Ground generator?
I've never bothered with it but the new generator I just bought has a bunch of bold warnings about wiring its ground nut but to a stake. Do you guys bother with it?
3500/4400 watt if that matters.
3500/4400 watt if that matters.
Forum Discussion
- I had one (generator) several years ago and it said to ground to a 6' stake. I used the generator for emergency home use, so it was not an issue.
It said it was needed to clean up the output. - What would a manufacture know about their own Generator?
Warnings are just to cover their A** when you mess up and get electrocuted.
Do it your own way and pay no attention them. Triker33 wrote:
What would a manufacture know about their own Generator?
Warnings are just to cover their A** when you mess up and get electrocuted.
Do it your own way and pay no attention them.
So what this means is wherever you go drive in a good deep ground rod. How does 8 feet of copper sound? :)- when I was working for the big box store I asked the repair guys about grounding. they said they know of no one who would drive a six ft rod in the ground for grounding the gen set. so I took that as a no.
- For whatever it was worth I used to ground the genny via an alligator clip to the leg of the trailer which forms part of the trailer frame & ground for the trailer.
- I have been using a portable generator since 1985, starting with a 1000 watt Yamaha, then a 4000 watt Generac(very load and heavy), a 2400 watt Yamaha(that was stolen last year) and now two 2000 watt Yamahas. I have never grounded any of them and have never had a problem.
- I found this page online that seems to explain why it's not always necessary to ground the generator.
Click --> http://www.imsasafety.org/journal/ma03/ma5.htm - Connecting a ground rod to a portable generator will accomplish absolutely nothing. It offers no safety or power quality advantage.
I'm an electrical contractor if that matters. KD4UPL wrote:
Connecting a ground rod to a portable generator will accomplish absolutely nothing. It offers no safety or power quality advantage.
I'm an electrical contractor if that matters.
It matters ;)
The electrical contractor that installed my switch said it wasn't necessary as well. But I couldn't explain why -- thus the link in my previous post.- AND, when you drive that copper rod be SURE you are outside the drip line. It's CODE. :)
