Gener_Link_Logo_light_blue_gray

The smart way to keep your home powered during an outage

A driveway with a red generator is in front of a brick house. A parked vehicle is to the side, surrounded by autumn trees.

Con­nect­ing your home gen­er­a­tor should be sim­ple, afford­able, and safe.

Gen­er­Link™ is a UL-List­ed, sock­et-mount­ed, meter-based gen­er­a­tor trans­fer switch that makes haz­ardous con­nec­tors like exten­sion cords a thing of the past. The Gen­er­Link™ goes straight from your elec­tric meter to your gen­er­a­tor dur­ing pow­er out­ages, giv­ing you a sim­ple yet safe con­nec­tion with no rewiring and zero has­sle.

Coastal Elec­tric Coop­er­a­tive is proud to bring this tech­nol­o­gy to our mem­bers. Gen­er­Link™ is avail­able through Coastal Elec­tric as well as trust­ed part­ner ven­dors.

Details & Benefits

Pro­fes­sion­al instal­la­tion often takes as lit­tle as thir­ty min­utes.

Always there, installed and ready to use when you need it, no has­sle.

Auto­mat­i­cal­ly switch­es from the grid to a gen­er­a­tor dur­ing an out­age.

Keeps your portable gen­er­a­tor out­side at a dis­tant, where it is safest.

Run vir­tu­al­ly any appli­ances as well as hard-wired items like light­ing and HVAC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most Asked

Q: How is the Gen­er­Link dif­fer­ent from a tra­di­tion­al trans­fer switch?

A: The Gen­er­Link is installed behind an elec­tric meter in typ­i­cal­ly less than 30 min­utes. It pro­vides a path­way for gen­er­a­tor pow­er to con­nect to the entire break­er pan­el of the home, allow­ing you to choose which appli­ances to run direct­ly from the pan­el. In con­trast, tra­di­tion­al trans­fer switch­es usu­al­ly lim­it you to 6–8 cir­cuits and may require home rewiring.

Q: What are the ben­e­fits of using Gen­er­Link?

A: The Gen­er­Link pro­vides a secure, con­ve­nient, and effec­tive method for link­ing a gen­er­a­tor to your entire break­er pan­el, elim­i­nat­ing the need for exten­sion cords, man­u­al switch­es, or home rewiring.

Q: Does the Gen­er­Link pre­vent back­feed­ing?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link func­tions as a trans­fer switch and pre­vents back­feed­ing, ensur­ing the safe­ty of line work­ers. Before gen­er­a­tor pow­er is con­nect­ed to the home, the Gen­er­Link dis­con­nects from the util­i­ty grid.

Q: Is Gen­er­Link legal?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link is a legal UL list­ed prod­uct.

Q: Am I charged by Coastal Elec­tric when I use my gen­er­a­tor with the Gen­er­Link dur­ing an out­age?

A: No. The pow­er from your gen­er­a­tor does not pass through the elec­tric meter, so you are not charged for this usage.

Q: Can I test my Gen­er­Link sys­tem before a storm?

A: Yes. Refer to the oper­a­tion man­u­al for instruc­tions on test­ing the Gen­er­Link even when util­i­ty pow­er is avail­able.

Q: Why is there a buzzing sound com­ing from my surge device?

A: If your Gen­er­Link has surge pro­tec­tion, the buzzing noise indi­cates that the surge pro­tec­tion has absorbed a surge and may need to be replaced.

Pricing, Warranty & Installation

Q. How much does the Gen­er­Link cost?

A. The Gen­er­link sys­tem is avail­able for $900 from Coastal Elec­tric or a trust­ed part­ner ven­dor, plus a one-time $119.95 instal­la­tion fee.

Q: Does Gen­er­Link come with a war­ran­ty?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link comes with a 7‑year manufacturer’s war­ran­ty. For fur­ther details, please refer to the oper­a­tion man­u­al.

Q: How do I reg­is­ter my Gen­er­Link prod­uct for war­ran­ty?

A: The 7‑year war­ran­ty begins from the date of instal­la­tion. It is impor­tant to retain doc­u­men­ta­tion of this instal­la­tion date for ref­er­ence.

Q: What is the lifes­pan of a Gen­er­Link trans­fer switch?

A: With prop­er main­te­nance, a Gen­er­Link can last on aver­age 10 years.

Q: Does the instal­la­tion of Gen­er­Link require per­mits?

A: Per­mit require­ments vary. Check with local author­i­ties.

Q: How long does it take to install the Gen­er­Link?

A: Instal­la­tion of the Gen­er­Link is quick, tak­ing between 30 to 90 min­utes depend­ing on the method used.

Q: Can a home­own­er install a Gen­er­Link?

A: No. 

Q: How much does it cost to have Gen­er­Link pro­fes­sion­al­ly installed?

A: $119.95 when installed by Coastal Elec­tric Coo­op­er­a­tive.

