Hi all,
I'm going to purchase a 10 circuit manual transfer switch (Reliance Q310C) to power my service panel using a portable generator. I picked this particular transfer switch as it uses 10 standard 1" Cultler Hammer BR breakers that are user replaceable and configurable. My service panel is pretty simply set up. There are only 13 single pole circuits of either 15 or 20 amps for the entire house. No 240V circuits at all. Tonight, I pulled the front of the service panel off to survey the job. The only glitch is that I noticed one particular breaker has a red wire attached to it instead of black like all the others. Some research on my part turned up the fact that this breaker (20 amp) and the breaker directly above it (20 amp with black wire) are part of what I learned is a "multiwire branch circuit" that feeds a utility outlet in my laundry room, as well as an outlet in my kitchen. Both breakers share a single white neutral at the service panel. Further reading of a downloaded install manual for the Reliance Q310C produced this warning:
"If a selected circuit is part of a multiwire branch circuit, ensure the other branch circuit that shares the neutral is also connected to the transfer switch. The two circuits must be connected to opposing legs (phases) of the generator power and a handle tie must be installed on the switch handles so that both legs are transferred at the same time."
I understand the reason for this is so there is no risk of overloading the shared neutral. I understand how to physically wire the transfer switch into the service panel. I also understand that two adjacent positions (eg. A and B) on the transfer switch will represent the required opposite phases of the generator producing the emergency power (see attached photo link below).
So...just so I can get this straight in my head... I put the two breakers that represent the multiwire branch circuit from the service panel on the transfer switch in say, positions A and B. This will ensure that they are each on opposing legs of the generator. Then just physically tie them together with the handles Reliance provides? I will be doing this to the part of the transfer switch that is marked GEN-OFF-LINE right? That way you either have them both on or both off. Most important to me is to ask, if I have this all down correctly?...then after that, how exactly can a shared neutral be potentially dangerous if hooked up to the transfer switch improperly? Thanks!
Bob
LINK
I'm going to purchase a 10 circuit manual transfer switch (Reliance Q310C) to power my service panel using a portable generator. I picked this particular transfer switch as it uses 10 standard 1" Cultler Hammer BR breakers that are user replaceable and configurable. My service panel is pretty simply set up. There are only 13 single pole circuits of either 15 or 20 amps for the entire house. No 240V circuits at all. Tonight, I pulled the front of the service panel off to survey the job. The only glitch is that I noticed one particular breaker has a red wire attached to it instead of black like all the others. Some research on my part turned up the fact that this breaker (20 amp) and the breaker directly above it (20 amp with black wire) are part of what I learned is a "multiwire branch circuit" that feeds a utility outlet in my laundry room, as well as an outlet in my kitchen. Both breakers share a single white neutral at the service panel. Further reading of a downloaded install manual for the Reliance Q310C produced this warning:
"If a selected circuit is part of a multiwire branch circuit, ensure the other branch circuit that shares the neutral is also connected to the transfer switch. The two circuits must be connected to opposing legs (phases) of the generator power and a handle tie must be installed on the switch handles so that both legs are transferred at the same time."
I understand the reason for this is so there is no risk of overloading the shared neutral. I understand how to physically wire the transfer switch into the service panel. I also understand that two adjacent positions (eg. A and B) on the transfer switch will represent the required opposite phases of the generator producing the emergency power (see attached photo link below).
So...just so I can get this straight in my head... I put the two breakers that represent the multiwire branch circuit from the service panel on the transfer switch in say, positions A and B. This will ensure that they are each on opposing legs of the generator. Then just physically tie them together with the handles Reliance provides? I will be doing this to the part of the transfer switch that is marked GEN-OFF-LINE right? That way you either have them both on or both off. Most important to me is to ask, if I have this all down correctly?...then after that, how exactly can a shared neutral be potentially dangerous if hooked up to the transfer switch improperly? Thanks!
Bob
LINK