Generac Generator Installation Part 2| Clark, NJ
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- In this video you’ll see how a whole house standby generator is installed. See how the wiring from the automatic transfer switch to the generator gets wired and grounded properly. This video is the second part of a two-part series.
Permits and Inspections are required for this work. Check with your local building department and utility company before doing anything you see in this video. Electrical work is not a hobby.
Classic Electric, LLC | Point Pleasant, New Jersey
License & Business # 16557
(732)-770-1437
WANT TO SEE MORE? 200 AMP Service Upgrade WATCH HERE: • 200 AMP Service Upgrad...
We are a certified Generac standby generator installer. Generac Dealer # 1019500
Classic Electric uses mostly Milwaukee cordless tools and Klein hand tools.
Camera: Go Pro 10
Editing software: Apple iMovie
Animation software: Apple Keynote
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Ron Pecina Jr. is a licensed electrician in the state of New Jersey.
This allows him to apply for electrical permits, work with live conductors,
remove meters, and disconnect service from the utility company.
Electrical Wiring is NOT a hobby. Call a licensed electrician. Like, Share, and Subscribe!
Very well done. Great detail and no obnoxious music 👍👍
running late on the comments here but I have a few pointers after installing these for 25 years. (we install over 250 units a year) I save the shipping hold-downs (metal clips) and screw them into the RR ties because over time the set can shift of it goes slightly off-level when the ground settles. I also add ant traps (poison) in the battery area because those suckers are drawn to the heat in the control board... and if / when they gather, they gum up the relays to a point where the unit will not run. Somehow the ants get into the pushbutton area and that doesn't work either. Our company also has us replace those traps on each service. The smaller traps will slip in through the gap in the cabinet and you can pull them out when changing the battery in 4 years. Also, a fogging with WD-40 will keep all the aluminum parts from looking crusty in damp areas. We do this at every service, and they still look like new 10+ years later. Oh, bugs hate WD-40 so that's a plus!
Got a question for you.
@@shawnfschooleyjr6592 ... so ask the question.
@@rupe53 Can a breaker be installed directly from panel to utility line of the automatic transfer switch instead of tying directly into the meter?
@@trentdrummond5603 ... you always need a breaker between the utility and the transfer switch. This is how many folks power the basics without powering the whole house. They have an electrician pull a few circuits into a subpanel that's normally fed from a breaker in the main panel. The transfer switch goes between them, so the sub panel is either on utility or on generator, when the power fails. The idea here is some of the heavy power users (AC, clothes drier, etc) are just not available during an outage. This allows buying a much smaller gen set. You'd need to discuss this with your installer / electrician, because sometimes the extra work involved costs almost the same as buying a larger gen set in the first place.
Can I ask you what keeps the generator down in a hurricane?
Bravo. Well done.
I helped sell quite a few of those Generac Generators many years ago. Never had any complaints from the customers that purchased them. Nice work as always Ron!
Thank you!
Nice job! I had a 20kw Generac installed two summers ago, with a bi-weekly 5 minute exercise programmed. A few months ago around 10:30PM, we lost power for the first time since installing it! Strange sight to look around outside and see our house as the only one with lights on :) It was four hours before power was restored. Since then, I've noticed several houses around the neighborhood with Generac's now installed 🙂
I feel like it's our next 'state of emergency' because there might not be enough natural gas to power all of the new generators in the neighborhood!
@@electricalron Here in Michigan (I'm in the West Michigan area), the electric company (Consumers Power) have upgraded all houses with cellular-based smart meters, and has been pestering us with standby generators, to sign up for a program that will allow them to turn off the power to our houses (via the "smart meters") during high power demands. All because they are starting to shutter the coal-power plants (which of course is the primary supply of power through-out most of Michigan). For us in Michigan, we have an abundance of natural gas, so they want us to generate our own power. No thanks. I'm not going to put all that wear and tear on my generator. QUESTION for you... have you done any of the Generac Solar systems? What do you think of them?
@@RBB73 Yeah they want to shed their load during high demand days. It's not a terrible idea, gives you a chance to exercise your generator and usually the utility will give you a rebate if you agree to it.
