Help with Interlock kit?

Love2shoot

Love2shoot

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So I have a generator, but i would love to be able to use an interlock to backfeed, and not run cords. Any electricians know what model i would need for this? Its an Eaton box woth what I believe is a subpanel, but I cannot find any model number or anything that says ok use this kit. Any thoughts?
 

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Tagged

DS

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Your panel is a main lug type, since there is no main breaker on this panel you will need a 200A main breaker kit,
otherwise you can not disconnect from the utility feed.
Once you have the main breaker kit installed you can add an interlock kit for CH breakers.
Email Eaton with the model number and they will tell you the part # need for the 200A breaker kit. [email protected]

http://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/skuPage.CMB1212L200BTS.resources.html

This is NOT a do it yourself job. (I am not an electrician).
 
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Button Pusher said:
Your panel is a main lug type, since there is no main breaker on this panel you will need a 200A main breaker kit,
otherwise you can not disconnect from the utility feed.
Once you have the main breaker kit installed you can add an interlock kit for CH breakers.
Email Eaton with the model number and they will tell you the part # need for the 200A breaker kit. [email protected]

http://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/skuPage.CMB1212L200BTS.resources.html

This is NOT a do it yourself job. (I am not an electrician).
Click to expand...

Thanks. So instead of doing interlock could i just do a 5 or 6 breaker transfer switch without doing the other main breaker kit stuff you are talking about? Would that be a better option?
 
You will need an outdoor rated transfer switch, may be less expensive to add the main breaker kit
and the CH type interlock kit. Where is the sub panel located? It has a disconnect right?
 
Sub panel is in the garage. I do not believe i see a disconnect on that panel. Pic is attached. The outside box is the only one i see that appears to have a breaker for the sub panel.
 

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You can add a main breaker kit to the subpanel and then an interlock kit or
you can add a double pole breaker to feed the sub since you have plenty of space left,
just move up the breakers four slots higher and use one of these kits.
Add outdoor box for the generator feed and you are good to go.

You'll need to have an electrician take care of this for you. He or she may have a better solution.

https://www.geninterlock.com/produc...el-right-hand-and-newer-panel-left-hand-main/
 
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You cannot add an interlock to your existing panel because there is no way to disconnect it from the meter.

What you can do is to add a generator powered sub panel to your existing garage sub-panel, and swing the circuits over to it that you want to back up. The new sub-panel would have an interlock on it.
 
Wish I lived near the coast. After the water receded I would be selling Generac generators door to door.

Best of luck guys down east. I hope everything gets better very soon. Life is more important than material things. Be cautious outside while cutting, walking, and driving.
 
Scsmith42 said:
You cannot add an interlock to your existing panel because there is no way to disconnect it from the meter.

What you can do is to add a generator powered sub panel to your existing garage sub-panel, and swing the circuits over to it that you want to back up. The new sub-panel would have an interlock on it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for all the info guys. Would that be the same concept of the transfer switch? If I just wanted to backup say 6 circuits would suggest that route? At this point i see ill be hiring an electrician, so now the question is just best approach.
 
Lots to consider when adding a transfer switch and generator.

1. Do I need heat? If the answer is yes then all the heat breakers are in the outside panel.
2. What are the bare necessary needs. Refrig, microwave, lighting, water heater, well pump, etc...
3. What is the ampacity of the generator? Is it worth spending the money when you have a small generator that cords would do the job?

Make a list of the bare needs in an emergency situation of no power for two weeks. If you can get by on one floor of the house that makes the cost more manageable. There is a way to run one heat pump on a lower output generator with a simple thermostat change with a heat strip lockout. But in the dead of winter it will not be really usable (just hurricane season). This is why a hybrid system is such a great system when building a home. Also slow ramp Mitsubishi systems are awesome in loss of power.
 
You can attach generator feed to the panel in the garage after moving the feed off the sub panel lugs
to a 150A double pole breaker and that will feed and disconnect from the utility.
Next you add the interlock kit after moving up two spaces all the breaker on the side of the feed.
Your sub panel is fine, no need for anything more complicated as a generator kit with a separate panel.
The interlock will not let you have utility and generator feeding the panel, only one or the other.
My coworker is licensed electrician they do these all the time.

Eaton CH Panel interlock.jpg30a.jpg
 
Love2shoot said:
Thank you for all the info guys. Would that be the same concept of the transfer switch? If I just wanted to backup say 6 circuits would suggest that route? At this point i see ill be hiring an electrician, so now the question is just best approach.
Click to expand...

Without question a transfer switch is your best option. There are lots of different ways that you can go though depending upon generator sizing and your load. For me, with gas furnace, water heater and stove I can get by quite comfortably on 12KW, and for even a 9KW will pull the HVAC (but not the dryer at the same time - unlike the 12KW). A 200A transfer switch on my mains and a 12KW generator and I'm set - no need to mess around with breakers and an automatic transfer switch will even start the generator and cut over to it if I'm not around. Note that the 9KW would not pull the HVAC with my 1990 vintage compressor; only after I upgraded to a higher SEER unit a couple of years back was I able to start the compressor with less KW.

But, if you don't want to spend as much money you can swing your critical circuits over to a subpanel, and feed it with a 30A or 50A transfer switch (much less expensive than a 200A one). However unless you can do your own electrical work you will probably spend as much swinging circuits over to a new panel as you would on the cost difference between a 50A and 200A manual transfer switch.

It all comes down to your budget and how much you want to be involved with managing the process during a power outage.
 
Another thing to factor in you may want to price a whole house unit if you may have older folks
living with you down the road. As others have posted, can be simple or fully automatic and priced accordingly.
 


Is this what we are talking about??

DS

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Yea for me i have a 4k generator and really only want to run the fridge, a room ac unit, a couple lights, and my fishtank pump. My cooking and hit water is propane, and i can use the fireplace for heat. So a transfer switch with 30amp which is what my generator has i think would work just fine for my needs and i wouldnt have to run cords just the one to the ts hookup. Wonder what that would cost to have done or how hard doing it myself would be
 
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What I detailed turns the sub panel into the transfer switch, no relocating circuits to a transfer switch panel.
Once the interlock is enabled for generator feed, you can switch on and off any breakers in the sub panel you like,
as long as you do not exceed the rating of your generator.
 
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