Posted: 6/27/2011 5:10:46 PM EDT
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So, I ran my 7000 watt generator for an hour or so yesterday just to keep everything moving. I was looking at the generator and I saw that it has a grounding connection. Should I run a line from my house's grounding block to the generator when it is in use?
-Mike |
| I did a lot of looking around the net on this subject and from what I read its not needed if you are plugging stuff into it. If you run a transfer switch with the generator then you might need to ground it. You don't see all the million generators running campers grounded. Just do a google search on the subject and you will find all sorts of info. |
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I would say it's propably not necessary, but if you're overly safety minded or running sensitive equipment, you might want to consider it. There are several ways that can be used to accomplish this, as per what little training the .mil gave me on small portable genny's.
1: Drive a rod 8' into the ground, and hook it to that. 2: Find a metal water pipe, chainlink fence, or some other pole already stuck into the ground and hook it to that. 3: Use a "spider ground" which is basically a 4' diameter spider web pattern made of galvanized cable and 6" spikes with the attachment point in the center. 4: Get creative... |
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If you run a transfer switch with the generator then you might need to ground it. Yep - Since a transfer switch effectively connects the generator's AC output with your house wiring, it's usually a good idea to also connect the generator's ground lug to your house's ground. Using a separate ground rod for the generator can be iffy, since it may not always be at exactly the same potential as your house's ground. Ideally, you want the generator frame to never develop any voltage with respect to your house's ground, which is why you want it to share the same ground connection with your house. In most homes, the circuit breaker box has a bus bar for tieing all the branch circuit ground wires to "house ground" - this bus bar makes a convenient point for also connecting the generator ground lug to house ground. |
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If you run a transfer switch with the generator then you might need to ground it. Yep - Since a transfer switch effectively connects the generator's AC output with your house wiring, it's usually a good idea to also connect the generator's ground lug to your house's ground. Using a separate ground rod for the generator can be iffy, since it may not always be at exactly the same potential as your house's ground. Ideally, you want the generator frame to never develop any voltage with respect to your house's ground, which is why you want it to share the same ground connection with your house. In most homes, the circuit breaker box has a bus bar for tieing all the branch circuit ground wires to "house ground" - this bus bar makes a convenient point for also connecting the generator ground lug to house ground. a properly wired transfer switch will connect the generator equipment grounding conductor to the homes grounding system through its cord connection. |
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What I understood, was to find out if the neutral and ground were tied at the generator. If so, then the generator became the point of ground and the ground screw should be connected to a stake in the ground. If the ground and neutral were not tied together at the generator, then no stake at the generator.
Having the neutral and ground tied at more than one place in the system was hazardous as there was a risk of a potential between all the grounds. Some gennys come from the factory neutral/ground tied, and some don't. You need to find out what yours is. It usually is referenced on the front panel. I'm sure someone will correct me, but that is what I understood. |
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If you run a transfer switch with the generator then you might need to ground it. Yep - Since a transfer switch effectively connects the generator's AC output with your house wiring, it's usually a good idea to also connect the generator's ground lug to your house's ground. Using a separate ground rod for the generator can be iffy, since it may not always be at exactly the same potential as your house's ground. Ideally, you want the generator frame to never develop any voltage with respect to your house's ground, which is why you want it to share the same ground connection with your house. In most homes, the circuit breaker box has a bus bar for tieing all the branch circuit ground wires to "house ground" - this bus bar makes a convenient point for also connecting the generator ground lug to house ground. a properly wired transfer switch will connect the generator equipment grounding conductor to the homes grounding system through its cord connection. Yep, that's true. Even if the neutral wire isn't bonded to the generator frame, the ground connection will be. |
my transfer switch is convieniently next to my meter, so I use half of an old jumper cable to ground the genny frame to the house ground rod. seems like good sense, since most times i run the genny are during STORMS WHEN THERE IS LOTS OF WIND AND WATER blowing around, and ice and snow, etc. and im standing in a puddle or on the snow. I dont want to become a 220 volt light bulb
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The Army has a FM on "grounding"...that's reason enough if you have no electrical experience....they usually don't waste time on unecessary tasks.
The Army gens (MEP family, etc) and civilian prime power gens have large "terminals" that you hook your feeders onto. In the event some kind of insulation breakdown / feeder fault energizes the chassis of the generator, you will become part of the circuit when you touch it...let alone the affects it may have on the load you have hooked up to it. Best to shunt the power to a ground rod rather than risk the danger to life and limb. This can also dissipate any static charge that may have built up and will also make fueling more safe....it's sop to hook a jumper to the fuel truck, aircraft & ground rod. Seems trivial, but it's an industry standard for a reason. Summary: The cheap homeowner stuff usually has some kind of receptacle that eliminates messing around with terminating feeders, but it isn't a bad idea to ground it. |
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Directtv and the satellite internet people both grounded the antennas by driving a screw with a wire into my breaker box cover located outside of the house. Is this an effective means of grounding? Could I drive another screw into the breaker box cover, connect a wire to it and use this as a means of grounding?
