Pop conduit thru stucco and up into main panel?

[jerryk1234]

Hello!

My electrical utility has decided to take our power away - occasionally - to prevent fires. So I have ordered a modest backup generator. To conveniently power the house without running extension cords everywhere, I need a transfer switch.

I have tentatively identified the switch I'd like to use - a Reliance exterior-rated unit, 30A, 10 circuits. It's quite wide, and will intrude into the space occupied by a telephone/cable box. But it will work if I mount it to the side of the house on 2" spacers.

The main panel is flush-mounted in the exterior stucco wall.
There is a junction box under the main panel that is surface mounted, and communicates with the main panel via a 1.5" conduit with some big wires ( which power our swimming pool, spa & sauna ). The junction box is almost empty.

I propose to mount the transfer switch next to the junction box - with a minimal length piece of conduit. Wires from the switch will go through the junction box and hence into the main panel. There will be 22 12-AWG THHN wires. Two wires for each circuit, plus a neutral, plus a ground. I believe the neutral is needed because there is a pair of wattmeters in the switch.

My question is - how do I get from the junction box into the panel? The existing conduit looks pretty full. So is the bottom of the panel. There are a couple of unused 1/2 inch punchouts, and space in a few romex clamps. There also might be a bit of legal space left in the existing 1.5" conduit - but not enough for 22 #12's!

I suppose I could run a pair of 1/2 flex conduits from the panel bottom , through the stucco, into the junction box. Doesn't look like much fun - the underside of that panel has to be just as crowded as the inside.

There is another concept that would have worked if we didn't have solar - an "interlock" - basically, an elegantly shaped piece of sheet metal mounted to the front of the panel. It slides back & forth, and guarantees that the "generator" breaker is never on at the same time as the main breaker. Can't use it because we have solar. No way to guarantee that the solar breaker isn't on at the same time as the generator breaker.

Anyway - anybody have hints or comments about how to get from the panel into the junction box?

Thanks in advance,

- jerryk1234

 

[Pete999]

Jerry if your that good on HVAC I need you at my house LOL have a good day

What's wrong with your A/C Mike?

 

[Megawatt]

What's wrong with your A/C Mike?

My evaporator is in my house and when the AC is on it stars dripping water on the floor. It’s draining good out of the pipe, but I can’t find where the waters coming from. I have it dripping into the electrical where the transformer and relays etc.

 

[jerryk1234]

My evaporator is in my house and when the AC is on it stars dripping water on the floor. It’s draining good out of the pipe, but I can’t find where the waters coming from. I have it dripping into the electrical where the transformer and relays etc.

Couple of things: First of all, is the evaporator on an upper floor? This is pretty common, because cold air falls. If so, there may be two drip pans - the one built into the evaporator, and a "backup" one that is under it. That's what we have on the upstairs system, and if the main drain gets clogged, it goes to the backup one, which is not as good. In fact, on our house, the backup tray exits out the exterior wall way up high, and water drips down the side of the house. This gets your attention so you can go fix it.

The "fix" is generally to clear the drain pipe. The way to do that, is to get a shop vac and a funnel. Stick the funnel into the end of the drain pipe, and jam the end of the shop vac hose into the funnel. If suction won't clear it, then reverse the shop vac and blow up through the pipe. This however can make a mess up at the evaporator, but it will generally clear it. It might not, however if there's a standpipe near the exit from the evap.

I was worried about drain failure on my downstairs unit, which has no backup tray. So I put a float sensor on the tray. If the water level rises, the sensor trips, and the AC won't come on. That gets your attention, so....

This is of course in addition to the normal stuff that happens with PVC pipes. And metal trays - which can rust out.

 

[Megawatt]

Couple of things: First of all, is the evaporator on an upper floor? This is pretty common, because cold air falls. If so, there may be two drip pans - the one built into the evaporator, and a "backup" one that is under it. That's what we have on the upstairs system, and if the main drain gets clogged, it goes to the backup one, which is not as good. In fact, on our house, the backup tray exits out the exterior wall way up high, and water drips down the side of the house. This gets your attention so you can go fix it.

