How long will a transfer switch last?

It will depend on how often you throw it and how much current is being drawn when you throw it. It should be rated for a number of throws. Otherwise your lifetime.

peace dawg

too little informtion, too many variables.

automatic or manual?

size? current?

Last year I had an old Onan switch replaced with on from this company

The advantage is now I have automatic weekly test run and emergency start an transfer under tighter tolerances. Previously all 3 phases has to fail before it would auto start. In addition when power "stuttered" (rapid on off events) the gen would try to start an stop instantly causing an overcrank breaker to pop.

Unfortunately all new automatic transfer switches seem to be about half computer thus more subject to computer type failures. Also unfortunately I expect the computerized aspects will become rapidly outmoded due to unavailability of parts so even if the electro - mechanical portion of the switch remains pristine it will become non functional and non-repairable in a few years.

Lifetime? When it fails, so does the operator??? Bill Kaszeta Photovoltaic Resources Int'l Tempe Arizona USA snipped-for-privacy@pvri-removethis.biz

Reliability is really quite good, although that is not to say that a controller will never fail. I don't think obsolescence will be a problem, at least not in a "few years" time frame. As long as you stay with one of the name brands, you should be able to get a replacement control board or retrofit a newer controller if it becomes necessary.

When a major brand name controller fries on a blue sky day AND the service techs say "oh we see a lot of this on this particular board" AND they charge a small fortune for labor plus part on a 2 year old unit, that cost over $36,000 I start to wonder about the next time and the time after that and how long before management reaches the point where they say just don't get it fixed anymore.