Has Anyone Ever Seen This Contraption?

[sparkyrick]

A generator inlet that plugs into the meter socket, then the meter plugs into it. Says it even has a 200A transfer switch built in, looks awfully small to have a 200A TS built in. Claims it's UL Listed.

http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm#

 

[kwired]

A generator inlet that plugs into the meter socket, then the meter plugs into it. Says it even has a 200A transfer switch built in, looks awfully small to have a 200A TS built in. Claims it's UL Listed.

http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm#

There have been threads about same or similar product in this forum in the past. I have no experience with them.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

I have only read about them. In most cases they are installed and owned by the power company, and a fee is added to your monthly bill.

 

[GoldDigger]

A generator inlet that plugs into the meter socket, then the meter plugs into it. Says it even has a 200A transfer switch built in, looks awfully small to have a 200A TS built in. Claims it's UL Listed.

http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm#

Smart meters have very small contractors built into them too. It has been suggested that they are vacuum break switches, but not confirmed. The same technology, whatever it is, could be used in this product.
Possibly POCO is just overloading the contactors beyond what ordinary folk are allowed to do? UL would be testing safety and not necessarily durability.

 

[kwired]

Smart meters have very small contractors built into them too.

Is that a proper thing to say to a public forum, some small contractors may find that rather offensive?

 

[mjf]

Is that a proper thing to say to a public forum, some small contractors may find that rather offensive?

Thanks for the laugh!!

 

[sparkyrick]

Smart meters have very small contractors built into them too.

Is that a proper thing to say to a public forum, some small contractors may find that rather offensive?

I guess the Umpa Lumpa's have found a job outside The Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory

 

[ATSman]

I guess the Umpa Lumpa's have found a job outside The Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory

I'm lov'in every bit of it!!!!!!!!!!! :lol::happyyes::jawdrop::thumbsup

 

[GoldDigger]

Is that a proper thing to say to a public forum, some small contractors may find that rather offensive?

Glad I was able to provide a laugh, but I can't take full credit. The auto-mistake in my browser helped.

 

[texie]

A generator inlet that plugs into the meter socket, then the meter plugs into it. Says it even has a 200A transfer switch built in, looks awfully small to have a 200A TS built in. Claims it's UL Listed.

http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm#

This company has been around since at least the early 90's that I know of. Funny thing is I have never seen one of these in the wild. I'm not sure they have had much luck with the POCO's which is critical as it installs in their meter socket. I always thought it was a good concept, but for whatever reason has not caught on.

 

[kwired]

Had little luck getting much details of the unit from their website. I see you do have to order one of three units based on the receptacle on your generator, 14-50, L14-30 or L14-20. Not sure just how this unit connects the neutral and equipment grounding conductors as the meter itself would only have L1 and L2 terminations.

 

[Jraef]

There is no transfer switch. All it does is provide a signal to a smart meter telling it that if the generator is plugged in, keeping open the contacts in the meter that the PoCo uses to disconnect power. So as long as the generator is plugged in there is no connection to the grid, meaning you cannot use this for on-line automatic backup. It only works so that AFTER the power fails, you plug in the generator. For a lot of people, that's fine.

One thing these smart meters is doing, that I just found out about, is that the contactor in them drops out on a power failure, but the PoCo decides when to turn it back on again. That way, they control surges when power is restored. If you have one of these sockets installed, they just do NOT re-close your meter contactor until AFTER you unplug the generator. By the way if you DON'T already have a smart meter, you GET one when you ask them to install this whether you want it or not.

So a slight annoyance to that is that if you don't pay attention to what's going on at your neighbor's house, or HE has one of these too, how do you know when to unplug the generator? Street lights will tell you if it's dark, but what about in the day?

 

[kwired]

There is no transfer switch. All it does is provide a signal to a smart meter telling it that if the generator is plugged in, keeping open the contacts in the meter that the PoCo uses to disconnect power. So as long as the generator is plugged in there is no connection to the grid, meaning you cannot use this for on-line automatic backup. It only works so that AFTER the power fails, you plug in the generator. For a lot of people, that's fine.

One thing these smart meters is doing, that I just found out about, is that the contactor in them drops out on a power failure, but the PoCo decides when to turn it back on again. That way, they control surges when power is restored. If you have one of these sockets installed, they just do NOT re-close your meter contactor until AFTER you unplug the generator. By the way if you DON'T already have a smart meter, you GET one when you ask them to install this whether you want it or not.

