I recently purchased a 7000 watt Coleman Powermate generator.  I would like to be set up with transfer switch but do not know which to get?  I plan on eventually getting a larger propane powered generator, 15-20,000 watts.  Should I get one for the 7,000 watt generator or go ahead and put in one large enough to handle the home generator?  What are some good name brands?

Also, I need to run a water pump and need 220V.  How can I do this with my generator?  It only has 4 120 and a 240 outlet.

Is the propane generator you will eventually get going to be one that auto starts when the power goes out.?
An automatic transfer switch is more expensive than a manual cut over switch..?

What is your time frame on getting the larger one..?

Yes, your current generator will run the pump...

How would I get my current generator to run the water pump?

Eventually, when a good deal comes along, I will get a propane generator but as to an auto start or manual I have not decided.  Probably a manual since it would be cheaper.  I'm even keeping an eye out for an old diseal generator.

I would suggest talking to an electrician about using your current generator with your pump and/or hooking it up to your house.
A simple cut over switch will work with what you have now.

220 and 240 are compatible.  look at your household applainces they will range from 105-125 volts.  transfer switches should definatly installed by an electrician.  we have a standby generator and it is awsome, actualy teo, one here and one at the cabin up north.  they come on within seconds of the power going off, they power the whole house no problem, and the can run for weeks if not more (underground propane tank) continously.  they also excersize themselves week to stay in running condition....good stuff

120/240 is the nominal voltage the generator puts out. Just like your house power. It often ends up being 110/115/117 or whatever else people want to call it because of voltage drop on the wires. It's all the same thing.

If you do not know how to hookup a transfer switch, it is a good idea to get someone competent to do it for you. They are not real hard to put in, but based on some of the goofy and often dangerous advice I have seen about how to install them that is posted on various web sites (including this one), there are a lot of people installing them who should not be.

Realistically, what size transfer switch you buy is up to you. Manual transfer switches are fairly cheap and it might be that there is not that much difference in price between the cheapest thing you could get for the smaller generator you plan to get initially, and the larger one you plan on getting later.

Unless you have a lot of outages and want to be able to switch over quickly, I might be inclined to just use extension cords to run the few things I really want to run while the power is off. If switching over quickly is a big deal to you, you will want to consider some kind of permanent installation of the generator. It will not be fun to try and manhandle something of that size through 10 inches of snow in a blizzard to get it to where it needs to be to attach it to the transfer switch. I don't know what the layout of your home and power system is so it is hard to give any real advice on this, but just think about how you may actually end up using the thing and see what makes sense for your situation.

Defniitly getting a professional to do the job.  I want to know what he's talking about first.  Find some good brand names to start investigating, things like that.  The more informed I am the better protected I feel.

The price difference between a smaller transfer switch and larger one is not much.  I would prefer to only do this once, so I would prefer to put in a larger switch now and not have to worry about it later or have it done twice.  It sounds like it would be possible to go ahead and put in a larger transfer switch now so it can be ready for the future generator.

This generator will be used for more than just a water pump.  The water pump is my main concern.  After that it's a light, TV and fridge.  I have a gas stove and fireplace to cook and heat.  The rest makes it comfortable for short outages.

The 7kw genset will power your water pump now. However it will likely draw about about 4800 watts when it kicks on for less than a second,

You will need to manage the power draw on the generator to not over load it. ie. you can't be drawing 3000 watts from the fridge and lights when the water pump kicks on. The fridge will also spike with an inductive load when the compressor kicks in , although that will likely be about 3000 watts.

These are the numbers only when it kicks on, but you still have to ensure those spikes don't go past the 7,000 watt rating of the generator.

no matter which transfer switch you get, get one with dual power meters so you can see the draw. You will be likely to power your whole house except for when big motors initially turn on. A big motor, fridge compressor, water pump, freezer compressor, big fan, air conditioner, all typically draw 3-6 times the steady state current when they turn on and you have to manage these spikes by having the spike circuits not all on at the same time.

I installed a manual 200 amp transfer switch.  I can't run 200 amps of backup power because my generator can't handle that much (or even close to that much) but there is enough power there to run the electric water heater, the electric stove (if the water heater is off), the pellet stove (heats the house), and various other low drawing electrical appliances.

mike,

to clarify one thing –– there are two types of transfer switches: whole-house and load side.  

a whole-house transfer switch does just what it sounds like it does.  in place of the service drop from the utility company, the generator supplies power to the main breaker panel.  now then, whether or not the generator can actually provide power *concurrently* to all of the circuits is another matter.  but a whole-house transfer switch will be rated for (at minimum) your service drop ampacity (typically 100A, 150A, or 200A –– and in some cases greater).  in some older houses it may be 60A, but you rarely see residential service that small these days.  powering your entire house from a generator is generally impractical, as you need a giant genset and it will, in turn, suck down fuel (for this size, it will be diesel, propane, or natural gas).  note that the installation of a whole house transfer switch is usually a "big deal" as far as an electrician is concerned, because there is usually no convenient way to (easily) turn off the power on the feed side.  so, a call to the utility company is very much necessary, to have a guy/crew come out and disconnect the feed to the house at the pole.  this can get interesting/expensive.  