The "fix" is generally to clear the drain pipe. The way to do that, is to get a shop vac and a funnel. Stick the funnel into the end of the drain pipe, and jam the end of the shop vac hose into the funnel. If suction won't clear it, then reverse the shop vac and blow up through the pipe. This however can make a mess up at the evaporator, but it will generally clear it. It might not, however if there's a standpipe near the exit from the evap.

I was worried about drain failure on my downstairs unit, which has no backup tray. So I put a float sensor on the tray. If the water level rises, the sensor trips, and the AC won't come on. That gets your attention, so....

This is of course in addition to the normal stuff that happens with PVC pipes. And metal trays - which can rust out.

I don’t have a 2 story house but that unit is just old 10 years and I have a good bit of water running out the pipe I’ve have the coil change once and it’s an A frame type coil. You said a drip pan under my evaporator, and I’ve been figuring out how to make a drip pan but I will have to cut a square hole in the center. My unit sets on top of a hole in the floor which is connected to the hoses that go to each vent. If I had enough room underneath my house I would put it there and that goes for the hot water heater.

 

[Kyle23]

Hello!

My electrical utility has decided to take our power away - occasionally - to prevent fires. So I have ordered a modest backup generator. To conveniently power the house without running extension cords everywhere, I need a transfer switch.

I have tentatively identified the switch I'd like to use - a Reliance exterior-rated unit, 30A, 10 circuits. It's quite wide, and will intrude into the space occupied by a telephone/cable box. But it will work if I mount it to the side of the house on 2" spacers.

The main panel is flush-mounted in the exterior stucco wall.
There is a junction box under the main panel that is surface mounted, and communicates with the main panel via a 1.5" conduit with some big wires ( which power our swimming pool, spa & sauna ). The junction box is almost empty.

I propose to mount the transfer switch next to the junction box - with a minimal length piece of conduit. Wires from the switch will go through the junction box and hence into the main panel. There will be 22 12-AWG THHN wires. Two wires for each circuit, plus a neutral, plus a ground. I believe the neutral is needed because there is a pair of wattmeters in the switch.

My question is - how do I get from the junction box into the panel? The existing conduit looks pretty full. So is the bottom of the panel. There are a couple of unused 1/2 inch punchouts, and space in a few romex clamps. There also might be a bit of legal space left in the existing 1.5" conduit - but not enough for 22 #12's!

I suppose I could run a pair of 1/2 flex conduits from the panel bottom , through the stucco, into the junction box. Doesn't look like much fun - the underside of that panel has to be just as crowded as the inside.

There is another concept that would have worked if we didn't have solar - an "interlock" - basically, an elegantly shaped piece of sheet metal mounted to the front of the panel. It slides back & forth, and guarantees that the "generator" breaker is never on at the same time as the main breaker. Can't use it because we have solar. No way to guarantee that the solar breaker isn't on at the same time as the generator breaker.

Anyway - anybody have hints or comments about how to get from the panel into the junction box?

Thanks in advance,

- jerryk1234

Jerry- I'm running into a similar issue. I'm in Southern California and my box panel is flush mounted to in my stucco. I bought the Reliance 10 circuit outdoor transfer switch. How did you end up solving your install?

 

[norcal]

What is on the other side of your semi-flush panel? If a garage is on the other side, put it in the garage, I am assuming the Reliance is a indoor model anyway.

 

[LewisM]

How can they just turn the power off and say deal with it ?

 

[norcal]

How can they just turn the power off and say deal with it ?

If the OP is in California, PG&E, in particular but SoCal Edison, & San Diego Gas & Electric also have been doing "Public Safety Power Shutoffs" PSPS for short & when they kill the power you are on your own, I live 20 mins from Paradise CA where the deadly Camp Fire occurred in 2018, not been subjected to any PSPS but am close to the edge of the zones where they happen. They make life miserable for those who have to live through them, could be a smart aleck and say that is the price for wanting live under the trees, only good thing is they don't do the PSPS in the winter, but come late Spring, early Summer, when dry conditions & high winds occur the power will get shut off again, lots of blame to go around, nature ----'s, government, the power companies, & NIMBY's not wanting trees trimmed, all share the blame. California is rapidly heading towards a 3rd world power grid.