So a slight annoyance to that is that if you don't pay attention to what's going on at your neighbor's house, or HE has one of these too, how do you know when to unplug the generator? Street lights will tell you if it's dark, but what about in the day?

Do you know how they connect neutral/equipment grounding conductors?

 

[Little Bill]

Do you know how they connect neutral/equipment grounding conductors?

Their website said if the generator was bonded it wouldn't work because the service is also bonded and would trip the genny's GFCI.

But I don't recall seeing exactly how the neutral connects.
I would imagine that a jumper from the neutral would be added to the device, or it's relying on the bonded housing when the two are mated.

BTW, there is no EGC in a meter socket.

 

[kwired]

Their website said if the generator was bonded it wouldn't work because the service is also bonded and would trip the genny's GFCI.

That would all depend on if there is a N-G bond in the generator, and if power from the generator is supplied through a GFCI.

But I don't recall seeing exactly how the neutral connects.
I would imagine that a jumper from the neutral would be added to the device, or it's relying on the bonded housing when the two are mated.

Where do you land the jumper in an NEC compliant way when the meter socket likely has no unused neutral lugs? Bonded housing? I understand the meter can is bonded, there is nothing in the actual socket area that is solidly bonded that this device could essentially plug into and have a good connection for a neutral conductor, and the cover is in good contact sometimes but it is not necessarily solidly bonded.

BTW, there is no EGC in a meter socket.

I know but there is an EGC terminal on each of the three cord cap terminations they mention, and if your generator does not have a N-G bond then the main bonding jumper/ fact that the meter has the neutral bonded means you would need connection to the EGC to bond the frame of the generator.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

There is no transfer switch. All it does is provide a signal to a smart meter telling it that if the generator is plugged in, keeping open the contacts in the meter that the PoCo uses to disconnect power. ...

It appears to me that the device is an actual transfer switch. I see nothing to indicate that it must be used with a smart meter.
The device is listed as a "Meter-mounted Transfer Switch" (WPXW).

 

[don_resqcapt19]

...
But I don't recall seeing exactly how the neutral connects.
...

The installation instructions specify a jumper from the grounded conductor in the meter to the plug in transfer switch.

 

[kwired]

It appears to me that the device is an actual transfer switch. I see nothing to indicate that it must be used with a smart meter.
The device is listed as a "Meter-mounted Transfer Switch" (WPXW).

I can see it easily being designed to transfer to the secondary input if there is voltage present on that input though, so one will not necessarily know when utility is back on if not paying close attention to other indications of utility being back up and continue to run on generator.

 

[Little Bill]

Their website said if the generator was bonded it wouldn't work because the service is also bonded and would trip the genny's GFCI.

But I don't recall seeing exactly how the neutral connects.
I would imagine that a jumper from the neutral would be added to the device, or it's relying on the bonded housing when the two are mated.

BTW, there is no EGC in a meter socket.

That would all depend on if there is a N-G bond in the generator, and if power from the generator is supplied through a GFCI.

Congratulations! You just said the same thing I said in red above.

Where do you land the jumper in an NEC compliant way when the meter socket likely has no unused neutral lugs? Bonded housing?

The installation instructions specify a jumper from the grounded conductor in the meter to the plug in transfer switch.

I guess, I guessed right then (I guess)!

But I ain't never seen one of these critters either.

 

[kwired]

Originally Posted by Little Bill
Their website said if the generator was bonded it wouldn't work because the service is also bonded and would trip the genny's GFCI.

But I don't recall seeing exactly how the neutral connects.
I would imagine that a jumper from the neutral would be added to the device, or it's relying on the bonded housing when the two are mated.

BTW, there is no EGC in a meter socket.

Originally Posted by kwired
That would all depend on if there is a N-G bond in the generator, and if power from the generator is supplied through a GFCI.

Congratulations! You just said the same thing I said in red above.

Where do you land the jumper in an NEC compliant way when the meter socket likely has no unused neutral lugs? Bonded housing?




The installation instructions specify a jumper from the grounded conductor in the meter to the plug in transfer switch.


I guess, I guessed right then (I guess)!




But I ain't never seen one of these critters either.

I didn't intend to say same thing you said in red above. If generator doesn't have a N-G bond but does have a GFCI, where is the unbalanced current going to flow to make it trip? Even a line to ground fault will not trip the GFCI as the return path will be through the GFCI neutral and should be equal magnitude as the "hot" conductor. If it does have a N-G bond then neutral current will split over the grounded and grounding conductors causing imbalance through GFCI and then it will trip.