Power restored light

[preferma]

I'm a DIYer. Having been off power for 24 hours last weekend, I've fitted a 100A generator/mains switch. When the generator is running/the mains is isolated, I have no way of telling when the mains power is restored. The meters switchgear etc are in an outbuilding adjacent to the house and I was planning to wire up a neon (in the form of an illuminated switch) in the house, connected to the mains side of the generator/mains switch that I could turn 'on' when the mains power went off, and that would illuminate when the mains power came back on.
It occurs to me though, as all of the trips etc are the other side of this switch it would have only the 60A main isolator fuse between it and the incoming supply.
Should I fit its own MCCB just for this neon or any other ideas?

 

[littlespark]

Not DIY work.... get an electrician to do it..... but you can split the tails before it enters the changeover switch on the supply side... (not the generator feed) tap off to just a switch fuse spur with a light. The fuse will protect that line, and the neon indicator of the switch will give your indication.

Slightly more robust version would be a small garage board, with a 6A MCB and a light....


Or look out the window and see when your neighbours lights and streetlights go on..... if you have neighbours......

 

[mainline]

I'm a DIYer. Having been off power for 24 hours last weekend, I've fitted a 100A generator/mains switch. When the generator is running/the mains is isolated, I have no way of telling when the mains power is restored. The meters switchgear etc are in an outbuilding adjacent to the house and I was planning to wire up a neon (in the form of an illuminated switch) in the house, connected to the mains side of the generator/mains switch that I could turn 'on' when the mains power went off, and that would illuminate when the mains power came back on.
It occurs to me though, as all of the trips etc are the other side of this switch it would have only the 60A main isolator fuse between it and the incoming supply.
Should I fit its own MCCB just for this neon or any other ideas?

You could get an auto change over switch fitted.

You could also have it so that it turns the generator off when a stable mains supply is there.

 

[preferma]

Not DIY work.... get an electrician to do it..... but you can split the tails before it enters the changeover switch on the supply side... (not the generator feed) tap off to just a switch fuse spur with a light. The fuse will protect that line, and the neon indicator of the switch will give your indication.

Slightly more robust version would be a small garage board, with a 6A MCB and a light....


Or look out the window and see when your neighbours lights and streetlights go on..... if you have neighbours......

Fused spur that's the answer.. was wondering about a garage board with ELCB and MCB but seems a bit OTT for one neon, and I'm running out of space. Many thanks.

 

[preferma]

You could get an auto change over switch fitted.

You could also have it so that it turns the generator off when a stable mains supply is there.

Did consider that, but I've been in this house for 40 years and had maybe 5 power cuts of >1 day, so gone for simplest soution. Thanks for suggestion

 

[brianmoooore]

In my own house, I have a little panel neon indicator built into the front cover of the mains isolator switch which feeds the generator change over switch. (The isolator that should be switched off before the change over switch is operated and turned back on only after the change over switch is back to 'mains'.)

 

[James]

auto changeover is great but it does require a generator that has a 2 wire start function and obviously be electric start.

a customer / friend of mine would not spend the money for an auto change switch, even though they have spent 5K on a long running 20Kva generator that is sited 100m from the house.

the solution i came up with was to put a small panel above the manual changeover switch that had 2 x moving iron volt meters (one for grid, one for generator)
an amp meter with a red line marking the max continuous current
and finally a toggle switch to change the generator from off to run.

it is more work to use than an auto changeover/start device but it is safe and it works.

 

[mainline]

auto changeover is great but it does require a generator that has a 2 wire start function and obviously be electric start.

The generator could still be manual start, once the supply is back the changeover would do the job of putting the mains back on automatically and cutting the gen off.


Something like this would also give the Op a means of status signalling. For £28.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Automatic-Transfer-Uninterrupted-Controller-Changeover/dp/B09B34ZQG9