Generator Use - What's a Transfer Switch?

So… how many of you have lived through an Arkansas ice storm?  I bet plenty of you have. So the next question is; how many of you enjoyed being out of power (or having very limited power) for several days at a time?  Well, we certainly didn’t.  This is maybe one of those greatest times when you are thankful for having a generator.  Have we mentioned how great Honda generators are?  Well, outside of the recreational and work applications, there lies a very important use for a generator: home power.  You can even go farther than simply owning a generator for home backup power; you can hook a generator up to your home’s main power circuits with a supply transfer switch.  This gives you the ability to switch between traditional electric power and generator power in the case of emergency, power outages, or nasty winter weather. 

When considering the purchase of a generator for home back up use, you should think about installing a transfer switch device. A professionally installed transfer switch makes using your generator easy and safe. A transfer switch is an electrical device that is installed next to your electrical panel in your home. It connects to the circuits in your electrical panel that you wish to power during an electrical outage.   This allows you to power these circuits by connecting the generator to the transfer switch, instead of having to run extension cords to various items.

The main breaker in the transfer switch switches the power source from utility to generator. The house cannot be connected to both the generator and utility power at the same time - the main breaker transfers power from one source to the other.   This prevents the generator power from back-feeding through the utility lines, as well as preventing utility power from back-feeding into the generator.

The transfer switch also contains a number of circuits. You can instruct an electrician to assign each circuit to a different load. For example, you might want to power the furnace, well pump, refrigerator, and some lights. You can assign different circuits to power each appliance or room.

You may have more items on different circuits than the generator is capable of powering at the same time. However, using a transfer switch will make it easy to switch between different loads. Just turn one circuit off, and the other on. Our Universal Transfer Switch will even do this for you. A transfer switch makes it easy to manage your power usage and maximize your generator's effectiveness.