When the power goes out on a rural property or at the cottage, a portable generator can keep the essentials running, but only if it is connected the right way. Running a generator through an extension cord into the house is how people backfeed a line and put themselves and the hydro crews at risk. The safe answer is a proper transfer connection, and the one we install most is a GenerLink meter socket. We set homes, cottages, and farms up to run a generator across Winnipeg and the Interlake.
A GenerLink is a device that installs behind your meter and lets you plug a portable generator straight into your home’s electrical safely, with no backfeed and no rewiring of your panel. It is the simplest way to make a property generator-ready, and it covers the circuits you need without a permanent standby unit.
We start by talking through what you want to run during an outage, because that decides how the connection is set up. The GenerLink mounts behind your meter, and when the power drops you start your portable generator, plug it in, and it feeds the panel safely, managing the load so you are not overdrawing the generator. When the power comes back, you unplug and you are done.
For properties that need more than a meter-socket setup, we also install manual transfer switches and the inlet and wiring to connect a generator to specific circuits. Either way the work is done to the Manitoba electrical code, permitted and inspected where required. On acreages near St Andrews and cottages around Winnipeg Beach, where outages and well pumps go hand in hand, this is regular work, and it often pairs with an electrical panel upgrade where the service is tight.
Both options connect a portable generator to your home safely, and the right one depends on how you want to use it. The table below lays out the difference.
GenerLink meter socket
Manual transfer switch
With a GenerLink you do not pick circuits ahead of time, since you manage the load yourself by running the essentials and leaving the heavy items off. A transfer switch hard-wires a chosen set of circuits, which suits a property where the well, the furnace fan, and a few outlets are the priority and everything else can wait.
A generator is only useful if it is connected safely, and a backfeed is a real hazard. We install the GenerLink or transfer setup properly, size the connection to what you need to run, and back it with 24/7 emergency service if the power goes out and something is not working. We also walk you through running the setup before we leave, so the first time you use it is not in the dark during an actual outage. Many of these jobs tie into well and sump pump wiring, since keeping water moving is usually the reason a rural property wants a generator in the first place.
A GenerLink is a transfer device that installs behind your electric meter and lets you safely plug a portable generator into your home. When the power goes out, you start the generator and plug it into the GenerLink, and it feeds your panel without backfeeding the utility line. It is a clean, simple way to make a home generator-ready.
Usually not. For most homes and cottages, a GenerLink or a transfer setup with a portable generator covers the essentials during an outage at a fraction of the cost and complexity of a permanent standby system. We talk through what you want to run and recommend the setup that fits.
Yes. Rural and lakefront properties are where this matters most, since an outage can take out a well pump and heat at once. We install the GenerLink or transfer connection so you can run a generator and keep the essentials going.
If you want to be ready for the next outage, get in touch for a free estimate on a GenerLink or generator hookup for your property.
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