Generator & Cord

Q: What size gen­er­a­tor do I need for the Gen­er­Link?

A: Cal­cu­late your pow­er needs dur­ing an out­age or con­sult with a licensed elec­tri­cian for assis­tance.

Q: Do I need a gen­er­a­tor to use Gen­er­Link?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link is a trans­fer switch that con­nects portable gen­er­a­tor to your home. The Gen­er­Link is not a source of pow­er.

Q: Where should the gen­er­a­tor be placed?

A: Place the gen­er­a­tor out­doors away from enclosed spaces to avoid car­bon monox­ide poi­son­ing. Con­sult your generator’s man­u­al for safe oper­a­tion guide­lines.

Q: What hap­pens if my gen­er­a­tor runs out of fuel while using Gen­er­Link?

A: You would sim­ply need to refu­el and restart the gen­er­a­tor. Con­sult your generator’s man­u­al for safe oper­a­tion guide­lines.

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be used with a nat­ur­al gas gen­er­a­tor?

A: Yes. As long as it has a com­pat­i­ble out­put recep­ta­cle and meets cer­tain require­ments.

Q: What hap­pens if my gen­er­a­tor is over­loaded?

A: We advise using a gen­er­a­tor equipped with a cir­cuit break­er that will trip in the event of an over­load. If your generator’s cir­cuit break­er trips, switch off all cir­cuit break­ers in your pan­el, reset the generator’s break­er, and then restart the gen­er­a­tor. Refer to your generator’s man­u­al for com­pre­hen­sive instruc­tions.

Q: What Gen­er­a­tor should I pur­chase?

A: Deter­mine your pow­er require­ments dur­ing an out­age either by cal­cu­la­tion or by con­sult­ing with a licensed elec­tri­cian to find the appro­pri­ate gen­er­a­tor size for your needs.

Q: What pow­er cord do I use with the Gen­er­Link?

A: The Gen­er­Lok pow­er cord is a pro­pri­etary cord used to safe­ly con­nect your gen­er­a­tor to the Gen­er­Link. The Gen­er­Lok is the only cord that will work with the Gen­er­Link.

Q: What is a Gen­er­Lok Cord?

A: The Gen­er­Lok pow­er cord is a pro­pri­etary cord used to safe­ly con­nect your gen­er­a­tor to the Gen­er­Link.

Q: Does Gen­er­Link come with a pow­er cord?

A: Yes. Each Gen­er­Link comes with a FREE 20-foot Gen­er­Lok cord.

Q: Can I con­nect two 20 foot cords togeth­er?

A: No. The plug on the Gen­er­Lok cord is designed to con­nect to the Gen­er­Link so you can not con­nect mul­ti­ple cords togeth­er.

Q: Can the cord han­dle all the pow­er from my gen­er­a­tor?

A: The 30 Amp ver­sion of the Gen­er­Lok cord can han­dle up to 7,200 run­ning watts. The 40 Amp ver­sion of the Gen­er­Lok cord can han­dle up to 9,600 run­ning watts.

Q: Can I leave my Gen­er­Lok cord con­nect­ed to the Gen­er­Link?

A: No. We rec­om­mend plug­ging the Gen­er­Lok cord into the Gen­er­Link only when using your portable gen­er­a­tor, and unplug­ging it once you are fin­ished.

Q: Are oth­er cord lengths avail­able?

A: Yes. Longer lengths of the Gen­er­Lok cord are avail­able upon spe­cial request. Con­tact our cus­tomer ser­vice team to learn more.

Technical

Q: Will my unit still work if the surge is buzzing?

A: Yes. The pow­er trans­fer func­tion of the Gen­er­Link will still work, though your home will not have surge pro­tec­tion

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be used with three-phase pow­er sys­tems?

A: No. The Gen­er­Link is designed for sin­gle-phase elec­tri­cal sys­tems.

Q: Can I have more than one Gen­er­Link installed?

A: No. Only one Gen­er­Link can be installed per util­i­ty meter.

Q: Does Gen­er­Link auto­mat­i­cal­ly do load bal­anc­ing?

A: No. You can man­u­al­ly man­age loads by turn­ing off non-essen­tial cir­cuit break­ers in your break­er pan­el.

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be installed on a home with solar pan­els?

A: Con­sult a licensed elec­tri­cian and your solar provider, as addi­tion­al com­po­nents or con­fig­u­ra­tions may be required for com­pat­i­bil­i­ty with solar pan­els.

Q: Will Gen­er­Link oper­ate dur­ing a planned util­i­ty out­age?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link will oper­ate dur­ing any pow­er out­age. Sim­ply fol­low the instruc­tions out­lined in the oper­a­tion man­u­al as you would dur­ing a reg­u­lar pow­er out­age.

Q: Can I use mul­ti­ple gen­er­a­tors with Gen­er­Link?

