Page 3 Working With Portable Generators con't [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 4 ]

To complete the connections in the main panel, attach the incoming red and black hot wires to a 30-amp, 240v breaker (Photo 10) 10   and press the new breaker onto the panel's hot bus (Photo 11). 11 Remove any breakers stranded at the bottom of the panel and move them up beneath the new 240v breaker. The connections in the side panel are nearly identical to those in the main panel. Bind the feed line's grounding wire under a grounding bus terminal (Photo 12).   12 Then, connect the red and black wires to one of the panel's 240v breakers and attach the white neutral wire to the neutral bus near the top of the panel. At this point, the main panel is equipped to power the side panel. To bring the disconnected circuits in the main panel to the new side panel, the wires must be extended. Codes vary in this regard. Some allow twist connectors in the main panel, while others may require that you pull all disconnected circuit cables from the main panel and route them into the side panel, via junction boxes. To extend the circuits within the main panel, bring insulated wires (black, white and green) through the connecting nipple, strip about 5/8 in. of insulation from each and join the new wires to the existing circuit wires with twist connectors (Photo 13).

13   When you're done, tuck the wires neatly against the outer edges of the panel. In the side panel, attach the white neutrals to the neutral bus terminals (Photo 14) 14 and the grounding wires to the grounding bus. Then, connect each circuit's black wire to a breaker in the side panel (Photo 15). 15 All that remains is to install 10/4 cable that connects the new panel to the outdoor receptacle that serves as a hookup for the generator. Bring the the cable from the panel up the basement wall and through the house rim joist a few feet from the garage door. Begin by mounting a 3/4-in. box connector in the top of the side panel, then run 10/4 cable into the panel through this connector. Staple the cable to the wall above the box, within 8 in., strip the cable inside the box and tighten the box connector (Photo 16). Attach the red and black hot wires to the remaining 240v breaker in the transfer switch panel and join the neutral and hot wires to their buses. Fill any open slots in the main panel's cover with plastic blanks available at home centers and electrical supply houses. The side panel comes with adhesive labels marked generator supply and utility supply. Stick these labels in place above the appropriate breakers of the transfer switch. Follow by labeling each circuit rerouted from the main panel on the side panel.