Generator Installation Article

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bphgravity

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Any comments or suggestions regarding this generator permitting/installation guideline article?

When installing generators to be connected to household electrical service, obtain proper Building Department permits and hire professionals

State officials are encouraging Floridians to depend more on their own resources should a hurricane strike. Hearing that message, many have begun purchasing generators and transfer switches that allow those generators to be connected directly to the household electrical service panel.

If you are planning on having such a system installed, you must first apply for a permit from the North Port Building Department, and the work must be inspected by the City upon completion.

Because installing a generator is very complicated, the Building Department strongly recommends that a licensed and insured electrical contractor and qualified generator installer be hired to do the job.

If you are planning on installing a generator to be connected directly to your home?s electrical service, refer your installer and/or electrical contractor to the following North Port Building Department guidelines.

Please don?t hesitate to contact the Building Department at 423-3186 if you have any questions.

Application Permit Requirements
A standard City of North Port permit application for installing a generator connected to a home?s electrical service costs $40.00, plus any applicable surcharges. Documents required at time of application include:
1. A site plan showing the generator?s location;
2. The location of the generator?s fuel source and the type of fuel to be used;
3. Manufacturer?s specifications;
4. An itemized list of the electrical loads to be served, including any motor loads using motor startup current;
5. Diagrams of feeders, including the size and type of conductors to be used.

Contact Florida Power and Light before installation
If it is necessary for the electrical service to be turned off, or if access is required inside the meter enclosure, the homeowner or installer must contact to arrange for disconnection of the electrical service. The toll-free telephone number for FPL is 1-800-226-3545.

After the installation
After installation, contact the North Port Building Department at 423-3186 for the required final inspection of the work. PLEASE NOTE that the City must approve the work before FPL will restore power to the premises.

Guidelines for Portable Generators with Manual Transfer Equipment:
Permanently installed equipment for the connection of a portable generator must comply with Section 702.6 of the 2002 National Electrical Code (NEC). The manual transfer equipment will require an interlock device suitable for the intended use. This device must be installed to prevent the inadvertent interconnection of the normal and the optional system supply. The connection device must be a UL Standard 231 Listed Power Outlet. The back-feeding of electrical outlets within the home is not permitted.

Guidelines for Permanent Generators with Manual Transfer Switches:
Permanently installed generators with permanently installed manual transfer equipment must comply with the provisions for portable generators or use a Listed Transfer Switch or Panel Board. The equipment must be installed so as to allow the user to select the connected loads upon manual transfer.
Guidelines for Permanent Generators with Automatic Transfer Equipment:
Permanently installed generators with automatic transfer equipment must comply with the provisions of Section 702.5 of the 2002 National Electrical Code. The calculated load as determined by Article 220 of the 2002 NEC must not exceed the rating of the generator output. Please note that a ?Demand Load? will not be accepted in lieu of the calculated load.

ALL load calculations must be included with the approved permit documents and must be available on site with the permit placard at the time of the inspection. All transfer equipment must be listed. Automatic transfer equipment installed on the supply side of the method of disconnecting the service must be listed as suitable for use as service equipment.

Required permanent signs for all installations:
Permanent signs must be posted at all of the above-described installations that comply with Section 702.8 of the 2002 National Electrical Code. The required signs must indicate the type and location of the on-site optional standby power source, and must be permanently installed and located at the service disconnection point and at the meter enclosure.
All equipment must be installed according to the manufacturer?s instructions.
Portable generators with built-in power receptacles

Generators that supply power to connected equipment through built-in receptacles mounted on the generator DO NOT REQUIRE PERMITS OR INSPECTIONS.

However, they must be placed well away from a home or any air intake to prevent the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

As with any of the equipment listed above, be sure to read and follow all safety precautions in your user?s manual.
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You might throw a "because you could kill someone" reference in the opener, and emphasize the safety-driven aspect of you interest by marking the permit price down to $20 for generator/TS-only inspections. :)
 
Thanks George. I got a little heavy on the "Safety / Hire a Professional" aspect so my B.O. had me tone it down to its current state. There is nothing I can do about the fees - this is also set by the B.O.

This originally started out as a guideline for contractors only and now my B.O. would like to post it on our website for anyone to view. This is why it may appear there are technical issues mixed with laymen terms
 
If you could get the home centers to "de-stock" 30A male plugs and 50' lengths of SO cord before/after a hurricane you'd be all set ;->

Widowmaker kits were flying off the shelves last year.
 
George
A permit fee of $20... With all of todays costs, how do you expect any fee to be sooooooo low??
You wonder how they would even be able to pay the inspectors. Higher fees most likely could mean higher pay for the inspectors, possibly drawing some good people to the inspection portion of our industry. Not that there are not good inspectors, but I am sure you know what I meant.;)
 
Maybe a sentence to let the occupants know that if the Main Breaker and or Transfer switch is located indoors that access to these panels will be required for inspection.

Also, one thing I have seen is the moving of an AFCI circuit from the house panel into the Generator Transfer panel and NOT using an AFCI breaker there.
 