A: No. Gen­er­Link is designed for a sin­gle gen­er­a­tor con­nec­tion. Using mul­ti­ple gen­er­a­tors would require sep­a­rate sys­tems.

Q: What should I do if my Gen­er­Link sys­tem fails to oper­ate?

A: Con­tact cus­tomer sup­port or a licensed elec­tri­cian for assis­tance.

Q: Am I able to use one gen­er­a­tor between two Gen­er­Links?

A: No. Con­nect­ing one gen­er­a­tor to mul­ti­ple Gen­er­Links would cre­ate mul­ti­ple ground ref­er­ences, which is elec­tri­cal­ly unsafe.

General Information

Q: Is the Gen­er­Link rat­ed for out­door use?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link is designed to be weath­er-resis­tant and suit­able for out­door use.

Q: Is there poten­tial for dam­age to my appli­ances?

A: No. The Gen­er­Link is specif­i­cal­ly designed to safe­ly con­nect your portable gen­er­a­tor to your home’s elec­tri­cal sys­tem.

Q: Is main­te­nance required for the Gen­er­Link?

A: Yes. We rec­om­mend test­ing the Gen­er­Link with a portable gen­er­a­tor at least twice a year to ensure it func­tions prop­er­ly.

Q: How can I tell when util­i­ty pow­er is restored?

A: The Gen­er­Link has a green indi­ca­tor light that sig­nals when util­i­ty pow­er is avail­able. At this point, you can safe­ly turn off your portable gen­er­a­tor, and the Gen­er­Link will trans­fer to deliv­er the util­i­ty pow­er to your home.

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be used dur­ing inclement weath­er?

A: Yes. The Gen­er­Link is designed to be weath­er-resis­tant and suit­able for out­door use. Ensure you pro­tect your gen­er­a­tor from rain or snow as per man­u­fac­tur­er guide­lines.

Q: What amp ser­vice can the Gen­er­Link be installed on?

A: The Gen­er­Link is suit­able for use on a 200 amp or less ser­vice. The Gen­er­Link can not be used on a 320 or 400 amp ser­vice.

Q: Is my home com­pat­i­ble with the Gen­er­Link?

A: The Gen­er­Link can be installed on any 200 amp or less home.

Q: Can I run my entire house on a gen­er­a­tor using Gen­er­Link?

A: This depends on your generator’s capac­i­ty, your home’s pow­er require­ments, and the mod­el of Gen­er­Link installed.

Q: Can I install Gen­er­Link on a mul­ti-unit build­ing?

A: The Gen­er­Link is typ­i­cal­ly for sin­gle-fam­i­ly homes.

Q: What if I have an old­er elec­tri­cal sys­tem?

A: Old­er sys­tems may need upgrades dur­ing the instal­la­tion of the Gen­er­Link.

Q: What type of meter sock­et do I need for the Gen­er­Link?

A: The Gen­er­Link is only com­pat­i­ble with form 2S meter sock­ets.

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be used with all types of elec­tric meters?

A: The Gen­er­Link is only com­pat­i­ble with form 2S meter sock­ets.

Q: Does Gen­er­Link work with smart meters?

A: It is com­pat­i­ble with most smart meters.

Q: Is there a remote mon­i­tor­ing option for Gen­er­Link?

A: No.

Q: Can I move Gen­er­Link to a new home?

A. Yes. The unit must be unin­stalled and rein­stalled by a licensed elec­tri­cian or your util­i­ty com­pa­ny.

Q: Can Gen­er­Link be used for com­mer­cial prop­er­ties?

A: Gen­er­Link is pri­mar­i­ly intend­ed for res­i­den­tial use. Com­mer­cial prop­er­ties may require dif­fer­ent solu­tions. Con­tact our cus­tomer ser­vice team for fur­ther assis­tance.

Q: Where can I buy Gen­er­Link?

A: The Gen­er­Link can be pur­chased through autho­rized deal­ers, online retail­ers, or through Coastal Elec­tric.

Q: What safe­ty cer­ti­fi­ca­tions does Gen­er­Link have?

A: UL 1008M List­ed and NEC Com­pli­ant

Q: How do I con­nect my gen­er­a­tor to a Gen­er­Link?

A: Insert the four-blade prong of the Gen­er­Lok cord into the gen­er­a­tor out­let, then plug the pro­pri­etary side of the cord into the Gen­er­Link recep­ta­cle until you hear a click.

Q: What hap­pens if util­i­ty pow­er is restored while my gen­er­a­tor is run­ning with the Gen­er­Link?

A: Gen­er­a­tor pow­er will con­tin­ue to be deliv­ered to your home until the gen­er­a­tor is turned off.

Q: Is there an indi­ca­tor to show when Gen­er­Link is active?

A: Yes. The green light indi­cates the pres­ence of util­i­ty pow­er, while the blue light indi­cates that gen­er­a­tor pow­er is being sup­plied to the home.

Ready to order your own GenerLink?