# Advantages and Disadvatanges of Transfer Switches



## jimcuviello (Aug 12, 2012)

I have a 17.5 generator that has a 240/50amp and 240/30amp plug.

To take full advantage of the power and not void the UL Rating I was thinking of the best way to safely transfer power.

My thought was to use two sub panels using a Square D Transfer Switch that attached to two breakers. One panel would be 60amp that would take advantage of the 240/50amp plug and the second a 30amp panel to take advantage of the 240/30amp plug.

This seems to be the simplest and most straight forward.

Is there a better option using a controller from Reliance, GenTec, etc?

Are there advantages or disadvantages of either set up.

What are the problems I will encounter with the above?


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## jesse james (Sep 12, 2012)

That is exactly what I was thinking of doing.. I have a 2 story house with two 100 amp panels. Its my understanding that the 50 amp side will give you 12000 watts of power and the 30 amp side will give you 7200 watts of power. Its perfect for me because I can run 2 window units 8000 btu on the high side and one unit on the low side.. There would be plenty of extra power for a couple of refrigerators and lights/fans. Hope someone reply's if that would work. I am also thinking about putting the tri fuel conversion kit on it and run on natural gas from my house.. Do you know if these portable generators can be used continuously or do they need a rest?


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## Robert Coats (Nov 10, 2011)

jesse james said:


> Do you know if these portable generators can be used continuously or do they need a rest?


Depends on the generator's duty cycle. A 100-percent duty cycle means the generator is rated to run all the time. Just follow the maintenance schedule and do the oil changes, etc. at the designated hours. 

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Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.


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## redstargenerator (Jul 28, 2012)

I also agree with the fact that there are more advantages of transfer switches. I would like to share that the obvious advantage of automatically transferring between utility power and generator power when the power goes out.


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