# Generator / Power Indicator



## journeyman777 (Mar 29, 2011)

I'm getting more and more requests for interlock installs. Most people want someway to be notified when street power returns. Indicator light or an alarm. There used to be a device for this but it's no longer made. Any ideas?


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## tradefield (Feb 21, 2013)

i dont see any legal way other then that alarm that reliance used to make

give them a tick tracer and have them turn it on and put it next to the feeder cable lol


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## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

I took the lighted switch out of a surge protector and landed it under one of the legs in my main breaker at my old house. 
Not compliant but I didn't really care.


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

i told a recent interlock customer (friend of mine) to call a neighbor.


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## kbsparky (Sep 20, 2007)

If they have a "smart meter" the display will be blank while the power is out.

:whistling2:


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

there's all kinds of phase-loss monitors, but if you are creative you could have one hooked up to the single phase power and relay for light or email your cell phone that the power is on.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

wildleg said:


> there's all kinds of phase-loss monitors....


 Sure, but the problem is hooking them up ahead of the service disconnect.


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## stg1dom (Feb 19, 2013)

I've had this same request from customers. People like the versatility of the interlock but they want to know when the power is back on.


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

Intermatic Surge unit on main panel.The type with indicator lights.


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## electricmalone (Feb 21, 2013)

I just tell my customers to look at the neighbors house when they go to refill the gas... I know most people are morons, but if they can plug in a generator, flip the breakers, and not kill themselves in the process, they can look out the window. If they are too dumb, they need an ATS.
Maybe rig something up with a donut CT to an LED indicator light??


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## journeyman777 (Mar 29, 2011)

bobelectric said:


> Intermatic Surge unit on main panel.The type with indicator lights.


Really ? How would this work?


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## John (Jan 22, 2007)

This was attached to a bell with a switch to turn the bell off. 

View attachment 22682


Can't beat the entertainment value of what an creative HO's can do.:thumbup::laughing:

Sometimes this kind of stuff drives me  crazy.


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## stg1dom (Feb 19, 2013)

^^^^^^^^^ I LOVE it!!! Peanut screw fixes anything.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

I thought about the surge protector idea, but isn't it the same problem, they're all supposed to have branch circuit protection?


John said:


> This was attached to a bell with a switch to turn the bell off....


 I want the "after" pictures when some day the bell winding smokes. They gong would be embedded in the far wall. :laughing:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Drywall and tek screws is there nothing they cannot fix? :laughing:


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

hehe wow

BTW, fwiw, just because the garden variety house panel fails as far as having an indicating device (equip on the supply side of the main) doesn't mean they all do. as long as it is configured where the indicator taps are behind a main it's legal (the generator is a subpanel and the taps for the indicator are on the load side of a main)


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

journeyman777 said:


> I'm getting more and more requests for interlock installs. Most people want someway to be notified when street power returns. Indicator light or an alarm. There used to be a device for this but it's no longer made. Any ideas?


Add an additional service disconnected and use it to power something.

Not as bad as it sounds, you can get service rated 2 pole 30 amp fused disconnects for short money and that gives you two branch circuits to run whatever you want as an indicator.


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## journeyman777 (Mar 29, 2011)

BBQ said:


> Add an additional service disconnected and use it to power something.
> 
> Not as bad as it sounds, you can get service rated 2 pole 30 amp fused disconnects for short money and that gives you two branch circuits to run whatever you want as an indicator.


Where would I tap in for it to be legal ? This would still need breaker on the bus bar.


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## journeyman777 (Mar 29, 2011)

Damn I'd like to just run 14/2 into the line side of main into a switch then into a jelly jar light.


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Don't put an interlock kit in the panel and you will know when the POCO restores power.:thumbup:


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

journeyman777 said:


> Damn I'd like to just run 14/2 into the line side of main into a switch then into a jelly jar light.


 You could do BBQs idea for not much more money than it would take to do it your way, and it eliminates any concern of unfused conductors running to devices.


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## stg1dom (Feb 19, 2013)

You can get 120 volt LED lamps at Radio Shack with an inline fuse. I was thinking you could just put a handy box off the panel with the LED and just go right under the main with a 14 wire with an inline fuse. I doubt it would be code compliant though.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Nice HO tap rule John.....~CS~


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

journeyman777 said:


> Where would I tap in for it to be legal ? This would still need breaker on the bus bar.


No you would not add a breaker, you would have to tap the line side of the exsiting service disconnect to supply the added disconnect.

This will be one of, if not the only legal way to do what you want.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

stg1dom said:


> You can get 120 volt LED lamps at Radio Shack with an inline fuse. I was thinking you could just put a handy box off the panel with the LED and just go right under the main with a 14 wire with an inline fuse. I doubt it would be code compliant though.


It would not be.


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## Housemandgs (Feb 23, 2013)

What I do is take a single pole fuse block and a 15 amp cartridge fuse and put one side in the main lug and the other side will feed a 14-2 romex to a pullchain wherever the customer wants it. And I normally put a small wattage cfl or a colored light bulb to tell the difference. This is a quick an easy way to tell..


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## georgep2 (Feb 26, 2013)

Housemandgs said:


> What I do is take a single pole fuse block and a 15 amp cartridge fuse and put one side in the main lug and the other side will feed a 14-2 romex to a pullchain wherever the customer wants it. And I normally put a small wattage cfl or a colored light bulb to tell the difference. This is a quick an easy way to tell..


You feel ok with doing something like that for a paying customer? Shoving a wire under a lug? An unfused conductor up to the fuse block? No disconnect? Don't you worry about your license, insurance, or reputation? What about the life of the firemen or someone else who uses the disconnect to kill the power to the house yet still has live voltage running through it?


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Housemandgs said:


> What I do is take a single pole fuse block and a 15 amp cartridge fuse and put one side in the main lug and the other side will feed a 14-2 romex to a pullchain wherever the customer wants it.


Which part of the following section allows this?




> 230.82 Equipment Connected to the Supply Side of Ser-vice Disconnect. Only the following equipment shall be permitted to be connected to the supply side of the service disconnecting means:
> 
> (1) Cable limiters or other current-limiting devices.
> 
> ...


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## Housemandgs (Feb 23, 2013)

230-82 (5) circuits for stand by power systems


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## jcrispy3 (Sep 2, 2011)

Reliance Controls used to make an alarm for when your service came back on. It was basically a tick tester that you could mount on the panel. Supposedly there were some production issues and they pulled it. I emailed one of their engineers and they said that it will return to the market soon.


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

Big John said:


> I want the "after" pictures when some day the bell winding smokes. They gong would be embedded in the far wall. :laughing:


:laughing:

wrong turn direction, what a hack.


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