One of the recent questions that have come up with using a portable generator has been whether or not you need to ground them. The most logical reason for grounding is for Safety of course, in a situation where there is a fault you have a path to ground so you are not the conductor.
On some generators because there is no ground present you might have a problem powering up some items. I have heard from some people who have had problems powering their furnace using a Honda Generator. I basically take the approach it’s better to be safe than sorry.
On many of the constructions sites I have worked; the use of portable generators is very common. Most if not always I have seen them grounded, The most common way to ground is with a direct wire to the frame onto a pipe or length of rebar into the ground.
I keep a 2-3′ section of 1/2″ rebar with my portable generator, simply pound into the ground where it is to be located and affix to the generator grounding lug.
I decided to do a short video series on how to properly Ground & Secure a portable generator.
In Part 1 I show how to install a simple ground wire with alligator clip;
1 comment
Lydia Bridges
January 24, 2013 at 6:15 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Great post! Thanks for sharing this information and video.