I've got a transfer switch, but I'm curious about this just for general information. |
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If you run a transfer switch with the generator then you might need to ground it. Yep - Since a transfer switch effectively connects the generator's AC output with your house wiring, it's usually a good idea to also connect the generator's ground lug to your house's ground. Using a separate ground rod for the generator can be iffy, since it may not always be at exactly the same potential as your house's ground. Ideally, you want the generator frame to never develop any voltage with respect to your house's ground, which is why you want it to share the same ground connection with your house. In most homes, the circuit breaker box has a bus bar for tieing all the branch circuit ground wires to "house ground" - this bus bar makes a convenient point for also connecting the generator ground lug to house ground. a properly wired transfer switch will connect the generator equipment grounding conductor to the homes grounding system through its cord connection. This. My transfer switch has a ground that goes to the houses breaker box ground. The 30 amp plug from the generator has 4 prongs. neutral Phase A Phase B Ground. |
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Simple answer "NO" Do not ground a portable generator. The ONLY possible reason is if some misguided building inspector, site safety jerk, or other governmental body insists, and only then, until such party leaves premises. You care to explain your rationale? Is the NEC code just malarky? I know my opinion. There is a reason that properly integrated transfer switches have 4 conductors to the generator. |
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Usually not - depends on the use.
And with a with a transfer switch - it depends on how the transfer swiitch is set up............. Research from the Champion Gen buy a few years ago............. All Champion Power Equipment generators, with the exception of our 40012 and all CSA-certified generators sold in Canada, have a "floating neutral", meaning that the neutral circuit is not connected to the frame or to earth ground. This also means that both legs on the receptacle are hot legs, which is normal for floating neutral generators. As a result, there is no specific hot leg and neutral leg wiring arrangement for the generator winding connection to the receptacle. The floating neutral configuration is common for applications such as connection to a recreational vehicle and connection to home power where the transfer switch does not switch out the neutral to ground connection. The floating neutral eliminates the potential of being shocked by contacting a hot leg and the generator frame at the same time, which could occur if an electrical device such as a hand held tool suffered from an internal short circuit. Meters or other devices intended to indicate polarity may not properly indicate polarity on a floating neutral circuit. Polarity indicators generally measure the voltage across the neutral and ground connectors. In electrical systems where the neutral is bonded to ground, the voltage will be zero and correct polarity will be indicated. In systems where the neutral is not bonded to ground, voltage is also not expected across this connection. However, in a portable generator some very small current voltage readings can be recorded by sensitive volt meters. This voltage may be induced in the frame by the magnetic field of the generator. The current associated with this induced voltage and the risk of electrical shock are negligible. However, very sensitive polarity meters may interpret this voltage as an indication of reversed connections And: 250.34 Portable and Vehicle-Mounted Generators. (A) Portable Generators. The frame of a portable generator shall not be required to be connected to a grounding electrode as defined in 250.52 for a system supplied by the generator under the following conditions: (1) The generator supplies only equipment mounted on the generator, cord-and-plug-connected equipment through receptacles mounted on the generator, or both, and (2) The non–current-carrying metal parts of equipment and the equipment grounding conductor terminals of the receptacles are bonded to the generator frame. We also need to remember what the grounding electrode is installed for,(not what most think.....) 250.4 General Requirements for Grounding and Bonding. The following general requirements identify what grounding and bonding of electrical systems are required to accomplish. The prescriptive methods contained in Article 250 shall be followed to comply with the performance requirements of this section. (A) Grounded Systems. (1) Electrical System Grounding. Electrical systems that are grounded shall be connected to earth in a manner that will limit the voltage imposed by lightning, line surges, or unintentional contact with higher-voltage lines and that will stabilize the voltage to earth during normal operation. The purpose of protecting the system from lightning is the same as it is for unintentional contact with higher-voltage lines. All of this will take place on the line side of the service and is not likely to happen to a portable generator therefore no need to have the electrode. |
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The neutral/ground is bonded in my toybild 5500.
I put a 30amp switch to "bond" and "unbond" the ground/neutral as necessary for the application. ie: If I'm using it stand alone for something I'll have it "on" for bonded. If it's running the house it's "off" for un-bonded. |