Generator Selection?

[grsthegreat]

Thank you... TBN always makes me look good...

16 to 18 kW...

Is this something a typical residential gas meter can power?

Most resi meters are 250cfh rated........generally they have to upsize them to the 400 range to handle gen and other appliances. Here, its done for free. Not sure about pg&e. Being calif i bet they charge at least $950,000 for new meter.....haha.

I just read that calif is now charging up to 10 years worth of wealth tax if uou move out of the state.....really. Im so glad i moved back in 1996.

 

[ultrarunner]

They tried a source tax for retired folks some years back... say you retired after 30 years Highway Patrol and moved to NV and the state was withholding income based on it was sourced from CA.

Will look at meter to see rating... it is at very end of line plus some distance from street.

Is it worth waiting for hydraulic lifters?

 

[Diggin It]

ATS showed up. Didn't expect FedEx to run today, but they did.


No knockouts in it at all, so now I need to find hole saws that will cut holes for 1-1/4" fittings in metal. Have a cheap HF set, but will have to see if they're metal rated.

Need to check with my local dealer first thing in the morning on the other two brands before I do anything more though. My guess is that now that I have it, I'll probably keep it and stay with G unless a compelling reason not to shows up. Now I guess I need to explore the 14 and 18K units. Drat.

There is a metal rod that inserts into the hole in the yellow tab to enable manual switching between sources.

I wish there would have been a better explanation of what 'suitable for service entrance' meant for us that aren't familiar with the term. I didn't really need the extra 100A breakers in here since I already have a set in the main panel and another set in the new disconnect I just installed. This makes three sets which I hope won't be an issue.

 

[TMGT]

Get one of these instead, way better then using a hole saw, bought one after using a hole saw on a couple holes for a panel.

Knockout Punch Kit, 1 Pc.

 

[Diggin It]

I like that punches don't make shaving like holesaws do, but you still need to drill a pilot hole.

grsthegreat,

>> is there any warranty related reason I cannot remove the entire backplane with all components intact so I can drill/punch holes for conduit without risking getting shavings in the components? Looks like the four corner nuts and ground cable will free it all.

>> Is there any reason I cannot, or should not mount this to Super Strut used as stanchions embedded in concrete? Wiring would then be in either rigid or sealtight. My exterior wall construction would make wall mounting complicated.

 

[Diggin It]

Interesting that the 1 and 2 star reviews on the punch set are all several years old while the more recent reviews are higher. Did they upgrade the quality of the set? Or are newer lesser reviews not showing.

 

[LouNY]

If you prefer the name brand here you go only $175;
GREENLEE KNOCKOUT PUNCH SET - 735BB | eBay

 

[ponytug]

Interesting that the 1 and 2 star reviews on the punch set are all several years old while the more recent reviews are higher. Did they upgrade the quality of the set? Or are newer lesser reviews not showing.

Full disclosure: I have the hydraulic Greenlee punch. It's awesome, but pricey. I picked up a couple at auctions for not much over the years, and rebuilt a couple of them.

On the Harbor Freight punch, I seem to recall that older versions had a different cutter design. The four lobed cutter may cut easier. If you are going to only use it once, get the HF version. Make sure that you lubricate the threads well. Any sort of friction reducer Teflon/silicone/moly helps a lot. I think that a punch is much better than a hole saw in terms of hole quality, not to mention fewer metal shavings...

Unless it voids your particular warranty, removing inner panels is pretty normal.

All the best,

Peter

 

[RoyKing]

Service entrance means you can feed it directly from the meter can, then take the output to the old service panel. Zoro.com sells individual punch's. The cheap punches bind, so drill 1/4" then open with step drill then install punch. It will tilt cutting on one side, loosen rotate 90' and tighten again. I install a 200 amp panel for a 36kva diesel genset.

 

[Tinhack]

I made mine so cost was no object. :laughing:

I made a larger set though for punching gauge and speedo holes in the sheet metal dashes I used to make. The punches larger than about 3" had to be used on my press. I should start digging that stuff out and start selling it. I'm retired!