@@aaron74 ... yes, exercise is good, but the cost to run your set will be 4-6 times more than buying from the grid. If you like paying $1 per Kw then go ahead!
I'm a JCP&L customer and my power goes out so often that I don't even start to think about dragging more portable generator out until hour 3 or 4. I feel like we lose power at least once a month.
I have been a solar electrician since 2017 and i have worked commercial as well. I find your videos very satisfying and the detail you put into your installations is very inspiring. Thank you.
Thank you Ron for spending the time to teach us and show us the wiring set up
You are very welcome
Best most informative video on this unit. With a 24Kw unit what wire would you recommend, with a 200 amp service. I like the single wire, so smart.
Very direct, straightforward contractor, No bull. I like them.
Great video Ron. Very informative install.
You're doing good videos Ron. I've done a couple of these over the years and you're spot on. I've got one coming up next Spring. Rural Colorado here.
Very well done young man
@@johnmyers9801 “Young man” hey I’ll take it. I’m 54! Thank you. Hope you enjoyed the video.
@@electricalroncan you give me quate to change my federal pacific panel. This is my area code 08857
Ron, other than your work, I also appreciate the time you put in to editing your videos. I fully realize how many hours go into making a 20 minute video, and I am really grateful to you for putting these videos up for us.
That's a very nice compliment. Thank you for coming to watch!
Excellent job for the installation of the Generac generator and the power panel transfer switch. Now you can take a break and enjoy the weather. Take a dip in the pool if you got one. If you don't, you had better get one.
Best video I've seen on installing a home generator. I really enjoy your content. Please keep them coming. They're greatly appreciated.
After seeing him work and listening to him talk about electrical makes me want to jump back in to the electrical field are used to do residential wiring and I was all about how fast you can do at home or homes in a week I like the service end of it better
There's a lot to learn on the service end but art definitely is better than roping houses. Sometime you never know what you'll run into. Today I had a kitchen countertop circuit that was tripping. Long story short there was a microwave oven that was installed in the kitchen island. Previously it was just a convenience receptacle and when whoever moved it to the new microwave location it was accidentally hit with a finishing nail. Ever so slightly it was hit because sometimes there was no fault and other times the breaker would not reset. I had to take out a drawer to gain access to the wiring and saw that outlet box was butchered in. I got permission from the homeowner to make a 5" hole to get beneath the cabinet to fish in a new cable through a finished ceiling in the basement. The drawer would cover this 5" hole and you would never see it. Then I had to drill a pilot hole through to the basement ceiling so I knew where to look for the wire going to the microwave receptacle. There was very little clearance to fit any long drill bits so I had to use (3) 6" extension bits just to drill the hole. This took about 6 hours at $150/ hr plus parts and sales tax. Tonight that family's using their microwave I am sure.
Great video man🎉
We are in Michigan, the summer humidity kills me man, it's rough. But then come our very cold winter. I feel your pain brother!
Hey Brother
Thank you for the help the other day.
Jason US Navy Veteran retired.
I appreciate you. I am subscribed and liked your videos
Glad I could help!
Your video is exemplary! I wish I could buy a Generac Guardian Home Standby Generator with the 26 kilowatt capacity and transfer switch, along with solar panels and battery storage called the Generac PWRCell. With both a home standby generator and solar power installed, these could help in providing my home power in case of a blackout that knocked out the power grid.
Out of the whole bunch you are in the top 3 brother. Ryan Jackson, paul the texas guy and Electrician Ron!!
Awesome install. I just had an interlock and an input connect for my portable generator installed. Very happy with it.
This is the best video has ever seen regarding standby generator
Really appreciate you taking the time to post these videos after your busy working hours.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
By far the best channel for electrical work that I’ve found great work man, & great break down & explanation on the process as well
You’re very kind. Thank you!
Excellent and informative video - lots of effort was put into making this - thanks
OH yeah buddy 4:20 - I've been feeling the heat every damn day. Looking forward to the fall , from upstate NY. Good craftsmanship here, thanks for the video
Beautiful job!! Very detailed explanation. thank you for the videos
Great job Ron.
