306CRK Generator Transfer Switch ~ 6 Circuit

Got the kit so we can use our 5000 w Coleman generator to power house in an emergency. I'm not a wiring professional but I understand the rules of electricity and am good at following instructions.One thing I really like about the Pro/Tran 2 is it uses standard circuit breakers. The previous comparable Reliance transfer switch uses proprietary buttons instead of standard breakers,The most difficult part was locating the transfer switch properly and wiring the outside plug. Also had to change the plug on the generator cord from 30 amp to 20 amp (20 amp plug was supplied).Get the outside plug wired into the transfer switch before connecting the switch to circuits in the breaker box.TURN OFF THE MASTER POWER SWITCH IN BREAKER BOX BEFORE MAKING CONNECTIONS.It's easier to configure each circuit if you remove the breaker from it's mount. Then it's easier to loosen the wire and connect the transfer switch wire.Always work one-handed if possible even if the master switch is off. Electricity is more likely to kill you if you use both hands. If you hit a live wire the electricity travels up one arm, through your chest a heart and exits through the other arm.. If you use one arm the circuit cannot be completed.Making the connections in the breaker box only took about 30 minutes,OBSERVATIONS:If you have converted your lights to LED turning them on hardly register on the transfer switch meters.If you are using a generator rather than an Inverter it might be wise to have surge suppressors on solid state stuff like TVs and computers. Generator electricity isn't as "clean" as inverter electricity.One of the circuits I wired to the transfer switch has a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) breaker. Normally you can switch a circuit to generator even if you are still getting regular line power. But if you try to switch over to generator on a GFI circuit when there's outside power, the GFI breaker will immediately pop. It works fine if there is no power coming in from regular lines. BUT remember if you are running in generator mode GFI no longer works unless you have a ghfi breaker in the transfer switch for that circuit.If none of the above makes sense to you, you probably should contact an electrician.Attached is a shot of the project with everything working --obviously there is some cosmetic work still to be done.Bottom line is that the Pro/Tran 2 is a great product for the price. If you live in an area prone to power interruptions this should be a must have.

Bought this kit to have my house wired the right way to use a portable generator in case of a power outage after the last blizzard this year. Thankfully, the power didn't go out but we had extended outages after the hurricanes a few years ago so this was something I've been meaning to do. This kit has basically everything you need to install except a length of 10/3 wire to run to the remote outlet outside. I had some laying around from a few years ago that I got at home depot. I did have an electrician friend help install this, but it probably isn't necessary if you are handy. There are good instructions, color-coded and labeled wiring, and basically you are just moving one wire from your main breaker panel and patching in a wire from this box for each circuit. You can switch over 6 110v circuits or 1 220 and 4 110s. I went with the 6 120s which pretty much covers the whole house. This unit allows you to switch back and forth from generator to line power almost seamlessly and also has meters at the top for each phase to see how much current is being drawn. Tech support from the company was also great as we had a little issue with the generator tripping a breaker that was due to neutral grounding and they were more than happy to send a free adapter plug for the cord with alternate wiring scheme to fix the problem.

This is an ideal balance of safety and usability to allow you to power selected circuits with a fairly robust portable generator. I compared a whole home generator with a new portable generator and this switch and I'm spending about 10% of the total cost. It isn't as convenient as an automatic whole home transfer switch. But at 10% of the cost, and as infrequently as I actually need it, this is by far the best tradeoff. Make sure you buy a 3/4" conduit and 10/3 romex to handle the load on your generator. That won't be included in the box. It does conveniently include the cable you will need from a 30amp 240v generator plug to the provided wall outlet to pass through your outside wall. I'm very pleased with this and it took about 2 hours to install. Plan for an afternoon and best to do during the day, but have a flashlight handy.

I installed the Reliance Control interior 30-amp 6 breaker transfer switch on my shop. It was very easy to install especially since it is pre-wired to go into your existing breaker panel. I had to get 20-amp Siemen breakers from Home Depot to replace the 15-amp breakers included in the transfer switch for my setup. It was nice that it uses commonly available breakers. The install from start to finish was around 3ish hours since nothing was blocking the work area inside or outside. Yeah....I don't move too fast. I tested it out with a generator when completed and it worked great. This is the 2nd Reliance Control transfer switch I have installed. The first one was the Reliance Controls 50 amp, 10 circuit model installed on my home a while back. That took me all day due to access issue fun to the electric panel in my basement. Based on my positive outcome with these transfer switches I would not hesitate to buy another if the need ever came up.

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