Generator & Transfer Switch
Power when the grid is down, without backfeeding the line
The dangerous part of a generator is not the generator. It is the connection — because a generator wired into a house without a transfer switch can push power back onto the utility line where someone is working.
- Standby generator hookups
- Portable generator inlets and interlocks
- Manual and automatic transfer switches
- Permitted and inspected
Two approaches
Standby or portable
They solve the same problem at very different costs and levels of convenience.
Standby generator
Permanently installed, fueled by natural gas or propane, starts itself when the power drops. The highest cost and the least involvement from you.
Portable with an inlet box
You roll it out and plug it in, but the connection is permanent and safe. Far cheaper, and it covers the circuits that matter most.
Interlock kit
The economical version of a transfer switch. A sliding plate that makes it physically impossible to have the main and the generator breaker on at the same time.
A generator install often surfaces panel capacity questions — see do I need a panel upgrade if yours is already full.
Why it matters
Why the transfer switch is not optional
Backfeed is a real hazard
Power pushed onto a de-energized utility line can injure or kill a lineman working to restore it. A transfer switch or interlock makes that physically impossible.
No suicide cords
The double-male extension cord method is genuinely dangerous — live exposed pins, no overcurrent protection, and full backfeed risk. We install a proper inlet instead.
It protects the generator too
Utility power returning while the generator is connected can destroy the unit. The switch prevents that in both directions.
And it is what gets inspected
A permitted, inspected install is documented for insurance and for resale. An improvised hookup is neither.
Choosing circuits
What you actually want backed up
Unless you are going full standby, this is the decision that shapes the whole install.
For most St. Charles households the priority list is short: the furnace blower, the refrigerator, a sump pump if you have a basement that needs one, some lighting, and outlets for phones and a few small appliances. That is a manageable load for a mid-size portable generator and a six or eight circuit transfer switch. Air conditioning, electric ranges and electric water heaters are the loads that push you toward a standby unit, because they are simply too large for a portable to carry. We will go through your panel with you and pick the circuits before quoting, so the switch is sized to what you actually want rather than to a guess.
How we work
What to expect when you call
- 01
Talk through the outage plan
How long, how often, and what has to keep running. That decides portable versus standby before anything else.
- 02
We size and quote
Circuits selected, switch or interlock chosen, inlet location picked, permit included in the number.
- 03
Install, test, walk through
Equipment installed and inspected, then we run through the startup and shutdown steps with you until it is routine.
Free estimate
Get a generator hookup quote
Tell us whether you already have a generator, and which circuits you would want running in an outage.
Related: panel upgrade, do I need a panel upgrade, surge protection, permits in St. Charles, electrical repair
Something electrical that is not getting better on its own?
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