Nicely done Ron.
That’s some nice cable, I’ll be looking it up
I don’t mean to correct you I watch your videos to learn. However the orange Generac cable you mentioned that it was #2 Aluminum with #4 ground. That is equivalent to #4 THHN Copper. I know that #4 copper is rated for 100 amps, and I agree with that. However on the Generac training that I did it told me to use #3 thhhn copper which is rated for 110amps. I know that is a Generac sells that cable but on the training I was told to only use copper wires. Thank you again, Appreciate your opinion.
Nice work, Ron. Thanks for sharing
Thak you for all the information on these videos. Id love to see a calculation video
Great workmanship. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Excellent video Bro. I've installed a bunch of 1000 kW generators for Verizon central offices. I live in Mt. Laurel and I was thinking about doing this in the south Jersey area. Beatiful work Brother. I'm subscribed.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Nice video. Very helpful. Do you have one with more detail on the actual initial start up procedure?
Glad I didn't have to worry about a permit pkg.
Another Great video. Thanks have a great day, sparky!
Geezus, you had serious space constraints to deal with at the front of the house... incredibly narrow and congested area to mount that transfer switch with all those those other utilities in the way, then adding all that bulky 2" PVC to boot. That's a lot of fighting on a hot day. But great job, and very tidy work in the generator and its panel. I take it that you ran that orange cable through the attic or upper crawl space of the house? That's quite a long run.
nice work
Great series, thank you, very helpful
I work for my self as an electrician in PA and have a few generac’s to do. I don’t use the gen wire that you had in this video, but my distributor sent me the wrong wire and sent me that. That wire is ridiculously expensive!! I use mobile home cable and it’s pretty easy to send through 1-1/4”.
About $5 per foot.
Oh wow. Here it is a little over $9 a foot compared to the mobile home cable at a little over $4 a foot.
@@Mikey_The_Electrician ... Generac had that cable UL approved to run everything within the same sheath. If you run other style cable you will need to run another conduit and another control cable to meet NEC. The idea here is it's a time saver... and it's already approved... and most installations don't need 100 feet.
Great video sir!
Thank you kindly!
I'm not a tradesman, just DIY. But I find it funny that code doesn't allow running low voltage in the same conduit as high voltage but bundled inside a combo cable... is fine. LOL I bet that was an expensive install with all that cable going across the house and all the 2" PVC to conceal it. Wow.
The low voltage and high voltage can be run in the same conduit as long as the insulation is rated for the higher voltage on the low voltage conductors.
Hi Ron, new to your channel, i really enjoy your vids. The only problem is you need to start putting more out,lol. I know your busy and they take alot of time, just kidding if you can't. Maybe sometime you can just make a video of your stocked van which I'm very impressed with and perhaps a tool one also. I've never seen so many pack out boxes. Love your work!!!!
Thanks Rob. Glad you enjoy the videos! A van tour will be happening soon.
great work..
Good 😊 work the best
Great video! Love you, MOM
Nice and clean work , I haven’t done a whole house generator recently , but isn’t the pad for the generator suppose to have working space on all sides ?
The homeowner built this himself. You only need 36” clearance on the sides and 60” away from any openings like windows and vents. You also need to be minimum 18” away from the house.
The 12 volts between 23 and 193,,,, is that seperate from the battery and charger,,,, like a control transformer?
Thank you for getting back to me. I am in NJ I have my permit to install my generator. What Im trying to figure out is when do i call for inspection? How far am I allowed to complete before the inspection. My generator power in under ground so I need inspection before I cover it, but do I complete all wiring and then call for inspection? Sorry to say state inspector give very little help.
Loved this install. Loved the neatness part, I too like to do everything neat. Question, why was there a box on the wall near the generator if there was nothing inside. The cable went straight through.
To transition from PVC to Flex.
rON NICE DONE THANK YOU
I was hoping you could give me more information about how you mounted the Generator on your custom pad? I like that it is up higher above the ground. It looks like you made the Framing from 4x4 posts? What did you fill in the middle: Concrete, Lime Stone, something else?
