Device to alert owner when residential power is back on

Scotty Dive · Nov 1, 2012

Well....with Hurrican Sandy we are on our generator going on day 5. I am looking for a way to be notified when the commercial power is turned back on. Pretty much all of my neighbors are running generators so we really have no way of knowing when the power comes back on. I saw this device and am wondering if anyone has expereince with it and could comment or is there another way (product) that can notify me?

Amazon.com: Reliance Controls THP108 PowerBack Utility Power Return Alert Home Monitoring Products: Home Improvement

forgeblast · Nov 1, 2012

When you report an outage with our elec company (penelec) they give you the option of a call back when the power is back on.

CobyRupert · Nov 1, 2012

This product looks good as it looks like it doesn't come into direct contact with the utility conductors that are ahead of your main breaker. A easy cheap ($17) (but manual) way is to by a little pen sized "ticker" (non-contact voltage tester) from any hardware store. If it beeps when you put next to any of the conductors upstream of your turned off main breaker (i.e. line side of the main breaker, at utility meter, the utility service wire on the side of you house to the meter, etc.. ) the utlity has probably been restored.

Non-Contact Voltage Tester-NCVT-1SEN at The Home Depot

6sunset6 · Nov 1, 2012

If you are on a transfer switch it would be automatic. If you are extention cords other stuff will come on. IF you are backfeeding thru an outlet and your main breaker is off, I hope , then you need something.

nybirdman · Nov 1, 2012

forgeblast said:
When you report an outage with our elec company (penelec) they give you the option of a call back when the power is back on.

Would be nice but not where we live.What if the telephone is down?

GPintheMitten · Nov 1, 2012

The first one from Reliance Controls is no longer available (according to the web page on the link). I don't know if they are just out of stock or went back to the drawing board on it.

I'm going to get the non-contact voltage tester from Klien, mentioned in the second link.

If phone notification doesn't work and you don't have or want to get a non-contact voltage tester, you could periodically check by shutting down the genset, reverse the lockout on the panel and switch the main on. But for less than $20 for the tester, I'm going that way.

Besides, I think this is what Holmes on Homes uses.

aczlan · Nov 1, 2012

GPintheMitten said:
If phone notification doesn't work and you don't have or want to get a non-contact voltage tester, you could periodically check by shutting down the genset, reverse the lockout on the panel and switch the main on. But for less than $20 for the tester, I'm going that way.

Also good for that one last sanity check that power is off before connecting the generator...

Aaron Z

Scotty Dive · Nov 1, 2012

I guess I am a bit lazy - For $40 bucks and a few minutes of my time, having an audible alarm to tell me when power is back is a nice feature. I tend not to want to power everything off every few hours just to make sure. When I do power off for the night I switch the main back on in case the power is restored. I do have one of those testers somewhere...will try that too.

I looks like they sell these at HD but amazon is out of stock???

I do not have an auto transfer swtich , but what my electrician installed was a device that when my main breaker is off, it allows another breaker to be flipped for the generator. Then I can manage any circuit I so choose acccording to the generator load and whats on the circuit. I really like it.

snonut · Nov 1, 2012

When I had my generator hooked up, my electritian also hooked up a light to the grid power. I turn on the light switch when hooking up the generator and when the light is on, the grid has power returned to it. I just shut off the switch after unhooking the generator.

RickB · Nov 1, 2012

snonut said:
When I had my generator hooked up, my electritian also hooked up a light to the grid power. I turn on the light switch when hooking up the generator and when the light is on, the grid has power returned to it. I just shut off the switch after unhooking the generator.

Winner here. Cheap, easy to install and effective. I had my electrician wire a 3" box with a simple porcelain fixture with a light bulb and pull chain to the grid side of my manual transfer switch. Done.