That sounds like a setup that would be not too difficult to build with the house but would be a real PITA to add later.
There are some subdivisions that have noise restrictions on generators. Ours doesn’t, and our neighbor has one that’s as loud as a chainsaw. He sets it in front of his house so we all get a good listen. Of course, when the power’s out, there’s no background noise in the house, so it’s like trying to sleep at a lawn mower test track. I have no real advice…just venting.
It’s not a PITA at all. In fact, it’s quite easy.
What reason would you have for a 2nd panel? You put a switchover on your regular panel and turn off the breakers you don’t need.
Backfeed Breaker with Interlock Switch
That’s easier to install, but a separate transfer switch panel is easier to use. ALL circuits powered by generator are in one location and it’s easier to instruct others that all switches in the transfer panel must be turned on, as opposed to making sure that ONLY the marked breakers in the main panel be turned off during generator use.
A fine point, I know, but I have to consider that I may not be the only person to operate the generator.
I did consider this method, but I have two 200 amp panels and the circuits that I wanted to power were not all in one panel - a complication.
I went with an interlock kit like this one. It allows me to use my entire existing panel when I use my generator.
It installs with a double (220V) circuit breaker (feeds both lines of the panel) that is wired to an input box on the outside of my home. The panels install in such a way as to only allow activation of the incoming power circuit breaker when the main incoming “street power” is disabled. To install this you need at least 2 empty slots in your main panel, and some circuit breakers may need to be removed around.
I did the work myself (I’m not an electrician, but I’m fairly handy with electrical work) in a couple of hours, and with all the materials required cost me less than $300. Bringing in an electrician wouldn’t have added but a couple hundred dollars to the job.
If we lose power, I wheel the generator out, lock it to my porch, run the cable, and engage the system. A one page “checklist / process document” makes it easy to remember the steps. So easy, that my wife was able to connect and implement in just a few minutes when I was away for a long weekend without any phone availability.
I have a 5500W (6500W peak) generator so I can run my entire house. We have gas for the stove and dryer, so as long as we’re not running the TV, computer, toaster oven, hair dryer, taking a shower, running the dishwasher and the clothes dryer all at once with every light in the house on, we are well below the limits.
I don’t work for them so this isn’t spam but I just happen to catch a 30 minute infomercial last night for Generac. Still costs in the thousands but it seemed like a fairly legit, honest ad. Site has a lot of good info too. Main reason the commercial caught my eye is it was hosted by a guy I recognized but couldn’t pin down. Turned out to by original MTV VJ Alan Hunter…
It’s fairly easy to move circuits around between the 2 panels. (Assuming they are near each other, and have a conduit connecting them (or could have one added).
It would be easy if the wire going to each panel were long enough to go from one panel to another.
Doesn’t matter anyway - my installation has been done for two years now.
Portable Generator theft can be a real problem. My neighbor had one on a trailer that he used for his business. He set it up at his home during an extended power failure. Thieves cut the chains with bolt cutters. Hooked it to his truck and took off with it still running and plugged in. My neighbor came running out of the house but they were half way down the street. He relied on that for his business and he was screwed for quite awhile.
I always worried about my little Honda generator. The noise tells everybody you have one. I’d never leave the house with locking it up in my storage closet.
They poured a concrete pad for my Generac. Bolted down. It would be difficult to carry off.
One issue with gasoline powered generators is that if power is out over a wide region, getting gas can be tough because gas station pumps are out.
You need to decide exactly what kind of emergency you want to prepare for, as well as what you need/want in the way of conveniences to ride out that emergency. I thought about this quite a bit and I came to the conclusion that all I really need is heat. I have natural gas, so I originally intended to buy a small gas generator and plug my furnace directly into it (no cutoff switch required). Then I decided I did not even want to deal with that, so I installed a natural gas fireplace, no generator needed.
Reported.