 

[grsthegreat]

I like that punches don't make shaving like holesaws do, but you still need to drill a pilot hole.

grsthegreat,

>> is there any warranty related reason I cannot remove the entire backplane with all components intact so I can drill/punch holes for conduit without risking getting shavings in the components? Looks like the four corner nuts and ground cable will free it all.

>> Is there any reason I cannot, or should not mount this to Super Strut used as stanchions embedded in concrete? Wiring would then be in either rigid or sealtight. My exterior wall construction would make wall mounting complicated.

i always remove guts Before drilling. Mind you i have a hydraulic punch kit similar to this





that punches holes from 3/4” to 4”. But still have to drill pilot hole. But unless you have 1500+ to waste...
Go hole saw.

No problem with mounting on strut. I mount to strut all the time.

Personally, if your never have use for 1-1/4” hole later on, just get a hole saw. Make sure you size it to the thread.....not 1-1/4” hole.

Im not sure how accurate the following chart is, so measure actual fitting.

 

[ultrarunner]

For smaller holes step drills are very useful and quick for small conduit and pilots

 

[Diggin It]

With split system heat pumps i would not go below the 16 kw current line, which will soon be 18kw.

a 13 (soon to be 14kw) would probably work.

Do we know if either or both of those are compatible with my RXSW100A3 Transfer switch? I don't want to make any marks on it until I know.

 

[grsthegreat]

Do we know if either or both of those are compatible with my RXSW100A3 Transfer switch? I don't want to make any marks on it until I know.

They will all work. Your switch will work with any Generac generator. It will now work with other brands.

 

[RoyKing]

The Generac ATS is a dumb switch, that is the reason it is the cheapest. It has no line monitoring capabilities, although it does need line power to close the switch. It can do load shedding and staging. It is easily adapted to line monitoring controllers like the deepsea 7200. You feed 12vdc and then ground one lug to activate and if generator power is up it will transfer.

 

[Diggin It]

It's not exactly dumb in that it has utility power monitoring to an extent once connected to the generator controller. There are sensors in it that the generator controller needs. But no, it will not transfer automatically by itself.


I keep looking at the pictures though and noticing things missing or different from the manuals and diagrams. Simple things like labels, such as the E1/E2 and T1/T2 connections. Makes me wonder if they're rushing things through and the QC is slipping.

 

[Diggin It]

They will all work. Your switch will work with any Generac generator. It will now work with other brands.

I'm guessing you meant a 't' there?


Do we have any hints on pricing of the 14 and 18 yet?

 

[RoyKing]

It has no sensors in it for line monitoring, it just passes 110V up to the Generator Controller which has the logic and programming. It does have loading shedding circuits that trip by frequency drop that indicates too much current draw. It runs via one 12voltDc double pole relay. The power to drive solenoids comes from either gen or line. So when controller tells it to transfer to gen, the relay connects the solenoids to gen power, another switch turns the solenoid off once it completes the transfer. It is nothing more than relays and mechanical switches.

The transfer switch has gone through several model updates, but is functional the same. They just keep finding ways to lower the cost.

You can use the load shedding circuits regardless if it used on Generac system. You just feed the low voltage from the thermostat into it, or any device you want to control, even a hot water heater by adding a relay in it. However it is mainly designed to stage things AC's with large start loads.

 

[grsthegreat]

I'm guessing you meant a 't' there?


Do we have any hints on pricing of the 14 and 18 yet?

Yout right.... i have fat fingers. It will not work with with other brands. But some people have modified it to work with other brand generators, but you run the risk of problems modifying them. Theres a company called PSPPRODUCTS that sells some modification parts and load shedding options.

 

[RoyKing]

It doesn't need to be modified, only takes two wires 12vdc and ground.

Here the pics of a 36kva I designed, this is so quiet you can talk standing right next to it, only pain was getting it hurricane certified, as if that thing was going blow away.