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Re: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
your trailer or MH is one large 'portable electric appliance' attached to a portable power unit there are some very detailed posts, spelling all this out , along with counter views, safety is my number one concern and unbonded is the safest way. it keeps your RV frame out of the electrical circuit buy a good portable GFI to put inbetween the generator and the RV power cord %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Mr Wizard: Thank you for the info- Do you have any recommendations for a particular GFI (brand/source, etc) suitable for the Champion C46540?254Views0likes0CommentsRe: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Hi Guys: Sorry for the repost, I apparently started a new thread by accident, so I'll try again... I have been lurking here for 6 months or so and and as a result of the great info provided on this forum, I bought the Champion C46540 for about $274 OTD from a local Kragen. I have tested the unit and it seems to work fine. While reading the owner's manual (shocking isn't it?) I noticed the grounding recommendation on page 5. They state: "Grounding the generator provides extra safety. The National Electric Code requires that this product be properly connected to an appropriate ground to help prevent electric shock. Failure to properly ground the generator can result in electric shock. A ground terminal connected to the frame of the generator has been provided on the front panel for this purpose. For remote grounding, connect a length of heavy gauge (12AWG min.) copper wire between the generator ground terminal and a copper rod driven into the ground. This should provide a suitable ground connection. CPE recommends that you consult with a local electrician to insure that local codes are being adhered to." I have read in previous posts that the Canadian version of the Champion and a Home Depot version of it, are shipped with the neutral bonded to the frame. I realize there are different codes in Canada, but the electrical grid is the same (120V AC-60 Hz). Why the difference? My question is: What is the consensus about grounding and or neutral bonding using this unit in these 3 common uses of a generator? Use 1- Powering an RV (31 foot travel trailer in my case) while dry camping. I could see 2 scenarios here, one with the genset sitting on the ground, the other with the genset mounted to a bumper frame extension and thus the gen frame could be connected to the trailer frame by some bolts. Use 2- At home, powering key household appliances during a power outage (via long extension cord(s), no connection to the house electrical system). Use 3- Using the generator with tools while out in the field away from the electrical grid, probably in the back of a pickup or on the ground. Could someone (Professor?) please summarize the grounding/bonding "best practices" to avoid shocking users? It would be nice to have this in 1 post, instead of spread out amongst many. Thank you in advance, from tHE nEWBIE!! Bob227Views0likes0CommentsRe: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
professor95 wrote: Old & Slow wrote: My thought, maybe we can ask Mr. Cole to give us a 110v (only) genset. Maybe the rules of using this genset will aid in our use. Mr. Wizard and I have one, the 40008 electric start. This is Mr. Cole's word-for-word response to the grounding issue. He did not ask me to post this. Posting was my decision to enhance the issues surrounding the safe use of these portable gensets: "(On the neutral bonding issue) ...... We agree with the professor and find the naysayers less credible than they want the public to think. My reference is to the electrical association IMSA. They may be right in the common household logic, but when it comes to the generators, they need to go back over the Generators 101, putting some well known and common logic into play." "....... we will be issuing a chart of models soon and indicate the bonding and unbonded models. As I have mentioned, Home Depot has mandated we deliver our generators with a bonded neutral for their sales. At present they are the only vendor receving this. Even though generators over 5000w in performance for commercial work are required by OSHA to have a GFI and a bonded neutral, Home Depot is requiring all units to have GFI and bonded neutral for the 2008 model year." "..... the copy indicating the bonded neutral was written for only the Home Depot units, since they want the neutral to be bonded on their generators. This same copy ended up in the Ultra Fab units (40008 Elec. start and 40010 non elect start . These both have floating neutrals or unbonded ) The Home Depot unit is model 40012 and DOES have a bonded neutral." Hi Guys: A newbie here trying to figure out what to power my 31 foot Laredo travel trailer with. The C46540 has caught my eye at $299 ($349 with a $50 rebate at Kragen, etc.) Now you (Prof et al) are referring to a couple of 110v ONLY models 40080 & 40010 and maybe the HD model 40012. I went to the Champion website (www.cpeauto.com) and they don't list these new models. Where can I find them and/or information/specs about them? BTW thank you so much for this site, the information is incredible and I can see that I am benefitting from many years of your combined wisdom and apparantly effective input to at least Champion for us RVr's. I just can't see spending $2K for a genset that will run my AC!!!!! Any input is welcome... BB328Views0likes0Comments
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