a load side transfer switch is more common, but has limitations.  a load side transfer switch allows you to select individual branch circuits to power with your generator.  for example, you may decide you need to provide generator power to your refrigerator, furnace blower motor, and a couple of lights.  you then install the transfer switch adjacent to the main breaker panel, and rewire those circuits (and only those circuits) such that depending on a switch setting they are powered by the utility company or the generator.  these types of transfer switches can get fairly comprehensive –– 10 circuits is not uncommon.  in fact, you may find that 10 circuits covers 99.99% of all of the stuff you need to power when the utility power is off.  note that installation of a load side transfer switch is not a big deal to an electrician.  no special measures with the utility company are necessary.

finally, there is a wholly separate method of powering your entire main breaker panel from a generator, and that involves a backfeed breaker used in conjunction with a lockout plate.   your generator attaches to the backfeed breaker, and the lockout plate moves in such a manner that either the utility company is supplying power or the generator is supplying power –– and in no case are both!   again, no special measures with the utility company are necessary for this approach.  the primary benefit of this approach is that you don't have to decide during installation what branch circuits should be powered by the generator.  


all residential power in the US is 120/240Vac split phase.   the utility company provides this power using three wires, L1, L2, and N.  from L1 to L2 is 240Vac, and both L1 to N and L2 to N are both 120Vac.  

your main breaker box is wired such that the 120Vac loads are "mostly" evenly spread across the L1 and L2 busses, using single width circuit breakers.  a black wire from the breaker is paired up with a white wire landed on the neutral bar to serve 120Vac branch circuits.  but 240Vac loads like your water pump use a "wide" double pole breaker which straddles both L1 and L2 –– here a black and a red wire come off the double pole breaker, plus a neutral is landed on the neutral bar.  

it sounds like your current generator has a pair of duplex 120Vac outlets, and most likely a single 240Vac 30A outlet.  you would need to buy or construct a cable assembly which will go from the 240Vac 30A outlet to the transfer switch.  the water pump will utilize a double pole breaker on the transfer switch for power.   see the first two positions in the image i attached below, and note how their handles are tied together.

if you are planning on upgrading to a much larger generator in the near future, you should simply install the larger capacity transfer switch or whole house transfer switch.  there is no point in paying for an upsized transfer switch, plus paying the electrician yet again to wire it in.

ar-jedi

here is an example 10 circuit 50A transfer switch
http://reliancecontrols.com/ProductDetail.aspx?Q510CE

I wish I could I find that 10 pole switch like the one above, for less than $500.00

piece of cake.

Reliance Q510CE
$410.47, that's the drop shipped price from Reliance including freight.

contact "J T"  using the email address   "customerservice  @@@   dale-electric.com"  (fixed up, of course)
or via
http://dale-electric.com/contact

http://dale-electric.com/

ps:
no affiliation, just a happy customer.

ar-jedi

So a smaller generator can work effectively through the larger transfer panel until you can afford the larger generator?

yes.  the number of branch circuits that can be fully powered will be lower, but it will work fine.

example:

say you have a 10 circuit 50A split phase transfer switch (link/picture shown above).  the 50A rating, by the way, is at 240Vac, so this switch has a capacity of (50A*240V) = 12,000W (=12KW).

1) you purchase a single phase (120Vac) inverter generator such as a Honda EU2000i.

limitations:
you can only power half the breakers in the transfer switch with this generator (inside the transfer switch, only L1 or L2 will be powered by a 120Vac generator –– meaning only every other breaker will have power to it).  you can only supply up to 2000W of load due to the generator.  this will power 120Vac loads such as lights, fridge, single zone circ pump, microwave, etc –– but very few at the same time.  the limitation is on how much TOTAL load is on the generator.  if you exceed the generator's output capacity, you will pop the breaker on the generator.  you can not power any 240Vac loads.


2) you purchase a split phase (120/240Vac) generator with a capacity of 7500W.

limitations:
all of breakers in the transfer switch with this generator (both L1 and L2) will be powered by using a 120Vac/240Vac 4 wire cord from the 120Vac/240Vac generator receptacle).  you can only supply up to 7500W of load due to the generator.  this will power 120Vac loads such as lights, fridge, single zone circ pump, microwave, etc –– with some/most at the same time.  this setup will also power 240Vac loads such as a deep well pump –– again with limitations on how much TOTAL load is on the generator.  if you exceed the generator's output capacity, you will pop the breaker on the generator.


3) you purchase a split phase (120/240Vac) generator with a capacity of 12000W.

limitations:
all of breakers in the transfer switch with this generator (both L1 and L2) will be powered by using a 240Vac 4 wire cord from the 120Vac/240Vac generator receptacle).  you can supply up to 12000W of load due to the generator.  this will power 120Vac loads such as lights, fridge, single zone circ pump, microwave, etc –– with most at the same time.  this setup will also power 240Vac loads such as a deep well pump –– again with limitations on how much TOTAL load is on the generator.  if you exceed the generator's output capacity, you will pop the breaker on the generator.


4) you purchase a split phase (120/240Vac) generator with a capacity of 15000W.

limitations:
you will need a larger transfer switch to safely make use of the extra power the generator is capable of providing.


hope that helps.

ar-jedi