That fitting is made by Arlington and called an Any-body I believe.
Yes, I looked on my invoices for it. Strange name, eh?
*RON THE GENERATING SET IS A NEIGHBORHOOD OR OIL GENERATOR*
nice and clean job Bravo Zulu
Ron, first of all great video and explanation of your install. I am doing a lot of research and came upon this, I have the same situation with my electric meter on one side of the house and the gas on the other, if I may ask how far can this Generac cable be used to efficiently carry the load from the generator to the transfer panel.
thank you
It always depends on the load. Anything less than 100’ I don’t worry much about voltage drop.
Why did you put that huge (12x12?) box in just to transfer from PVC pipe to Liquid Tight flex? Could've achieved the same result with a 2" female TA and a 2" to 1-1/4" reducer?
The cable assembly is large so 2” PVC to make that job easier. Then 1 1/4” out to the gen. I’ve never heard of a 2” to 1 1/4” PVC adaptor.
awesome work. I have been staying away from the battery warmers. I just use a battery with a slightly larger CCA and havent had any issues.
What’s the issue with the battery warmers?
@@traviskinaya3952 ... the t-stat can fail and cook the battery in warm weather. OTOH, they usually fail "open circuit" so the battery is just cold.
@@traviskinaya3952 they also attract mice- those $&@let’s like to nest in warm places. For the same reason I tell customers to kill the breaker for their outdoor AC condenser unit - the capacitor inside the unit is slightly warm. If it receives power, and mice start nesting there in the winter.
So do you need separate the neutrals and grounds at the main panel and now the grounding electrode conductor will be connected to the neutral bar at the transfer switch and not anymore at the main panel?
Ron showed exactly that procedure in part one!
How are you running sheathed cable inside conduit? Your way violating fill. Thoughts?
@@chuckseder5570 You’re kidding me, right? This does not violate conduit fill. It does protect the cable though.
i just installed two of them ,hooked up all wires ,will put battery ,didn't test them,
On the transfer switch side what was purpose of mutifunction 2in LB you could of used a regular one and what was the purpose of the 10 x10 x 4 j box on the generator side and also man what a trip hazard where that flex went from house to generator otherwise cool, usually here takes about day to install after gens in place.
Great video. Recently had Generac 22kw installed. 5 days later a lightning strike took out the AC smart module and the control panel. The ATS was earth grounded with neutrals and grounds bonded and separated at the old panel. The Generac authorized repair man is telling me the generator needs it's own earth ground.
The same strike also took out several small appliances in the home.
What are your thoughts on the generator having a separate earth ground, yah or nay?
The standby generator IS NOT a separately derived system unless the neutral is switched at the transfer switch. A ground rod is only required at the generator when the generator is a separately derived system.
What is that orange cable called ?
Question, I noticed a plumber was on site. Was that just the tee shirt he was wearing or an actual plumber? If so, what was his part in the installation? Don
Natural gas line to fuel the generator.
Ron. What’s the wire called or where can I find it
The orange wire combo is that generac specific or do you purchase at your electrical supplier? If so what’s it called?
Do you have to have a service receptacle at the generator?
Just wondering why you didn’t use silicone on the main conductors connections? I’ve seen other videos where they do so just wondering what conditions call for it?
It’s not silicone, it’s Anti-oxidant and there are many brands that make it. It’s not required by code and most aluminum conductors no longer require it. However, using it makes for a better installation and it was used in the video.
@@electricalron okay yeah I saw you use it on the aluminum wires in the second video. Didn’t realize it is only needed on aluminum. Thanks!
Would you please tell me the wire size between gen to ATS. Thanks
Ron , did you install the meter befor the inspection, so that the customer had electric back on while waiting for inspector.
Of course I did! It may be different where you live but here in NJ I would never leaf a customer without power for longer than a normal upgrade or call for service. My electrical license allows me to do this and the utility knows it too.
What's the cost breakdown for generator and labor on that install?
Generator plus ATC, labor, materials, markup, and taxes = the price.
