Best Outdoor Generator Transfer Switches
18-inch flexible conduit whip attaches easily, and indoor surface mount transfer switch designed for fast installation in both residential and commercial applications.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What's in the box: You will receive a pre-wired 10 circuit transfer switch with a long enough pig-tail to allow it to be mounted to the left or right side of your existing control center (breaker panel), a 10ft 30amp extension cord for your 120/240 volt generator outlet, 4 red wire connectors and 10 yellow wire connectors, a demonstrative DVD and a printed installation and operating instructions manual. Note: The bottom four breakers in this transfer switch are linked side by side via metal ties (When you flip one of these linked breakers to the "Gen" position, you are actually turning on two breakers at once, one on each side of the transfer switch). What's NOT included that I will need for installation: You will need a length of 10 gauge building wire (4 wires total including ground wire) long enough to run from your remote inlet box location to your transfer switch, and possibly conduit to run the building wire through (depending on your local code). What tools will I need: You will need a drill with small boring bits or hole saw (if you're mounting your remote inlet box outside), masonry drill bits and screws (if mounting your transfer switch or inlet box on concrete or masonry walls), wire cutters, wire strippers or utility knife, hammer, phillips and standard screw drivers (depending on mounting screws), white tape to write on (identifying desired circuits within your MAIN breaker panel), circuit tester, flashlight, plastic wall anchors and screws (if you're mounting your switch or inlet box on drywall). How does this transfer switch work (for the layman): Here is an example of just one typically wired transfer circuit: A circuit that runs your refrigerator is supplied power by a breaker in your main panel. When you use this transfer switch, you will remove the black wire from the refrigerator's supply breaker in your main panel and replace it with one of the marked red wires from the transfer switch panel. Then, tie the black wire you just removed from that breaker to the similarly marked black wire from the transfer switch (if you put a red wire marked "A" from the transfer switch into the refrigerator's breaker, you will connect the wire you removed from that breaker to the black wire also marked "A" from the transfer switch). When you are running power off of the grid, the breaker on your transfer switch will be switched to the "line" position, meaning, your transfer switch is merely acting like a bridge, allowing the grid power to pass from the breaker in your main panel, through the transfer switch, and into the circuit that feeds your refrigerator. You will then go to your transfer switch panel and move the circuit breaker that feeds your refrigerator from the "line" position to the "Gen" position. When you do this, you are disconnecting the line between your main panel's breaker and the transfer switch, which breaks the circuit to your refrigerator. How do I know, and what do I do when the power comes back on: Leaving a light or radio turned on and plugged into an outlet that is not fed through the transfer switch is the best notification method of main power restoration that I have found (even if you have to run an extension cord from the dead outlet and put the light/radio in your bedroom at night). When that light or radio comes on, you'll know you can go to your transfer switch panel and move all the switches from "Gen" back to "Line", turn off the generator, unplug the extension cord and put everything away - and wait for the next outage."
"Lightning speed delivery, competitive price and fantastic product installation instructions when the written and on-line YouTube tutorials combined."
"I was able to connect 10 circuits on this unit in about 45 minutes once the panel itself was installed and I figured out what everything in my main panel went to. Only one very minor blip I had was when I took off the small cover plate on the bottom right hand of the transfer panel to reach for the wires, the black wire was not readily obvious, and for a second I got worried."
"Make sure you follow all safety warnings in the installation guide or hire a licensed electrician if you don't know what you're doing."
"If you are comfortable opening up your electrical panel and doing basic things like adding a breaker, you can install this. The installation of the box itself and the wires into the main panel took 2-3 hours, and I was taking my time and double checking everything."
18-inch flexible conduit whip attaches easily, and indoor surface mount transfer switch designed for fast installation in both residential and commercial applications.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Make sure you turn your main breaker off before connecting the transfer switch to the main panel as described below: a) Remove the cover off the main electrical panel, and feed the transfer switch wires to the main panel through a cut-out on the main panel. Now, identify the circuits that you wish to be used with emergency power from the generator, and decide which transfer panel switch to connect each of these circuits to. Keep in mind that a 20 Amp circuit on the main panel can only be connected to a 20 Amp breaker on the transfer panel, but a 15 Amp circuit on the main panel can be connected to either a 20 Amp or 15 Amp breaker on the transfer panel. Once the circuits are identified, you can continue - but make sure that you only work on one circuit at a time: d) Disconnect the black wire from the desired circuit breaker on your main panel, and connect it to the black wire from the appropriate switch (eg. Each switch on the transfer panel has three positions: 1) Generator. 2) Off. 3) Line. Because this is a load-side transfer switch, when the switch is in line mode, the circuit is connected to power from the utility through the appropriate breaker on the main panel. In the generator position, the circuit is connected to power from the generator, using the appropriate breaker on the transfer panel. When using the generator, you do not have to turn off the main breaker on the main panel, or even the breakers for the circuits fed by the generator."
