Generator/ Reverse Polarity Question
Hey folks, My knowledge on these matters is marginal at best so I am hoping someone here might have some suggestions regarding this issue I encountered today. I went to test my shiny new Surge...
Forum Discussion
I've discovered the secret factory wiring instructions for these generators:
"Hook up the wires any way you want to get power between the hot and neutral connections on every power outlet. If there are any wire ends left over, just connect them anywhere that looks good"
Seriously, this is not a difficult detective process. With the bonding plug in the 20A duplex outlet, the other half of the outlet should show full voltage between hot and ground. Next step, check for voltage between hot and ground on the twistlock outlet (without adapter). If ok, proceed to next step, if not ok, the ground connection between the two outlets is bad. Next, test for voltage between hot on either outlet to chassis ground. If ok, proceed to next step. If not ok, the outlet grounds are not connected to chassis ground. Next, using the adapter in the twistlock outlet, check for voltage between hot and ground. If it's there, you're good to go. If it's not there, the ground connection in the adapter is bad.
For myself, I'd rather do this using the ohmmeter with the generator not running, but the voltage check should work just as well. Just don't be fooled by a partial voltage reading, all of them need to be the full voltage that's initially read from the 20A outlet.
"Hook up the wires any way you want to get power between the hot and neutral connections on every power outlet. If there are any wire ends left over, just connect them anywhere that looks good"
Seriously, this is not a difficult detective process. With the bonding plug in the 20A duplex outlet, the other half of the outlet should show full voltage between hot and ground. Next step, check for voltage between hot and ground on the twistlock outlet (without adapter). If ok, proceed to next step, if not ok, the ground connection between the two outlets is bad. Next, test for voltage between hot on either outlet to chassis ground. If ok, proceed to next step. If not ok, the outlet grounds are not connected to chassis ground. Next, using the adapter in the twistlock outlet, check for voltage between hot and ground. If it's there, you're good to go. If it's not there, the ground connection in the adapter is bad.
For myself, I'd rather do this using the ohmmeter with the generator not running, but the voltage check should work just as well. Just don't be fooled by a partial voltage reading, all of them need to be the full voltage that's initially read from the 20A outlet.