Nice video! I am a bit confused -- I have looked at several videos showing 400Amp Generac ATS installs... The confusion is this -- Most of what I see is that there are installs that SHOW 4 "Hots" coming into the ATS and taken up to the TOP of the Transfer Switch -- My confusion is WHY would there be 4 Hots coming from a Meter and not just 2 Hots if the Meter is supplied with 400/320 Continuous from the Transformer through the meter? Ron, Can you explain this for me?
Conductors are run in parallel.
can the generac cable be surface mounted?
Sure as long as it’s not vulnerable to damage.
What size are the comunications wires?
#14 AWG because of the insulation. It has to be rated for 300 volts IF you run these conductors in the same conduit as the feeders.
Do you have to remove the neutral to ground bond when the ATS is outside and remove the bond and ground strap at your panel inside?
All of that and a 4-wire feeder between the two so that the panel has a conductor specifically for the neutral bar and one for the grounding bar.
What size wire was used going to generator? How far of a run was it?
The feeders are # 2 aluminum (4-wire) and the control conductors are I think 16 AWG. The run went from one side of the house to the other across the unfinished attic storage space.
*🇨🇱👍EXELENTE🤘🍷🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿*
Great videos! I saw one video where the installer recommended pulling the fuses for the monitor wires when first applying power to the transfer switch. Do you have any experience with this? Also, did you do this over a couple of days? If so, can I get the mains connected one day and connect generator cables the next? If I do this, will I have power over night? Hopefully my questions make sense. Thanks much Sir.
Most generators I plan for (3) full days to do everything including start up and inspection.
it is possible to pre-build and pre-wire except for the hot stuff then call for a day where power can be shut off in the morning to do the rest. The problem is most DIY people won't have the forethought to get it right and pass inspection on the same day. Also... scheduling an inspection is rather tight while cutting it that close on the timeline. This is from someone who spent 25 years working on these things.
Ron does that generator need a ground rod?
@@romanconnection1 No.
Thank you. You do a really good job with the video. Great content appreciate you greatly keep on fighting the good fight
Can you share the specs of the cable that was used?
let me know'' i GOT this 100A, 2P generac ATS, but my genset is 24vdc control system. now since terminal 194 is +12V, what will happened if ever i connect my 24vdc from genset ECU. will it work on that specific terminal or it's going to fry the board?
If you’re unsure you contact a qualified Generac dealer to install it.
Hey Ron when you install it does it mean you have to service it aswell or is it optional?
Actually, no. In fact I don’t service them by choice. Be sure you hire an authorized Generac Dealer for service.
What is the best way to set these generators? Do you use equipment or the generac cart?
My company has the cart.
No, how do you keep the thieves away from stealing your generator?
The 22kw generator is over 500 pounds and connected to natural gas and 240 volts of alternating current. You've got to be out of your mind thinking you can load it up in the trunk of your car.
Do you ever use a disconnect where you put the 10x10 box?
The disconnect is built-in to the Generac generator.
@@electricalron Built into the Transfer Switch.
How much does it cost to add a generator to a shed house. Please.
How many kilowatts
@@electricalron It’s a Generac 24kW Standby Generator Guardian WiFi w/ 200 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch 72109 New. I am also planning to get solar panels on this Shed house. However, I don’t know what type of solar panels and how many solar panels to buy.
My new 14k generator has the T1 for the battery charger but my transfer switch doesn’t it’s the older style ( no T1 connector on the board ) We just replaced the generator to a newer one We did run a new blue line down to the transfer switch Can we tap into a 110v live line?
Why would you want to do that?
@@electricalron where would the blue T1 line goes into and voltage
Well done sir !
Can I ask a question ?
Over at the generator did you keep ground wire and neutral wire separate so they not bonded together since ATS is the first disconnect ?
Thank you !
Yes, the grounds and neutrals are only bonded at the main disconnect. In this case at the ATS.
Electrician Ron,
If you don't mind me asking, if the meter comes with outdoor disconnect, than neutral and ground has to be separated at the ATS ?
Have you ever installed any of them ?
@@torosalariasalaria9849 ... you can remove that first main breaker or move the bonding point from the TS to the meter pan. you can also buy that TS without a main breaker.... or leave it as shipped. It's ok to have the extra breaker as long as you follow the bonding rules.
