If you have a mid-sized or larger portable generator rated for 5,000 watts or more, you can connect it to your home’s circuit breaker panel with a transfer switch—a small board that looks a ...

Consumer Reports explains how a transfer switch or interlock device works, so your portable generator is ready for the next storm.

A transfer switch allows a portable generator to supply power directly to key circuits, keeping important systems running without manual rewiring.

Manual transfer switches offer one of the most economical ways to legally connect a portable generator to the hard-wired circuitry of a house. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell ...

If you like this idea but want clean power for electronics, Briggs & Stratton's Q6500 QuietPower 5,000-watt portable inverter generator is $1,499, plus another $300 for a manual transfer switch ...

A transfer switch is like a mini circuit breaker panel that allows you to draw electricity from your generator instead of from the power company.

A transfer switch is like a mini circuit breaker panel that allows you to draw electricity from your generator instead of from the power company.

Portable generators rated for 5,000 watts and above can connect to your home’s circuit breaker panel with a transfer switch—a small board that looks a bit like a circuit breaker panel itself.