Generator Readiness · Eagle, Idaho
Generator readiness and transfer switch — Eagle, Idaho
A standby unit set on a pad with an automatic transfer switch and a critical-load subpanel, so an outage moves the well pump and the furnace, not the whole house.
Scope
Rural property on a well, with a heat pump and a septic pump. The owners had lost power twice the previous winter and wanted heat and water to stay on without running extension cords through a window.
Site conditions
Panel on the garage exterior, gas meter twenty feet away, and the only viable pad location on the north side where snow slides off the roof. Setback distances to windows and the meter drove the final position more than convenience did.
What we installed
A pad-mounted standby unit with an automatic transfer switch ahead of a new critical-load subpanel carrying the well, septic, furnace, refrigeration, and select lighting and receptacle circuits. Gas connection by the plumber, with our conduit and control wiring coordinated to the same trench.
What we watched for
Snow shed off the roof line would have buried the intake within a season, so the pad moved six feet and got a bollard on the drive side. We also sized the critical-load panel with two spare spaces — owners always find one more circuit they wish they had included.
How it holds up
Weekly exercise cycle runs on its own, transfer is automatic, and the household never sees the difference beyond a short flicker. Documentation for the transfer sequence lives inside the subpanel door.
