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Great point here. If you tie the neutrals into the main panel neutral bar, you essentially override the neutral switching component. On generator power, the neutrals should be tied to the generator only, and not the panel.
Correct. And that is exactly how my Generac is wired. I identified each circuit's neutral, disconnected from the main panel bar, and then wire nutted to a neutral line from the Generac neutral bar. This is how I discovered a couple of circuits that shared and a neutral line thus causing my dilemma with the fridge.
I did do a little more testing and found that my PowerBoost will ground fault when switching both ways (Utility to Generator) and (Generator to Utility). But since there was zero faults after post switch over to Gen, I'm happy.
Thanks for taking the time to document this...you'll have a host of interested parties (including me) on how you make out. I like the large number of circuits available on the Reliance model and my panel is just inside the garage door so easy access for the truck.
Just keep in mind that you can have a panel with 100 circuits in it, but you will still be limited to 30 Amps.
@d1harrington Any details on why you chose the XRC100 switch? I was going to get the Reliance 510C, but didn't know if there was something I was missing....
Roger that Goldy. The extra circuits gets me additional choices but not additional capacity.
Yup. Nice to be able to land a bunch of lighting circuits (bedrooms and such) on the bigger panel. LED bulbs in all fixtures would be a huuuuuuuge benefit for those who are still running incandescent lamps ( you can run 5-6 LED lamps for every 1 incandescent).
So the install is done and the XRK1003C transfer switch worked flawlessly. Because the Reliance unit switches the hots and the neutrals, the F150 did not throw a ground fault error, and it powered 18 circuits perfectly as soon as we turned it on (includes 2 individual breakers and 16 tandems). I bought a 40' generator power cord with a 4-prong twist lock connector that plugs into a General outlet. My electrician ran 10/3 wire from the receptacle to the Reliance transfer switch. He did an amazing job.
I took full advantage of the Reliance's ability to run tandem breakers and installed a total of 18 circuits. Why 18? My kitchen alone has individual circuits for the dishwasher, disposal, microwave, island outlet, and refrigerator. My living room has individual circuits for the blower motor on my gas fireplace and my flat panel TV to avoid any potential for the blower motor causing interference with the TV. I don't know why it would, but that's how it was wired. Some of these items are code-driven, and others are probably overkill. Either way, I needed to move a fair number of circuits.
What's nice about the XRK1003C is it handles up to 100A on the line side, and 30A when switched to generator power. So I can have the flexibility of having backup power on all 18 circuits, but I realize I cannot run everything at once.
So having explained the large number of circuits, the neutral bus bar doesn't come with enough spots for 18 neutral wires. My electrician tapped new holes in the switch to install a larger bus bar on the bottom, and he connected it to the factory neutral bar. I would say he re-engineered the panel a bit and he did a phenominal job.
Once the install was done, we shut off all breakers, plugged in the truck and turned on the ProPower. We then turned off line power and turned on generator power on the Reliance switch. As we began turning on each breaker, it came to life! Once all the breakers were on, we were able to flip the transfer switch back to line power, and then return it to generator power, so I think switching off the breakers is overkill with this setup. In the vent of a power outage, I think I'll be able to plug the truck in, put it in generator mode, and simply flip the transfer switch.
I know some folks have been plugging their trucks into existing transfer switches, and cutting the ground wire, and professionals are advising against that. Not being a professional myself, I don't know the right answer. But I didn't have an existing transfer switch, so this was absolutely the right direction to go.
I spent $591 in parts (switch, cord, and breakers that I bought) and $1,030 to the electrician for a total of $1,621. I sold my Honda eu2200i suitcase generator for $800, so my $821 total out of pocket is very reasonable for having backup power that this truck provides. I'm absolutely thrilled.
A tip if anyone installs this panel, or any panel that includes the watt meters - the wires that come with the meters are not long enough to reach the hot legs where they attach to the switch. Don't cut your generator hot legs short. Instead, loop them down near the bottom of the panel so the watt meter wires can reach and you will get a readout from them as designed. We had to put a wire nut on one of the hot legs from generator power to connect it not realizing it was so short.
@d1harrington Any details on why you chose the XRC100 switch? I was going to get the Reliance 510C, but didn't know if there was something I was missing....
Sorry - I missed this post because it landed in the middle of the thread.
I picked the XRK series because it works with bonded neutral generators, and I selected the XRK1003C because it allowed for 100amps from the main panel and 30amps from the truck. Additionally, Reliance Controls happened to note that it was somewhat readily available. Took about 5 or 6 weeks to come in.
I've got a xrr1005d on order. It was a little more expensive $550. But it does have 24/34 circuits, 100 amp house power, 50 amp generator power. It should be here in 3 weeks. My panel comes in the basement on the opposite side of the house from the garage. So I'm having 3 50 amp services run across the house, one for my wife's plug-in jeep, one for the generator/truck, and one if I decide to get one of the lightnings. The electrician is charging me $2,000 labor to rewire and run all the wires to the other side of the house (more labor in fishing 3 lines across a finished basement). I went with 50 amp in case I ever decide to get a larger generator.
I got lucky, the xrr series has been discontinued because siemens changed their panels and the switching won't work. So all you can get now is the smaller x-series panels with 10/18 circuits.
01-05-2022, 10:22 AM