"The one thing that greatly impresses me about this product are the great videos which are available online. The only suggestion I have is that instead of cutting the wires short, keep them long so that during a loss of power if you decide you want to change your mind about the circuits, you can just move the wires around."
"I'm in the process of hooking it up."
"Everything about this panel kit was the same as the one found locally, the big box store just had their own part number put on their version. I have a 7000 watt generator that powers this and I can have three bedrooms, two refrigerators/freezers, my kitchen and the boiler/hot water heater running, plus I have a 20 amp breaker left over if I ever get a sump pump installed."
"The twist lock receptacle on my generator is a 20 amp so instead of replacing the receptacle I used the 20amp male 2 feet of 10/4 SO cord and purchased a 30amp female adapter instead of cutting off and then then wiring the tent foot cord that came with the transfer switch. I could have bought it on Ebay for a little less money $249 but felt safer ordering from Amazon $263."
"I called the customer service line about a question and it was answered promptly and clearly."
When emergency power is needed, connect a generator cord to the inlet box, and flip the switch for the transfer unit. Ergo Grip plug handle with LED power indicators and angled connector for improved strain relief.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a high-quality cord with a very nice Inlet box."
"Very well made kit."
"Mounted box to wall and hooked up was easy and cord fit properly ."
"Great for generator hookup.Great product."
"Items performed as advertised."
Best Outdoor Generator Covers
Protect your valuable Champion generator year round with Champion’s complete selection of generator covers including 1200-1875-watt and 2800-4750-watt sizes. Quick – The durable cover fits over your generator quickly to protect it while in storage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It does not go over the wheels but pulls right down inside the wheels to the lower frame tube on the generator."
"if the cover was removed frequently and the generator moved frequently, I suspect that the cover would show signs of usage quite quickly."
"Fits great!"
"Good quality cover."
"Out of the box, this was about 3x heavier than expected and is also lined with felt like material."
"If you spend the $$ to buy a beefy Champion generator, you'll want a beefy, sturdy cover!"
"As others have said, this cover fits a Champion 9375W (in my case, model 41410 purchased at BJ's Wholesale) generator like a glove, literally. I would prefer the cover to be slightly larger than the generator, relying on the cord on the bottom to secure it tightly."
"I bought this cover on June 23, and in 5 months it's been on the generator, I found the entire top is cracked and falling apart."
Best Outdoor Generator Inlet Boxes
This inlet box is then safely hardwired through an outside wall directly to the transfer switch or panel, eliminating the need for cords running through windows or doors. It is designed to be wired directly to the transfer switch or panel by using one of the four combination 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch knockouts (one on each side, bottom and back). The Reliance Controls 20 Amp power inlet box is designed for outdoor use and can be hardwired directly to Reliance Controls transfer switches or panels, eliminating need for cords running through windows or doors. Maximum generator running watts: 5,000.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Worked great for my suicide generator hook up."
"Works great for a generator hookup."
"Had this completely installed in about 20 minutes and now ready to just plug in generator next time power goes out."
"I use this electrical box to connect an outdoor generator to my indoor transfer switch."
"I bought this to install on the outside of the house as part of a system to let me switch over to generator power."
"Great way to get power from my portable generator into the garage for winter time emergency power for the furnace."
Best Outdoor Generator Cords, Sets & Plugs
Camco 30' RV Extension Cord with Handle is a 50 AMP cord with handles. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While the official line is to not use any extension cord with the Tesla UMC/EVSE for charging the Model S, I'm concerned that there will be a time that the 18' cord just won't be long enough."
"Even the 15 amp version of this is a nice hefty extension cord."
"My 2006 Cherokee 5th wheel toy hauler ( cheaply made piece of junk) didn't come with a cord-- just a socket and a short adapter and a 'normal' outdoor electrical cord got warm and would not run the A/C."
"So far its been a great cord."
"Very handy to get your genny away from your RV."
"It arrived quickly and at the best price I could find on the internet or local."
"Awesome as a Model X owner it works very well no heat buildup."
"Has come in VERY handy and the yellow handle makes it much easier to disconnect."