5 guides
Heat pump, hot tub and generator
Hooking up a heat pump and getting LogisVert, the rules for hot tubs and pools, and a safely connected generator for outages, at home or at the cottage.
- 5 guides
- 5 reviewed by a master electrician
- Official sources cited
- Free, no sign-up
Heat pump
2 guides
6 min readHooking up a heat pump: what the electrician checks first, and whyBefore hooking up a heat pump, the electrician checks three things: the unit’s nameplate, which sets the circuit size; your service’s capacity, through the load calculation; and the location of the disconnect, within sight and within 3 m of the outdoor unit. With electric backup heat, the load climbs fast.
- The outdoor unit’s nameplate sets the circuit: the minimum circuit current and the maximum protection.
- The heat pump gets its own dedicated circuit and a disconnect within sight, within 3 m of the unit, according to the RBQ guide.
- In the load calculation, the heat pump counts at 100%, plus the electric backup heat, unless an interlock prevents them from running together.
Hot tub and pool
1 guide
Generator and outages
2 guides
5 min readGenerators and transfer switches: powering your house safely during an outagePlugging a generator into a house outlet with a double male-ended cable is dangerous and prohibited: the power flows back into the grid and can kill a line worker. The right way: a transfer switch, or a panel interlock, and an outdoor power inlet, installed by an electrician. Then the essential circuits are chosen based on the generator’s output.
- Never a double male-ended cable or a connection through a wall outlet: the power flows back into the grid.
- To power the house, you need a transfer switch or an interlock, installed by a master electrician.
- According to Hydro-Québec, the master electrician declares the permanent installation to Hydro-Québec and checks that it isolates the house from the grid.
Words to know
The whole glossary- Transfer switch
- The device that switches the house’s circuits from the grid to the generator, without ever connecting the two. Without it, power can flow back into the grid and kill a line worker. It is installed by an electrician.
- Panel interlock
- A mechanical part that prevents the main breaker and the generator breaker from being on at the same time. It is the other safe way to connect a generator, with an outdoor power inlet.
- Running and starting watts
- A motor (fridge, pump, furnace fan) draws more power for a moment when it starts. The generator must supply the running watts of all appliances, plus the extra starting watts of the largest motor.
- Electricity utility
- The company that supplies your electricity. In the Eastern Townships, it is Hydro-Québec, except in part of Sherbrooke (Hydro-Sherbrooke), in Magog (Hydro-Magog) and in Coaticook (Hydro-Coaticook). Its name is on your bill.
- Planned interruption
- A power cut announced in advance by the utility, for work on the grid. Hydro-Québec publishes its own with the date, the hours and the number of customers affected.
- Heat pump
- A unit that heats in winter and cools in summer. It needs its own dedicated circuit, sized from its nameplate, and an outdoor disconnect within sight.
- Electric backup heat
- The electric elements that help a central heat pump in very cold weather. With them, the load climbs fast: the load calculation accounts for it.
- BTU/h
- The unit of heating or cooling capacity for heat pumps. LogisVert calculates its grant from the heating capacity at −8 °C.
In your town
We do this work in Sherbrooke and the surrounding municipalities. Each town page gives the electricity utility and the municipality to contact for permits.
An electrical project?
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Call or text 819 570-9836. Free estimate within 24 hours, anywhere in Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships.
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