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I have installed the 10 breakers transfer switch, so if the power is out I can just connect the generator to the inlet box. I dont want to disturb my neighbors at night so I am planning to install battery backup.

I did research and came up with the following setup: use 3000w 24v sungold power all in one converter, it has 3 modes(Utility, solar and battery), plug 110v outlet in my garage to the inverter input and plug inverter output to the inlet box and of course plug the battery to the inverter. I am planning to add solar panels later.

My understanding is, if I use the Utility mode, the power from that 110v outlet in my garage will go through the inverter and feed all the 10 breakers on my transfer switch.

Is this setup safe? Or Am I misunderstanding? Thanks!

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    Electrically I think the concept is safe, though a lot depends on the implementation. I question the cost and motivation for this however. It seems very expensive, and if the objective is to not disturb your neighbors at night, it should be noted that you don't usually run gas generators all night, and with this inverter you'll need a large and expensive battery bank if you want to run close to 3kW all night. I love the concept, it just seems to deliver not very much at very high cost.
    – jay613
    Mar 29 at 17:26
  • I would read the instructions to make sure your understanding of Utility and theirs are the same. 3000w is more than what a 110/120 is usually rated for, if using at full power.
    – crip659
    Mar 29 at 17:32
  • Why are you wanting to use some janky select circuit transfer switch for this? Also, is there a reason you're using some "no name" inverter? (This may not be Code-legal to use for solar purposes)
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Mar 30 at 3:42

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[Edited ... first version of this answer was way off.]

I've had a look at the manual for this inverter, it's very interesting and VERY capable. Great little device.

But.

You cannot use it as described.

You cannot use it with a 10-breaker transfer switch. I'm assuming what you mean by that is a load-side transfer switch that transfers 10 of your main panel's loads individually? The inverter is not designed to be used that way. It has to be wired as shown on page 25 of its manual.

  1. The inverter's utility input needs to be big enough for its load PLUS the battery charger. You need a 30A outlet for that. Is that what you have in the garage?
  2. The inverter's transfer switch transfers neutral to its isolated output side. The documentation says you must not connect this to utility neutral. But your other transfer switch does that.

There may be other problems with having two transfer switches operating the way you describe rather than the way shown on page 25 of the manual.

This is an interesting question, I'm going to keep thinking about it. You should also ask the manufacturer these questions. They have clearly put a lot of thought into the design and documentation of the inverter.

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