If you have a mid-sized or larger portable generator rated for 5,000 watts or more, you can connect it to your home’s circuit breaker panel with a transfer switch—a small board that looks a ...

If you have a mid-sized or larger portable generator rated for 5,000 watts or more, you can connect it to your home’s circuit breaker panel with a transfer switch—a small board that looks a ...

From picking the right panels to the right type of installation, we walk you through every step of the process.

With a transfer switch (about $500 to $900 to install, including labor), you’ll have one connection to make—plugging one end of a cable into the generator and the other into a dedicated box ...

As heatwaves intensify and storms grow more severe, the risk of prolonged power outages continues to climb. Forecasters ...

But the transfer switch can power anything that’s hardwired into the circuit panel, such as a well pump, and anything requiring a 220- or 240-volt plug, like a dryer or an electric range.

But the transfer switch can power anything that’s hardwired into the circuit panel, such as a well pump, and anything requiring a 220- or 240-volt plug, like a dryer or an electric range.

Portable models also tend to be noisier and produce less power than whole-house models, but they’re also much cheaper to buy and install than a whole-house generator, which is installed permanently.

2) Use a Transfer Switch: The safest way to use a portable generator for home power backup is to use it in conjunction with a manual transfer switch­–a robust piece of electrical gear.

It is dangerous and illegal to connect a generator directly to hard-wired circuits in your home without a switch because of the very real hazard it poses to electrical workers. Don’t do it.

Portable generators rated for 5,000 watts and above can connect to your home’s circuit breaker panel with a transfer switch—a small board that looks a bit like a circuit breaker panel itself ...