Best Tranfer Switches for Houses and Facilities

This transfer switch is capable of operating with any power generator with an output of 7,500W and lower, which is sufficient for feeding not only low-powered appliances but also high power ones like air conditioners. The only thing you need to do beforehand is to determine the exact electric appliances you want to supply an auxiliary power to in case an outage occurs. With that, the total capacity of the appliances selected must not exceed the backup power source output. For the convenience of wiring, the branch-rated circuit breakers and circuit selector toggle switches are marked with A, B, C, D, E, F letters and the sticky label above these letters allows you to sign, which appliance circuit is connected to each breaker. This kind of precaution by the manufacturer prevents confusion with appliances power on/off. The toggle switches can be set in three positions: the bottom position to power the connected appliances from the utility source, the top position to power them with the generator, and the middle position to entirely cut off the appliances connected.

The construction of this switching device is well-thought-out. Being designed for mainly indoor usage in a house or a small office, it has a protection level adequate to its intended working conditions. It sports a comprehensive protection from any kind of dirt. Furthermore, choosing this model you get a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer. In addition, you will be able to make use of the two watt-meters on the panel of the switch. One of them displays the total power consumption for the A, B, and C circuits, whereas the other one shows the same value for the D, E, and F circuits. Using these watt-meters greatly helps you monitor the generator current operation parameters and prevent its overload.

Сoncluding the examination of this model, we would like to provide a few examples of the devices, which you can power up with the 31406CRK. This switching unit features six single-pole circuits and allows you to unite the C and D poles into one double pole circuit to power an appliance working from a 240V supply. Thus, you can wire a refrigerator, an electric burner, a sump pump, or a TV to the A, B, E, or F circuits with the C and D circuits connected to a more power hungry appliance like a well pump.

Some users may not like the size of this model. However one needs to understand that the bulkiness of this piece of equipment is caused by the implementation of the circuitry to control the device operation along with high-power switches. The model has an enclosure with a high-quality of build and assembly. The case is covered with powder paint and all connections are pressure sealed in conformance with the NEMA 3R standard making the switch suitable for both indoor and outdoor installation. In addition, RTSW200A3 offers a protection from the snow and rain as well as icing. These features greatly add to the model usability and make it a splendid option for use in the Northern regions of the US.

The RTSW200A3 is compatible with circuits powered from the generators with up to 48,000W output. It implies the ability to power up a great number of electrical appliances via this transfer switch. All in all, having such a powerful switching device with an auxiliary power source makes an outage not an issue at all. Like other advanced electric equipment of this type, this switch uses the digital power management (PMM) technology to perform its main function. Owing to the PMM implemented the power draw from the generator distributes more evenly among the connected equipment. Add a tempting 5-year warranty for such a great device and you get a no brainer when it comes deciding on a specific model.

As it stems from the written above this power switch turns out to be one of the best options among the automatic models available for ensuring a reliable power supply to your appliances. Whether you decide to use the RTSW200A3 in a small shop, restaurant, or a private company, you will hardly regret your decision. As a useful addition that expands the rich functionality of this Generac device, even more, you can purchase the Smart Management Module to control the automatic switch at a distance. The module allows you to redistribute the load on the power source caused by the consuming appliances remotely as well as keep track of the current device parameters and perform other operations.

As analogous electric devices, this switch offers an electric protection of a certain level. And considering its suitability for a garage or basement installation due to the small size it was logical for the manufacturer to equip the switch with anti-dust and anti-dirt protection. With that, the Generac also took care of your generator maintenance. To help you avoid your generator overload, this power switch offers two watt-meters, each showing the power consumption for one output phase: A and B. These meters will come in handy to control the power draw. To run the generator in a normal operation mode and avoid its overload, please ensure that total power demand of the appliances energized does not exceed the generator capacity.  If you use one of the circuits to feed power hungry appliances such as freezers or well pumps, you will probably need to switch the phase connection from your generator from time to time to balance the load. As a general protective measure, we recommend to always keep the power consumption differential within the 1,000W limit for the phases.

Evaluating the performance of this particular device, it is safe to say that its ability to feed the circuits from generators with up to 7,500W output offers a great opportunity of keeping a large variety of critical appliances powered up from your auxiliary source. In most cases, people are seeking the capability of the switch to power up their fridges in case of an outage so that to keep the foods from defreezing. It is also common and rational to look for a switchgear capable of supplying power reliably to a heater during the wintertime, and this model can do just that. Moreover, with such switch capacity along with the most crucial equipment, you can even connect your TV, radio, or a PC to your power generator.

Summing up we want to touch upon the subject of the available combinations of connected circuits for this switching device. The main option is to use six single pole circuits for connecting appliances of a medium power consumption rate. Alternatively, you can use two model in a twin double pole circuits mode to connect appliances, which require higher voltage for the operation. There is also an option of expanding the total number of single poles to 10 for the Generac 6376.

Anyway, let us single out and highlight the features that make the 31410CRK model stand out from the rest of its kind. Some switch models have a small number of available circuits under the hood to distribute the power supplied. This design may result in a situation when you have supplied an electric power to all the critical devices but ended up being unable to turn on a standing lamp or an electric kettle to boil some water. The 31410CRK switch offers enough circuits for connecting up to ten 120V devices simultaneously. However, in winter you will probably need to feed an electric power to more powerful appliances, such as heaters. Most probably you have several rooms in your house, each of which may have a dedicated heater installed. That's why the manufacturer designed this transfer switch to provide a supply for up to 5 devices requiring a 240V power.

Since your generator is used as an auxiliary power source, you need to be very careful not to overload it during the use. The generator overload consequences may be massive, with an inappropriate operation of some appliances powered by the generator to be among the least devastating. In worse cases, the devices may fail, the wiring of the generator may burn through or the generator itself taking fire in the worst case. To prevent such an incident, this switch model comes with two watt-meters each displaying the current power demand for its phase group: the first one for A, B, and C phases, and the second for D, E, F phases. Using these watt-meters, you can easily detect a potential overload and instantly prevent it. However, for maintaining a comprehensive security, we recommend to always have a fire extinguisher at hand.

As a conclusion, we would like to highlight the great package bundle of this device. The manufacturer has given a proper consideration to the product installation and put efforts to make the procedure as less troublesome as possible. That is why this transfer switch comes with a 10-foot power cord, a 30A power inlet box, wire connector, and an extra 20F plug end. By the way, the device and accessories come with a DVD containing a full installation procedure guide.

What we think will definitely come to your liking is a clear and easy to understand the functionality of the switch. Indeed, all the controls are located on the front panel of the switch. You will find a toggle switch, using which you can switch between the device operation mode. These are operation from the mains, from a generator, and off mode. In addition, when the generator is powering the circuit, you can cut off the power supply to the appliances connected using the circuit breaker. There is also a handy indicator which lights up when the generator is used as a power source. The casing of the switch has an inlet to insert the wire from the generator.

Installing the switch may turn out not an easy task. Mainly, it all comes to a necessity to resort to a specialist help. What is advantageous about this model installation, you can easily mount it yourself following the detailed instructions you'll find in the supply package. Moreover, you can find the video on the official manufacturer website with a detailed installation procedure shown. Also, this switch comes with all the necessary elements to mount it on nearly any surface: a brick or a concrete wall, or even a drywall.

It is natural that consumers take the warranty coverage into consideration when buying a certain device. The Heezy LLC company is so confident of the quality of their HTS15-MAN model that they provide a lifetime warranty, leaving no doubts when it comes to purchasing this transfer switch.