The Best Features:
- 100 dB Audible alert when power is restored
- Installs easily in any 1/2" KO Within 20" of Main Breaker; indoor use only
- Battery Powered (9 volt)
- ?Low Battery? indicator
- ?System Armed? LED and ON-OFF switch
Works Great - But Buy a Baby Monitor Too! By Robert C. Bickle
Background - I purchased this to indicate power has returned when using a gas powered generator. Since I am using and interlock kit, I have no way of knowing the power has returned. My electrical panel is in the basement near the garage side of the house, so distance and location are also an issue.
Out of the Box - Everything, almost, is in the box. What is not there is a remote receiver, which would make a lot of sense for this device. I will explain more in a minute (See Loudness).
Installation - If you are not comfortable removing the front of your electrical panel, you are going to need to hire an electrician. Installation was straight forward, but the wire that needed to be wrapped with the antenna is always hot, so extreme caution is required. There are only two wires, the antenna wire that is wrapped around the main black wire from your meter and a green ground wire that you connect to your electrical panel's ground bus. You can either use the magnetic mount and stick it to your panel or attach it with the supplied nut. It also requires a 9V Battery, but they include that with the monitor (My favorite rant is when you pay $40 and they don't include a 50 cent battery! No reason to rant here!!).
Instructions - Clear and concise.
Use - When the power goes out, you simply arm the device (turn it on) and switch on your generator. When power returns, the box puts out a warble letting you know that power has returned. You then turn off the device until the next power outage.
Loudness- As other reviews stated, this alarm is not loud enough to be heard from much of a distance. To get over this shortcoming, I bought a baby monitor for $10 at a flea market. I put the transmitter on a nail near the electrical panel and the receiver has a belt clip that let's you carry it around with you in the house. When the alarm sounds, it ts transmitted through the baby monitor to the receiver anywhere in my home. As an added benefit, the monitor also has an LED indication of noise level, which pegs with the sound this device makes. Now I get a visual and audible alert. Why the manufacturer did not think of this is beyond me. Amazon sells a similar one from Safety First (Safety 1st Glow And Grow Baby Monitor, White) (NOTE - If you are reading this, I thought of it first! Don't forget me when your sales triple. LOL). I deducted a star because of this.
Summary - A good device that does what is says it does. If you are not a competent home electrician, you will need to hire one. IT SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED A REMOTE MONITOR, but this is overcome for between $10 (Flea Market) and $30 (Amazon new).
Recommendation - I would recommend this as long as the buyer didn't mind the extra $10 for a used Baby Monitor or $30 for a new one.works but not loud enough By Ben
Installed it yesterday as we had no power and was feeding the house with a generator. While the product worked when the power came back on, it was NOT the product that first alerted me to the fact that the power was back, but rather the neighbor who could hear the generator and wanted to let me know that the power was back so I could shut down the loud generator. Once he let me know, I then opened the door to the basement which THEN I could now hear the alarm going off. It should be at least TWICE as loud to notify you. I would have probably eventually heard it, but it would have been at least another hour or two before the house was quiet enough to hear the alarm. 3 stars because it isn't loud enough.
Easy install - just be careful if you are energized!!Reliance (So So satisfied customer) By Scott Hill
neat idea but the package says NO wiring necessary, well no not really but you do have to take the door off the fuse panel to wrap a wire and hook on a ground so i DO recommend an electritian.and no i am not one to have to say that. as for the sound of it they say its 100 decibel sonic alert,a smoke detector is 85 decibels. this power back is NOT even close to being as loud as a smoke detector.however i may try a baby monitor to use along with it. thanks Reliance but you need to make it LOUDER and reprint your box. I did try the baby monitor and it works great together. You can also purchase the monitor here on amazon. The Best-Selling Reliance Controls THP108 PowerBack Utility Power Return Alert Home Monitoring Products then to sell out very fast, if this is a must have product, be sure to order now to avoid disappointment.
