Reliance Controls 30 Amp 10-Circuit Heavy Duty Transfer Switch

Model:

Q310C

Internet/Catalog:

202216478

This 10-circuit, 30 Amp manual transfer switch is designed for fast installation (indoors) in a home, office or small business. It is completely pre-wired and enables the electrical system of the building to accept the power of a portable generator to run up to eight single-pole circuits and one 20A double pole circuit. It allows you to power electrical appliances, devices and lighting during a power outage. The Q310C features standard 1-inch interchangeable circuit breakers that can be re-configured into multiple double-pole 15A and 20A (240V) circuits. This transfer switch is completely code compliant and keeps the generator power isolated from the utility power at all times.

• • Easy installation, but need experience
  • By: SteveTheHomeowner
  • 4/5 February 12, 2013
  • I just installed the Q310C in my home. I have modest electrical experience having changed a few dozen dimmers, receptacles and a few circuit breakers in the past. The actual wiring of all 10 circuits took me 90 minutes, but the prep work took MUCH longer than that. First, the installation of the power inlet box outside the house was a bit tricky because I needed to find the proper entry point through the siding. You need the right tools for this job and only want to drill once. Then I had to run a long length of 10/3 NM cable through the ceiling joists in my basement. That required drilling about 10 one-inch holes in wood that is hard as a rock and about 80-years-old. Not easy work even with a new 18V Makita cordless drill and sharp auger bit. Plus, 10/3 is rather stiff so it's not like running 14/2. The next challenge was mounting the Reliance Controls transfer switch on my basement wall. Without a hammer drill, it was VERY difficult to pre-drill for the Tapcon concrete screws. I ended up borrowing a hammer drill from a neighbor. That made drilling a dream! I highly recommend a hammer drill if you need to pre-drill into concrete. Otherwise, your masonry bit will wander and you'll have a tough time pre-drilling.Is it possible for a homeowner to install this? Sure. But little things come up in every step of the process and you need a decent foundation in electrical work to be successful with this. Note that the transfer switch doesn't come with any cable clamps for the NM or armored cable that you'll be running so you need to know what fittings to buy as well.That said, the Reliance Controls Q310C is solid, well-built and does the job of isolating circuits from backfeeding to the street when using a generator. The analog amp meters are somewhat accurate, but not dead-on so only use them as a rough guide to gauge the watts you're using.I like the fact that this unit uses real circuit breakers instead of those little round pop-out breakers on lower-priced units. I feel safer knowing that a real breaker is protecting my home. Also, I'm not running any 240-volt circuits, so I swapped out the 30-amp 2-pole breakers for one-pole 15-amp ones. Another advantage to having real breakers!Active time to install this unit, the power inlet box, run the cables, etc. was probably about five hours over several days, going patiently and not rushing. I wanted to do this right the first time and make no major mistakes. (I made lots of little mistakes, of course!) But you have to add more time in planning which circuits you're going to power with your generator, making sure the breaker amperage matches the house circuits (the user manual has a little more info on this), and making sure there are no multi-branch circuits. If there are, both branches have to been installed on the transfer switch, and that may be wasteful if one of those branches is non-critical during a power failure.I tested my transfer switch and I have to say, it feels like magic when you switch to generator power. No more running extension cords through windows and the first floor of my house!
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• • Very easy to set up.
  • By: Grendel
  • 3/5 September 11, 2012
  • Very easy to set up. I like how the transfer switch had it's own breakers and the way it's set up makes it nearly impossible for a homeowner to screw things up while operating. It took less than an hour to install, and if you ever moved and wanted to take it with you, in 30 minutes your panel could be right back the way it was before you ever installed the transfer switch.The only thing I would change is to use solid copper line instead of braided. It is just a personal opinion that solid copper line attaches more securely to to breakers in the existing electrical panel.
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