere between 240-0-0 and 0-0-240 which starts letting the smoke out of 120V loads.

Purchasing and installing the correct transfer switch is the way to go.

Thanks for that.

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