connecting to a house panel

[builmord]

as I understand a lot of generator connections are by extension cords. where should the main bonding jumper be located when your generator is connected to your house panel by a cord attached receptacle connection . leaving the main bonding jumper on the gen will allow a parallel path if a equipment ground is part of the cord. starting the gen with the cord unplugged would present a shock hazard as the generator would not be grounded. and disable any gfci receptacles that are part of the generator package. would it be safer to keep the main bonding jumper in the generator to protect it and use a 3 wire , no ground to feed a house panel where the main bonding jumper for the house panel would provide short circuit protection there . i assume the feeder from the generator is the same as that from the utility where their equipment is bonded and grounded on their side. and there is no equipment ground in their feeder. unless the entire system was hard wired with no receptacles to interrupt the circuit I think this set up would be safer., and from a cost standpoint cheaper , don't know if this is to code

 

[Zed254]

Check out post #4 in https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/mep802a-3-wire-240-hookup-help.187637/#post-2209266 . I've got a 4 C / 6 AWG SOOW cord that I connect to my house through a 70 amp 240 volt breaker. I use 4 conductor 'California' twist lock 50 amp connectors on the cord. This means I am connecting all 4 conductors to my home, so my Ground to Neutral bonding is open on the generator: I am using my home's Ground to Neutral Bond.

This generator is dedicated to home back up so the only time I need to consider Neutral to Ground bonding is when I'm running my quarterly generator tests. I use an electric stove for this and have bonded the ground and neutral at the stove. Generator testing is the only place I use this stove. This way I do not have to remember to connect / disconnect the generator's bonding strap. I very much doubt that an electric stove with Ground and Neutral bonded is per NEC but I think it is the safest approach to my testing task.

 

[builmord]

Check out post #4 in https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/mep802a-3-wire-240-hookup-help.187637/#post-2209266 . I've got a 4 C / 6 AWG SOOW cord that I connect to my house through a 70 amp 240 volt breaker. I use 4 conductor 'California' twist lock 50 amp connectors on the cord. This means I am connecting all 4 conductors to my home, so my Ground to Neutral bonding is open on the generator: I am using my home's Ground to Neutral Bond.

This generator is dedicated to home back up so the only time I need to consider Neutral to Ground bonding is when I'm running my quarterly generator tests. I use an electric stove for this and have bonded the ground and neutral at the stove. Generator testing is the only place I use this stove. This way I do not have to remember to connect / disconnect the generator's bonding strap. I very much doubt that an electric stove with Ground and Neutral bonded is per NEC but I think it is the safest approach to my testing task.

I follow your home hook up and believe it follows NEC guidelines. it at one time was accepted practice to use feeders to out buildings that were without equipment grounds. these installations relied on a main bonding jumper and grounding electrode to be installed at each building. the generator being the source would have its own bonding similar to that the utility supply has. I don't know if this is still NEC approved but the short circuit path seems more reliable where you don't have to rely on cords being plugged in voltage drop, or receptacle connections failing due to corrosion or overheating . my experience with

 

[builmord]

I follow your installation but I have reservations if it applies to a receptacle attached generator. I would think that the receptacle when unplugged breaks the neutral and ground path from the source just like a transfer switch that breaks the neutral connection. this would make it a stand alone system and require the main bonding jumper at the generator location. you personal attention is a safeguard for your system but many out there have limited electrical ability. I believe the NEC states the neutral connection is to be hard wired at all times if the bonding is done down stream of the gen. I may be totally wrong but cord connections have a way of failing or being unplugged. a gen set with a remote start kit set up via a receptacle and the bonding jumper removed is an accident waiting to happen

 

[Zed254]

If you plan to use your generator for home back up some time and stand alone generation at other times you will need to manage the generator's Ground to Neutral bonding strap. I described my set up, but my generator is dedicated to home back up - I don't use it to power other things. I do need to run it every few months disconnected from my house's Ground to Neutral bond and so I bonded my test apparatus: the stove.

I have a driven ground rod at my generator, too......maybe 40 feet from my house's breaker box. There are a lot of opinions on multiple ground rods but the TM stresses a driven ground rod at the generator so this is the way I installed mine. And I need a good ground when running my quarterly generator exercises / tests.

Also, my set up is completely manual. I have NO Auto Start up function. When the power goes out I'll be dragging cable across the garage, out the door, and to my generator......

 

[builmord]

thanks, I am not an electrician. am in the process of hooking up my new mep802a to my house panel and want to have it portable so I can use it elsewhere on my property. I want to make it as safe as possible

 

[Zed254]

Here's a picture of my breaker box. I forget what they call them, but there's a device that prevents my generator breaker from being on when the main breaker box is powered up. In an outage, I need to switch off the breaker box to allow the metal clip to slide out of the way so I can energize the 70 amp generator breaker for back feeding my house. This protects the linemen working on the power company's generation facilities.

If you are planning on maximum flexibility for your generator you may want to punt the automatic start up feature you mentioned.

 

[builmord]

thanks, the last thing I want is to burn down my house or fry due to a dangerous hook up

 

[Coug]

Here's a picture of my breaker box. I forget what they call them, but there's a device that prevents my generator breaker from being on when the main breaker box is powered up. In an outage, I need to switch off the breaker box to allow the metal clip to slide out of the way so I can energize the 70 amp generator breaker for back feeding my house. This protects the linemen working on the power company's generation facilities.

If you are planning on maximum flexibility for your generator you may want to punt the automatic start up feature you mentioned.

The term you are looking for is "interlock"
(it also says it on the interlock in your picture)

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,
Also a thread here. Generator connection choices