Transfer Switch

The transfer switch is the device that transfers the power from the utilities power to the standby generators power.

If you are installing a standby generator in order to have some electrical power to your home in the event of a utility power outage, you have to install a transfer switch.

There are two methods to perform the transfer:

• Manual

In the case of the manual transfer switch, it requires that someone recognizes that the utility power has failed and must intervene to start the generator and then transfer the desired circuits to the generators power output. A manual transfer switch does not operate if there is no one at home.

• Automatic

In the case of an automatic transfer switch (ATS), the switch has the intelligence to sense when the utility is no longer delivering power and automatically starting the generator and then transferring the circuits to the generator. The automatic transfer switch also recognizes when the utility power is back online, transfers the circuits back to the utility and turns the generator off.