# Half my transfer switch works



## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

Hello all. 

I have a Subaru 3500/4265 generator with a 120/240 plug on it. I wired up a transfer switch using all 30amp wiring and plugs. However my Subaru is only 20a... I made a makeshift cord since i couldn’t plug in the 30 to it. I have an older Emergen transferswitch 10 switch unit( I understand 10 switches on items is WAY too much for the little generator) however when I turned it on the other day only half the switch worked. It was installed by a good electrician and feel pretty confident in his work. Anyone have any suggestions? I remember there being a Lone cord at the end we couldn’t find the letter match from and we assumed misprint on it. I believe it was I and L.


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

If you'll forgive the basic question, you're certain the generator outputs 240V? What you're describing could make sense if it only puts out 120V. 

I Googled a bit, but didn't find details of the unit, and its output. At 3500W continuous, that's a low enough wattage that I wouldn't assume it definitely outputs 240V. Once over 5000W, they pretty much all do 240V, but around the 3000W range, some are only 120V. 

A receptacle/cord that can carry 240V should typically have 4 contacts (whether prongs or slots). One that carries 120V will have 3 contacts. So even if the generator's receptacle isn't marked specifically with a voltage, the number of contacts should provide some info. 

Assuming it provides 240V, there are a few places where things could have gone wrong, from what you're describing. In the generator, in the makeshift cord, in the regular cord, and in the transfer switch. This unidentified wire in the makeshift cord (I think?) could be related. 

If you're comfortable with a multimeter, I'd start by checking, in order: 
- That you're getting 240V out of the generator
- That you're getting 240V out of the makeshift cord
- That you're getting 240V out of the "factory" cord

Depending on which receptacle slots you measure, you might measure around 120V, or around 240V. When you're measuring from one AC hot leg to the other AC hot leg, that should show 240V. If, at some point, no combination of slots will measure 240V AC, then you've found your problem. 

Posting pictures of the different plugs & receptacles would be helpful.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

The Homelite HG3500 has a 240V 20A L14-20 Twistlock outlet and 2 or 4 20A circuit breakers. One of the breakers may be tripped or bad? As RedOctobyr said, the twistlock hot legs both need to be putting out 120V relative to the neutral and 240V relative to each other. The lug with the L shape is ground (G), neutral (W) is opposite it and the other two legs are the hot legs (X&Y). The wiring carries straight through directly to the L14-30 plug on your transfer switch.

Do the measurements RO mentioned and in that order.


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

Hello all. Thanks for the replies. Wondering what the “hot legs” you are referring to are. I know how to use a multi just not outside of automobiles. 

Attached pictures: first and second are the plug that goes into the 120/240 slot on the genny. Second is the plug that goes into the outdoor plug and the transfer switch. Last is the plug on the genny. Any help on where to place my multimeter prongs would be awesome and thanks again guys!!!!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Ercove said:


> Hello all. Thanks for the replies. Wondering what the “hot legs” you are referring to are. ... Any help on where to place my multimeter prongs would be awesome and thanks again guys!!!!


 Look again at the diagram I sent in Post 3. It shows where to measure and what the result should be. Be sure your meter is set to A/C V mode and in the 250V+ range.

North American home electric circuits typically have either 1 (X 120V), 2 (X,Y 240V) or 3 (X,Y,Z 208V 3 Phase) hot legs. These supply the 120 voltage; wires are typically Black/Red/Blue. The Neutral leg is the return circuit and is typically a White wire. The Ground circuit is for safety and in normal use carries no or little voltage; wire is Green, Green with Yellow Stripe, or Bare, and is typically bonded at the service entrance to the Neutral.


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

Hey again everyone. So it tested with the multi. When I tested the left (looks straight at the plug) I got 119-120, however the right side of the plug got 0. I then though maybe it’s something behind the panel that is wrong. I opened it up and on the 120/240 plug , the slot titled g has nothing in it. Now this gets a little above my level of knowledge as to what goes where... can someone advise me here?? I mean there is a green wire that is bolted to the engine, guessing a ground. There is also a ground under the frame. If anyone can help me here or just tell me what to do it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Ercove said:


> Hey again everyone. So it tested with the multi. When I tested the left (looks straight at the plug) I got 119-120, however the right side of the plug got 0. I then though maybe it’s something behind the panel that is wrong. I opened it up and on the 120/240 plug , the slot titled g has nothing in it. Now this gets a little above my level of knowledge as to what goes where... can someone advise me here?? I mean there is a green wire that is bolted to the engine, guessing a ground. There is also a ground under the frame. If anyone can help me here or just tell me what to do it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


The Ground connection is being made by the mounting bolts, so no issue there. Each hot leg of the L14-20 outlet is running through one of those two circuit breakers, and then each leg supplies one of the two duplex outlets. Looks like the right side Y leg comes from the top circuit breaker, so that's the next place to test. Pull its leads and check it for continuity (0 Ohms) across the connectors. Feel free to bang on the breaker button with the butt of a screwdriver and see if it resets. If the breaker is good, check the lead feeding the circuit breaker for voltage. Next steps involve the brushes or voltage regulator.


