That’s not correct.
A sub panel is a panel that does not have the ground and neutrals connected together, does not switch the source of power and does not require a main disconnect at this panel.
A transfer switch is a subpanel that simply changes the source of power, but follows the same rules of a sub-panel for everything else.
Thanks… have to admit that is a deal-breaker for me. I want to be able to control what is drawing power to limit battery use to just what I need at a particular time.
I can’t seem to find anyone who sells the Reliance X-series. It looks like they have been discontinued.
I would call your local commercial electrical supply store… they may have some still in stock.
Can you open the top half of your Reliance? I would like to see what it looks like to see if there is something you can do.
I just got off the phone with Reliance support. He was explaining that the xseries has very little product support information and not sold by your local home depot type outlets. The xseries products are distributed by electrician supply houses. He say the product is normally installed by electricians and not the home owner. He says the xseries will switch the neutrals. It also costs less than a transfer switch because of less complex wiring no breakers included. He said I can move the breakers from my reliance 510C transfer switch. I think It needs to be fed by a 30a breaker from the main panel similar to being a subpanel.
I also got clarification in regards to the neutral kit. The Reliance transfer switch comes with only regular breakers. To replace a breaker in the switch to an ACFI breaker for bedroom and family rooms by code, I thought all you needed to do was to swap it out of the switch and put in an ACFI breaker. Support said no, you need to install the neutral kit so that the switch and ACFI breaker can have a neutral to access. Thus the kit allows for the individual neutral connections.
ah that makes sense, an AFCI pigtails to the neutral bar to work… so without that you can’t do AFCI. So that also means that there is no way to “fix” the neutral issue on your current transfer switch I assume?
Ah, so the neutral kit just adds a neutral bar, it doesn’t switch them.
Not sure whether to try to hunt down an X-Series, or look for an alternative… anyone know of any other choices?
Your still not going to like the X-Series either… look closely at it… you can not switch each circuit independently… it’s exactly like mine… one source of power for everything:
http://www.reliancecontrols.com/Documents/XRC%20Tech%20Spec%20108A.pdf
Sounds like a lot to consider and redo. I purchased the 2 AC300/2 b300 for power outages. I will be leaving them offline, unplugged and charged up till needed. During an outage, I will connect my transfer switch to an AC300 and bring it online and run without grid power. When the battery runs low, I will move the transfer switch to the other AC300 and power my critical loads there. I will then use my Firman generator to recharge the Offline AC300 system with the 30a cable. And I will flip flop till grid power returns and I will recharge both back and wait for the next outage. Every month, I will bring them online to exercise and drain the batteries and recharge and store them. Running them on inverter without Grid power sounds less problematic. I will not use Split phase unless I need 240v. But if I need 240v, I might just use the Firman instead of the AC300. Maybe to use the A/C to cool the house with the Firman and then move back to the AC300. So far outages have been less than a day. Waiting for the big outages like Sandy.
I also purchased the AC300s for portability. When and if my children or best friends might also suffer an outage, I can lend them a system to protect them as well. Since I have 2 systems.
Darn! Nice catch, thanks. I bet it goes back to my original theory running so many wires into the main panel is impractical, so they switch all the neutrals at once with one connection.
I’m tempted to just buy a bunch of those individual EZ switches I mentioned above and wire them in.
Just got this from Reliance tech support:
You are correct you need a neutral switching Transfer Panel the XRC is discontinued replaced by the XRK Transfer Switch Catalog - Reliance Controls Corporation
The 30310A will not switch the neutral and will cause nuisance trips on your power source. The Reliance Panel/Link X Series is a double-pole manual transfer switch with an third-pole for the neutral that switches sequentially. The X Series is perfect for installations that require that the neutral be switched.
The X Series is also designed for use with portable generators equipped with ground-fault circuits, Battery inverter with bonded neutrals and interrupters on their outlets. and the new F150 Trucks with onboard generator. The X Series will prevent the ground fault which will, in turn, prevent the circuit breakers on the generator from nuisance tripping.
The X Series has 10 branch circuit spaces and will allow up to 18 circuits with the use of tandem breakers.
I agree.
I using mine for solar injection into 50% of my house and as a backup… so that’s why I don’t care about my loads in my transfer switch being independently moved or not, as I’ve planned what circuits in my house I want to run solar into. I’ve had no issues when running simply off solar/battery so I’m hoping that I only use the AC input for any low battery state recharges.
I’ve also ordered the T500 to charge my batteries directly and I hope to be able to by pass all these “GRID” issues. I’ll put my T500 on a smart switch and only allow it to charge at night or other known high draw periods… plus I can then activate the charging remotely… etc.
Yeah I had the same plan: run some circuits off solar through the AC300… but I wanted to have the grid charge as a backup in case the solar batteries ran low… the T500 on a timer is a reasonable compromise, but it means you always have to balance giving up some solar to make sure you are topped off, or otherwise dealing with losing power if you count too much on solar.
I bought the AC300 for its portability too, but I have to admit I wish I had gone the EP500 Pro route now… that has “online UPS” functionality, so I assume none of this should be an issue with that.
I will say what I have now is okay: I moved my network stack and a bunch of electronics into the basement with the AC300 and connect them directly. I have two EZ Transfer Switches which connect to my fridge and heating circuits. They will all work automatically. I will manually hook-up the transfer switch during a power-outage when I am home.
Maybe I’ll actually do my second AC300 on the T500 with solar for non-critical circuits through the transfer switch.
Is it possible to use a variable dc voltage power supply/charger to supply input into the ac300 or battery instead of the limited 500w capacity of the T500?
same here - looking to use my ac300s to handle 50% of my use, plus backup. So are we coming to the conclusion that the Reliance Control 310A is not recommended? My plan is to charge batteries via T500 and avoid the grid. I cannot find any installation docs on the Reliance X Series. wondering if the 50amp Generac is a better option for me. Also - i am very limited in my main panel. Assuming I switch to either a Generac or a Reliance X Series…can the power be fed from the ac300s directly into an inlet box (like my current Reliance 310A does)? or do these transfer switches require installation of a 30/50 double breaker into the main panel ?
For either panel, the x-series or the Generac, you need:
Check out Hobotech’s review:
At 9:50 he uses a generic DC charger to charge the AC300. You have to balance the voltage and amps to within tolerance, but he is able to get 1200W per PV input in that way.
The Reliance 310A will work in that scenario (I do it myself). It’s only if you charge directly not using the T500.
Inlet box to plug the AC300 into should be no problem with either switch. You will need a breaker in the main panel for both types for when powering from the grid.
I cringe every time I see these reviews from people like Hobotech… they don’t put these things into real practical use before they do a review… they just do a, “Oh! how much can I put to it before it pops” test… We need reviews from owners. Hobotech and others just say positive things to get free crap.
Yeah I agree with you generally… but he is good for testing limits and tolerances and such. In this case he shows specifically you can do what @t4602yf was asking.
so - this is how the Generac is different from the R310A transfer switch (which doesnt need a double breaker in the panel). is it that the Generac is essentially taking the circuit away from the main panel and hence it needs a breaker feeding the Generac if you’re gonna go back on grid? whereas, with the R310A, the circuit remains in the main panel and the 310A uses pigtails to toggle power back n forth between the 310A and the main? hence, with the 310A, the grid is always “on” even if those affected circuits are now being fed power by the generator and inlet ? do i have that right?
I’ll call you to explain in a while… probably easier that way.