@@rupe53 so if I keep the first main breaker and do all grounding there the TS becomes a subpanel witje that being said I jave to run a Ser conductor from 1st main breaker to the TS
@@torosalariasalaria9849 ... Yes, you need to carry that ground through to the first breaker (first point of disconnect) without bonding anywhere else. In the case of using this particular transfer switch, you'd remove that green wire between the neutral and ground bars. BTW, the TS never becomes a sub panel, but you would treat it as a sub panel for bonding rules. IOW, no bond. That means 3 conductors plus a ground. (ground can be bare wire) SER cable would be fine in most cases. In conduit you might want to run THHNW or THHN2 which are rated for outdoor use. (wet location)
With this cable that has all the conductors in it, is there a concern with cross talk between the sensing wires and the phase conductors giving a false indication to the controller in the transfer switch? Just wondering if that was a consideration.
I haven't experienced that and I dont think I will because the insulation is equal to the feeder insulation.
Thanks for the reply, enjoy your videos a lot.
@@TheAirboss1955 Thanks so much. I work hard to make them, edit them, and upload them. Also, the insulation is much better than the insulation found on data cables where crosstalk is definitely a concern.
@@electricalron ... that inductive voltage on a long run was once a problem but Generac has the control board (these days) ignoring anything below brown-out voltage. Back 20 years ago a 240 volt feed in the same conduit might get you about 25 volts in 150 foot run. This played hell with the older 2-wire start systems. Fun times diagnosing issues back then!
👍🏽
How much a foot is that generator cable assembly?
Too much! About $5 per foot.
@@electricalron pricey but prob a lot quicker.
@@mcarroll598 Much quicker. I've done maybe 50-60 Generac's since 2010 so I feel like I come from an area of experience. Setting up the rolls of THHN and pulling through conduit (by myself I might add) was a major labor killer. There is no doubt that this cable saves time and money.
@@electricalron I started installs back in 2006 on Generac standbys. I don’t do them anymore. I don’t recall them having that cable back then when I use to do a lot of them. And I know setting up all the wire to pull that was a pain. That cable assembly is really nice.
It’s a LB fitting
I'm trying to find some information and I'm not having much luck. Im attempting to setup a generac automatic transfer switch but I didn't want to use a generac generator. I have a dse3110 controller I wanted to use on a larger liquid cooled generator. Im trying to figure out how the transfer switch calls for the generator start. Are the generac transfer switches able to work with my controller? I feel like it should. But I can't figure out how to wire it. Any ideas ?
I think you’re complicating things by not pairing the ATS with a Generac generator.
@@electricalron yea I know that for sure. The thing is I have the generator already and it's too my specifications already. So to buy another generator at 15 to 20k for a comparable unit I'd rather give it a shot. I know it's a basic concept on how it works its not complicated. Im just unsure of what generac uses for the trigger and how exactly it works.
@@rhino3292 ... the simple answer is the Generac TS does NOT have any built-in controls. (other than load shed) The start logic is part of the genset....and so is the transfer logic. You could build something using delay timers, but you still need a 12 volt signal for transfer between terminals 23 and 194. That transfer signal also needs a delay to allow for warm-up of the set.... and then a way to pull the signal when it's time to shut down. If you buy an Asco TS (way more money) it has everything including the 2-wire start.
The 12 volts between 23 &194…. Is that from the battery or a seperate control transformer
It is too bad the plumber did not do as nice a job as you, there is pipe sealant all over the gas pipes and connections.
Kinda weird because this guy is a licensed plumbing contractor! This is his house!
@@electricalronhaha sometimes some people do sloppy on their own houses.
I hate aluminum wire cheap junk. I would replace it with copper.
Even if it meant another $700 too right?
@@electricalron Even if it cost $700. Considering the cost of the entire project I'm guessing $15-20k? $700 not all that much anymore these days.
Wow 3 days of works? How many man power? Seem like longer because you have feed wire across the attic? What the cost per ft for this generator cable? Surprise me about that zoning permit.