generator hook-up
- Thread starter v8-7
- Start date
If I was worried anyone else in the household would touch the stuff, I'd put some sort of switch / locl out on the genset to prevent it.
The warning stickers are just there for any competent person to let them know it's been modded and they've been warned.
I take it to the same way cars have tons of airbag warnings on them etc. Operator beware, just like you said.
Ever think about a LiFePO4 battery and an inverter to get you through until you can run your generator?
OP
OP
v8-7
Site Supporter
I think it would be cheaper to upgrade my gen for electric start
I'd suggest selling your old one and buy a new one with elect start.
My current genset is only manual start and I've looked at option to switch it to remote start, but it's not straight forward. A lot of the new ones have that feature built-in with a wireless remote, just like a car key fob. Yes, it may cost you a bit out of pocket vs upgrading your current one, but it will be easier, quicker and you'll have a newer generator!
My parents had gone the other route and had a large 17kw Generac put in that auto started and switched when the power stopped. They only would notice a short disruption in the lights and a few 240v appliances (stove and dryer) that were not connected to the switched breaker panel. It was fed by 2 large propane pigs. It was a very nice unit, but cost them a small fortune.
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Yeah but ...... How much danger is there? Much of this makes no sense, at least to me.
Yes, to be used as a stand-alone independant installation a portable generator is supposed to be a neutral bonded set-up, which is completely useless unless you hook it up to a ground rod. A ground rod is supposed to be driven 8 feet in to the ground. Even then many ground rods will fail the test due to the type of soil and the moisture content, so additional ground rods need to be added until the test passes. This is never done with a portable generator. If I remember correctly I think that there might be an exception to all of this for portable generators based on the fact that the generator frame sits on the ground. If a ground rod needs to be driven 8 feet in to the ground to be effective, how effective a ground circuit is produced simply by having the frame sitting on the ground is questionable. If a portable generator is going to be used as an independent installation, and it is not connected to a ground rod, being set-up as neutral bonded doesn't achieve much that I can see.
Connecting a neutral bonded generator to a house using a neutral floating transfer switch, or the other way around, creates a bigger danger in my opinion.
Correct. The generator's frame/chassis is the only ground reference.
Even a stationary, hard-wired generator needs no rods per the NEC.
I'm not sure what you guys mean by "neutral floating" transfer switch. Either the neutrals are solidly connected, or the neutral is switched by the t/s.
OP
OP
v8-7
Site Supporter
I may end up doing that. I'm going to try and decrease the spark plug gap and see if it will start without starting fluid .I'd suggest selling your old one and buy a new one with elect start.
My current genset is only manual start and I've looked at option to switch it to remote start, but it's not straight forward. A lot of the new ones have that feature built-in with a wireless remote, just like a car key fob. Yes, it may cost you a bit out of pocket vs upgrading your current one, but it will be easier, quicker and you'll have a newer generator!
My parents had gone the other route and had a large 17kw Generac put in that auto started and switched when the power stopped. They only would notice a short disruption in the lights and a few 240v appliances (stove and dryer) that were not connected to the switched breaker panel. It was fed by 2 large propane pigs. It was a very nice unit, but cost them a small fortune.
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Correct. If the neutrals are permanently connected and not switched by the transfer switch that is a neutral floating transfer switch that is supposed to be mated with a neutral floating generator. If the transfer switch also switches the neutrals from the building's electrical system to the generator's along with the loads that is a neutral bonded transfer switch and is supposed to be mated with a neutral bonded generator. Both types are available. Neutral bonded transfer switches are not common in residential as I understand it. I confess to not knowing a lot about what circumstances require them because I didn't need one so I stopped looking in to them. I believe that they are mostly for dealing with very large generators like in hospitals and commercial buildings, or when connecting several generators together to achieve the needed output and where higher voltages like 277 and 480 are in use. From what I gathered it seems that it is preferred that these types of installations are completely independent of the buildings electrical grid so the neutrals as well as the loads get switched to the generator. Beyond that I don't know.
The issue that I encountered was that they are available for residential use as well. They may not be commonly available and easy to come by but I came across them when I was looking for a transfer switch, which is how I came to know about them. Because of that I thought that it was worth mentioning as a cautionary word so that people are aware that they do exist so that they can make sure that they install the correct type of transfer switch.