Bryan ,

I did read it and seems that you cover it pretty good there with the generator info there,

however i did talk to one person in other forum and he saying that in one area many owner did not have proper permit to hook up the stand by units and i was little suprised how they do that anyway i am glad you are stepping up for safety sake here.

the other question it came up one person here did mention about afci breaker the question will the afci breaker will work ok with genertor power ?

i know some unit do make " dirty " power so it will effect the operation of the unit

Merci, Marc
 
I was just meandering through my "subscriptions", and stumbled upon this thread again.
Pierre C Belarge said:
George
A permit fee of $20... With all of todays costs, how do you expect any fee to be sooooooo low??
You wonder how they would even be able to pay the inspectors. Higher fees most likely could mean higher pay for the inspectors...
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It may be low, but low is enticing, too. At $20, it becomes "Well, jeez, I might as well get it inspected and be safe, at that price..." :D

You bring something up that I've not heard discussed before here.

What is the average wage for an inspector, anyway? I mean, before bribes and kickbacks, and whatnot? ;) :eek: :D
 
During one of my last trips to the Big Box stores in my area I noticed that the portable generators that they were offering on the shelves were not offered with manual transfer kits. They came with a twist-lock 20 amp cord set with multiple female ports on the end. Maybe someone in their corporate offices got the hint that homeowners were trying to circumvent the permit filing system, not hiring electricians and trying to install these transfer switches themselves. However, you can still buy the transfer switches "on-line". Jack Kevorkian probably has this link on his site !!!
 
From George

"It may be low, but low is enticing, too. At $20, it becomes "Well, jeez, I might as well get it inspected and be safe, at that price..." "



George, that is like saying: charge $750.00 for a 200 amp service because maybe they will use us licensed electricians.

People will or won't file, and money for the permit fee is not what drives their decision. The decision is usually that they do not want an official in their home, or they think their taxes will go up.
 
The decision is usually that they do not want an official in their home, or they think their taxes will go up.
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I agree with this statement. Here, we had a long and protracted battle over the motorcycle helmet law. People were ending up in emergency rooms or morgues, but the reality seems to be that some people just don't understand what 'the government' is trying to accomplish. Myself, I'm a safe driver, always used a helmet in town, and grudingly accepted the law for those times blasting across a desert road alone.

Bryan, the statement you've posted starts out with "obtain proper Building Department permits and hire professionals," as if it's an essay. Perhaps toning it down either to grab the readers interest, or to make a more impassioned statement would be more effective. "The city leaders are concerned about safety" or "the chief of emergency services just says NO to injuries in our community" may be other options. It may not be obvious to your readers, as well, that the building department is there to answer questions from the public, not to promote contractors and collect fees. I realize that it was written for a different audience.

Here, we have brush fire season and the local fire departments have yearly inspections for clearance. I bring this up as an option, because you've mentioned the sign requirements, easy to enforce during a power outage. These annual sweeps are very well publicized by local media.

The facts you've brought up in other posts about generator safety here are almost amazing to me. In the early 80s I spent several months in latin america, places where power outages were a daily occurence. The generators got fired up and sat on the sidewalk blasting away. Perhaps the people there were less inclined to expect 'the comforts of home,' or perhaps they knew something about safety which US residents don't.
 
Pierre C Belarge said:
George, that is like saying: charge $750.00 for a 200 amp service because maybe they will use us licensed electricians.

People will or won't file, and money for the permit fee is not what drives their decision. The decision is usually that they do not want an official in their home, or they think their taxes will go up.
Click to expand...
Good point. Thanks! :)
 
Pierre C Belarge said:
The decision is usually that they do not want an official in their home, or they think their taxes will go up.
Click to expand...

Isn't that what usually happens when you make an improvement to your home that's inspected by a municipal official? When I remodeled my kitchen I basically replaced all the cabinets and didn't change the footprint of the kitchen. I moved the sink 2' to the right and had to take out a plumbing permit; built a soffet over the pantry and had to take out a building permit; installed (3) recessed lights and took out an electrical permit. $110.00 in permit fees later I was inspected and passed and my annual taxes went up $150.00.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate of the inspection system but these municipalities want their "vig" too. This is only one of the reasons why people don't take out permits. Just yesterday I had an inspection for some exhaust hoods that I wired for a cooking facility at a day camp in my town. I set up the inspection last week so I know I was 1st on the list. The inspector inspects between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM. He showed up at 3:00 PM, took 5 minutes to inspect and pass my work. Who pays for my 3 hours ?
 
The inspector inspects between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM. He showed up at 3:00 PM, took 5 minutes to inspect and pass my work. Who pays for my 3 hours ?

Don't you guys in NJ have mafia connections to take care of inspectors like that?:rolleyes:
 
Maybe this is an area where we could have a proposal to outlaw the sale of generators prior to a permit being pulled. There would obviously have to be some exceptions. I have heard of a county that requires a signed contract from an electrical contractor before selling a generator.

Maybe Dave knows something of this, I believe it was in Ohio where they had this requirement. I know all that happened is that people went to a different county for purchase.
 
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