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

So what wire do I test from? This is a little above me and really need a “dummy” guide. Can anyone take time to write one up? I really appreciate all the help!!!


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

Also my breakers have ZERO resistance, they just push right in and bounce back.


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

I wouldn't be worried about the lack of resistance on the circuit breaker buttons. Mine act the same way, when they haven't been tripped. 

As tabora showed in post #3 , you should measure 240V when measuring from the 9 o'clock position, to the 3 o'clock position. The left-hand slot, to the right-hand slot, if the slot with the bend in it (the ground) is at 6 o'clock, facing down. Do this from the outside of the generator, for simplicity, as well as for safety. Rather than measuring from the back of the panel with the outlets, where you can see the exposed wires. 

Set your multimeter to measure AC voltage. If you need to set a measurement range (if it's not an auto-ranging meter), set it to 250V or higher, as tabora said. Plug the leads into the voltage-measuring terminals on the meter (my black terminal is labeled Com, the other has marks for measuring voltage, amps, etc). One terminal may say DC 10A, or something similar, for measuring higher currents. Don't plug a lead into that one. Because it's AC voltage, it doesn't really matter where the red probe goes, vs the black probe, since AC voltage doesn't really have a positive or negative.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Ercove said:


> So what wire do I test from? This is a little above me and really need a “dummy” guide. Can anyone take time to write one up? I really appreciate all the help!!!


 OK, if you are not comfortable with doing the circuit breaker continuity test outlined in Post 7, test the voltage as follows (refer to the diagram below):

I've outlined the black wires for the two hot legs X=Red, Y=Blue

From what you've posted, your X leg is testing fine, but verify with the same following procedure if necessary.
1. Check from the circuit breaker input Y1 to any Neutral (White) contact. Should be 120V. If not, the voltage regulator/capacitor/diodes or brushes may need attention. If OK, proceed.
2. Check from the circuit breaker output Y2 to any Neutral (White) contact. Should be 120V. If not, the circuit breaker needs to be reset or is defective. If OK, proceed.
3. Check the Y leg duplex outlet for voltage. Should be 120V. If it has 120V and the Y leg of the L14-20 outlet does not, then the L14-20 outlet is defective. I would replace it with an L14-30 so that you can use a factory 30A cable rather than the one you made, but it's up to you.​


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Parts Diagram: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/452819/Homelite-Hg3500-Series.html?page=36#manual
Parts List: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/452819/Homelite-Hg3500-Series.html?page=37#manual
Outlet Wiring Diagram (different model, but appears to be correct): https://az417944.vo.msecnd.net/diag...000-watt-generator/wiring-diagram/diagram.gif

By the way, there are TWO different Homelite HG3500 Generators. The one sub-labeled UT-03623 is NOT yours. Its wiring diagram is quite different.


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

tabora said:


> Ercove said:
> 
> 
> > So what wire do I test from? This is a little above me and really need a “dummy” guide. Can anyone take time to write one up? I really appreciate all the help!!!
> ...




Thanks for this! With the holidays this weekend I won’t be able to perform this. But come Monday I should be good to go. You mentioned replacing with the 30 amp plug, would that damage my machine or any electrical as the machine originally had a 20? Thanks again this information is priceless!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Ercove said:


> You mentioned replacing with the 30 amp plug, would that damage my machine or any electrical as the machine originally had a 20?


First, determine where the problem is via the steps previously posted. The only thing the outlet affects is whether you can use a standard L14-30 generator cord or not. It is an inert item; as long as it's rated for the amperage your generator produces (or higher), all is well.


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## Ercove (Sep 10, 2018)

Alright. So I went out today and opened the box again. Y1 was “loose” on its terminal and a little bent. I fixed the two issues and rechecked my 120/240 and it appears it’s all fixed, the other half of the transfer switch is working. Readings on each half are 120 and together it reads 240. This is a bummer to me as all of you have been SUPER helpful and I wanted to crown one of you with the “you got it right” trophy. Thank you everyone!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Ercove said:


> Alright. So I went out today and opened the box again. Y1 was “loose” on its terminal and a little bent. I fixed the two issues and rechecked my 120/240 and it appears it’s all fixed, the other half of the transfer switch is working. Readings on each half are 120 and together it reads 240. This is a bummer to me as all of you have been SUPER helpful and I wanted to crown one of you with the “you got it right” trophy. Thank you everyone!


Well, we did get it right... Loose Y1 input equals no Y2 output!


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

Awesome, that's great! Glad you got it working properly again. Hopefully you won't have any outages for a while, but at least you'll be prepared now. That's nice that your transfer switch has wattage meters, so you can make sure you don't overload the generator.


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