Generator Transfer Switches Help Protect You
If you are experiencing frequent power outages in your area, or that your area is susceptible to severe weather, generator transfer switches can help you safely power your home or business. This power-supplying device can provide comfort, safety and security during power outages and emergencies, and can be installed temporarily during these situations. It must be connected properly to protect electrical utility workers, family members and property. Improper connection of the device and the power-switching device could void your homeowner's insurance in case of accident or injury. Improper connections also allow electrical current from the generator to short circuit with utility line current when powered is restored. This can cause a fire in the electrical system.
A manual switching device is a key to safe and convenient operation of portable types of devices that supply power to your home.
It isolates circuits using the power engine, and then the switching device eliminates the risk of back feeding the electrical utility, which can cause injury to workers and property damage.
Utility voltages are normally stepped down before entering the home by a transformer. The transformer can work in reverse when voltage is sent through it in the opposite direction and step up the voltage. This stepped up voltage, back feeding through the utility lines, may electrocute workers that encounter the utility lines.
There are also automatic generator transfer switches. These models can monitor incoming voltage from the utility line, around the clock. In addition, when utility power is interrupted, it immediately senses the problem and signals to start. Once the engine starts running at proper speed, it also safely shuts off the utility line and simultaneously opens the engine power line from the engine.
Within seconds, your power supply device system begins supplying electricity to the critical emergency circuits of your home or business. Then it continually monitors the utility line conditions. When it senses the utility line voltage has returned at a steady state, it re-transfers the electrical load back to the utility line and resumes monitoring for subsequent utility loss. The power engine will continue to run for a period of several minutes while the entire system stands ready for the next power outage.
By installing generator transfer switches at your breaker box and connecting a portable power engine to the switching device, you can run selected circuits for appliances such as furnace, well pump, refrigerator, television, computer, printer or lighting circuit during a power outage, depending on the capacity of the power engine. Since many portable types of power supplying devices cannot handle all these loads at the same time, the switching device allows you to manually or automatically transfer each of these loads separately whenever you need them.
Generator transfer switches are truly needed by individuals who wish to use an electric power-supplying device as a source of backup power for a home or business. They make it possible to limit the electricity from the electric company to be used only when the switching device is in the proper position. They are also recognized as a safe alternative for connecting an electrical load to the generator for an entire house or business. Thus, a generator without a switch can be very dangerous.
