Thread: Transfer switch and downstream panel for generator

Inspected a house today built in 2001. Original main/service equipment panel was in the garage. At some point they wanted a generator and added a panel adjacent to the main panel/service equipment. This downstream panel included a transfer switch and several breakers/branch circuits from the original main/service equipment were moved over to it. The circuits they moved were the ones they wanted to run on the generator. However, when they did this, they simply spliced on to the original hot conductors in the main panel with enough length of wire to feed over to the adjacent panel. So, essentially, the main panel was being used as a junction box. They also left the branch circuit neutrals to terminate in the main panel, they did not splice them over to the adjacent transfer switch panel. I am 98 percent sure this would be incorrect, but would love some verification/NEC documentation. Check out the photos.

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This is what Kohler spec'd for our system.

Matthews Barnicle

I try to give you some helpful information on Portable Generators.

From what I can see from your supplied pictures, everything seen to be
wired properly.

It not necessary to bring all the grounded/neutral conductor into this
generator panel.

With all the wires going into the house Service Panel, the maker has
supplied an over size white insulated wire, this is the generator neutral.
The other end, is attach to the Service Neutral/Grounded bus bar.
This take care of having to run all those white wire back over to the
generator circuit breaker panel.

The wire nuted wires, the house circuits, that run over the the generator
circuit breaker panel. These are the one the home owner wants on when
the power goes, and he power up his generator.

So how power supply to the generator circuit breaker panel, when the
generator is not running?

The Electrician installed two double pole breakers. One is installed at the
upper most left inside the generator panel, with the 2nd. breaker installed
back at the home owner service panel. The Electrician installed a pair
of heavy cables to the double pole breaker located in the generator
circuit breaker panel. When this breaker is turn on, power from the
home owner electrical panel into the generator panel. Is should be noted
that when you turn this breaker on, you automatically turn off the gen-
erator double pole breaker that is directly feed by the generator when it's running.


Prehaps Jerry Peck will step in, and correct any errors and omissions, I
might had made, in my Post.

One last thing, the cheap portable generators put out power, that is not computer
friendly. I always have my computer disconnected from the house electrical system,
when my generator is running.

This is a double posted topic.

Yes I know, but how do I kill the other topic post. PLEASE HELP!

Originally Posted by Robert S. Mattison

Matthews Barnicle

I will try to give you some helpful information on portable generators.

From what I can see from your supplied pictures, everything seems to be
wired properly.

It not necessary to bring all the grounded/neutral conductors into this
generator panel.

With all the wires going into the house service panel, the maker has
supplied an over sized white insulated wire. This is the generator neutral.
The other end, is attached to the Service Neutral/Grounded bus bar.
This takes care of having to run all those white wires back over to the
generator circuit breaker panel.

The wires with wire nuts, the house circuits, the ones that run over to the generator
circuit breaker panel; these are the ones the home owner wants on when
the power goes, and he powers up his generator.

So how to supply power to the generator circuit breaker panel when the
generator is not running?

The Electrician installed two double pole breakers. One is installed at the
upper most left inside the generator panel, with the 2nd. breaker installed
back at the home owner's service panel. The Electrician installed a pair
of heavy cables to the double pole breaker located in the generator
circuit breaker panel. When this breaker is turned on, power from the
home owner's electrical panel flows into the generator panel. Is should be noted
that when you turn this breaker on, you automatically turn off the generator double pole breaker that is directly fed by the generator when it's running.


Prehaps Jerry Peck will step in, and correct any errors and omissions, I
might have made in my post.

One last thing, the cheap portable generators put out power that is not computer
friendly. I always have my computer disconnected from the house electrical system,
when my generator is running.

Robert, no offense man but PLEASE do a little proof reading on your posts before you post it, or even go back and edit the thing. I get a headache and eye strain just trying to understand what you are saying.
I have no idea whether what you are saying is correct since I spent all my brain power trying to understand the English.

Jim L. you are 100 percent correct.

I will try to do better with the proof reading.

Sometimes I think it better that I wait a day, then proof read.

Your point is well received. Thanks for correcting it.