Your portable is fine. Your extension cords aren't the plan.
Plenty of Charles County homeowners own a portable generator — and plenty of them use it the sketchy way: extension cords through windows, a dryer-outlet backfeed that endangers lineworkers, or a panicked setup in the rain at midnight. A manual transfer switch transforms that portable from a hassle into a real backup system: safe, code-compliant, and dramatically more convenient.
What we install
A manual transfer switch (or interlock kit, where your panel supports it) wired to a weatherproof inlet box outside your home. When the power goes out: roll the portable outside, plug one heavy cord into the inlet, start the generator, flip the switch. Your chosen circuits — fridge, furnace, sump pump, lights — run off the portable through your home's real wiring. No cords through windows. No backfeeding the grid. No question about safety.
Why this beats extension cords
Safety: the switch physically prevents backfeeding — it's the same protection automatic switches provide. Convenience: one cord, one switch, and your hardwired appliances (furnace! well pump! sump pump!) work — things extension cords can't reach. Capacity: a 7,500-watt portable through a transfer switch runs far more of your home than the same portable on cords.
The honest limits
This doesn't make a portable automatic — someone still has to be home to set it up, and you're still refueling every several hours. It won't run central AC or the whole house. But as a budget backup system (typically a fraction of standby cost installed), it's the smartest money in backup power. And when you're ready for a full standby later, the inlet wiring and circuit planning carry forward. Read the portable vs. standby comparison.
Send the form below — tell us what portable you have (or plan to buy) and we'll spec the switch.