Generac Automatic Transfer Switches

It depends on your existing service. A service-rated switch contains the main disconnect and takes the place of your main breaker, which suits new installs and panel replacements. A non-service-rated switch goes downstream of a main disconnect you already have and are keeping. During your consultation, our team determines which transfer switch is appropriate for your electrical service.

A Smart Switch manages load in addition to transferring it. It prioritizes your critical load and sheds high-draw items such as air conditioning when the generator is near capacity, then restores them as demand falls. The practical benefit is that a smaller generator can cover more of the house, which often lowers the total cost of the system.

Match the switch to your electrical service, not the generator. A home with 200 amp service needs a 200 amp switch, and a home with 100 amp service needs a 100 amp switch. You can read your service size off the main breaker in your panel, and we confirm it on site before ordering anything.

Usually, yes. The switch has to be compatible with the generator’s control system and rated for your service. We also install switches on generators we did not sell. Bring us the model number, and we will tell you what works.

It is worth considering if your area sees frequent outages or unstable utility power. Restoration is when spikes tend to hit, and a surge device at the service entrance protects everything downstream. Homes with a lot of electronics, HVAC control boards, or medical equipment tend to see the value most.

The switch waits a short delay to confirm the outage is real rather than a momentary flicker, then starts the generator and transfers the load, typically within seconds of the engine reaching speed. Sensitive electronics may still need an uninterruptible power supply on the equipment itself to ride through that gap, but lights, HVAC, refrigeration, and pumps come back on their own.

Yes, and it gets overlooked. Contacts, control wiring, voltage sensing, and transfer delays all need periodic inspection, and the switch should be exercised so the mechanism moves. Our maintenance visits cover the switch alongside the generator, and service plan customers get 24/7 remote monitoring on top of that.

Three-phase buildings need a three-phase switch matched to the service voltage, such as 120/208 or 277/480. Larger commercial and industrial sites sometimes use more than one switch to separate the critical load from general loads, so the generator carries what matters first. We size and coordinate that as part of a commercial consultation.