operating mep-003 in a snow storm

[coyote62ny]

will it hurt the mep-003 to be operated in a snow storm asking because i wont be able to have the engine or generator under cover when running i would cover the control panel and gauges a friend thats in the army told me they run these sets out uncovered sometimes even in the rain sounds like a good way to get fried to me anyone run thier sets in a snow storm we are supposed to get 18 inches of snow in the next two days here in new york thanks for any input

 

[Ken_86gt]

They do run without being covered. I would ensure that the generator is properly grounded. If possible cover any areas where snow or rain might get into an electrical power connection.

 

[O.D. Fever]

Run it.. Good advise on grounding.. You should be able to run that upside down in a mud slide/sand storm/ blizzard/ anystorm... Good gear...Joe

 

[coyote62ny]

thanks guys just thought i would ask this not my first military gen set but the first one that i have wired up to run the house from it will be grounded through the out door disconect panel that feeds my mobile home so i should be good to go. the weather man says we are going to get 18 inches of snow from tonight till wednesday night when we wired it up my electrican could not believe the size of the mep-003 he asked if someone had switched the tags and it was actually around 25 kw told him no it was 10 kw had to show him pics on gl before he belived me runs the whole house and only gets up to 25 percent load better than the store bought junk

 

[coyotegray]

Ground it. Run it. Post pics.

With that much snow I would just make sure the fan, air intake, etc stay clear of any excessive snow... For the most part the heat should keep the snow off it.

These things are tough son of a guns when properly maintained.

 

[coyote62ny]

i guess the whole north east is getting this storm around here some crazy nut is garenteed it hit a pole then we will be out of power for 2to 3 days i think that mep-003 would most likely give enough power so i could run my neibors house as well to keep his heat going .

 

[storeman]

Above guidance can be read 2 ways. Don't you create a problem grounding the generator directly vice through the ground for the house power? I don't know much and am getting old, but do believe I've read that several times on different threads.
Jerry

 

[jbk]

remove nuetral/ground bond at the gen. ground from the set to the house ground is correct. no ground rod at the set.

 

[storeman]

Thought so. Thanks for clarifying before he loses power, if he hasn't already.
Jerry

 

[Monty]

I would also agree to ground to the house.

Good luck with the snow, if you get to use the gen set post pics.

We're looking to get 14-22 inches of snow, plus 5-10foot drifts, so it should be interesting.

My mep-005 may get a work out yet.

 

[Speddmon]

remove nuetral/ground bond at the gen. ground from the set to the house ground is correct. no ground rod at the set.

Good advice, but not necessarrily the proper way to do it. It all depends on how it's wired into the house to do it properly according to the NEC. Here is a thread where I spent quite some time researching the answer for the same situation...MEP-003a hook up question

 

[coyote62ny]

already did what speddmon said in one of his posts unhooked the neutral bond i put a battery disconect switch in the neutral bond wire trun the switch pull the key out neutral unbonded if i want to use it to run my welder put the key in turn and the neutral is bonded again the battery switch i used is rated for 200 amps hope that is safe when i hooked this up the electrican that did all the wiring thought it would be ok i have a50 amp breaker for the gen along side the main disconnect 100 amp breaker that goes to my mobile home he put a metal switch thing across boath breakers so if you turn on the gen breaker it shuts off the main that feeds power to the house

 

[coyote62ny]

thanks again tospeddmon for all his electrical help that he gives on this site

 

[jatonka]

So, the manual is wrong? I drive a ground rod and hook it to the genste ground lug, I run a 3 wire cord to an inlet using 2 hots and a neutral and this is wrong to run my garage? JT is asking.

 

[coyotegray]

The manual is written from the perspective of how the military would use one in the field. Under those conditions you’re not connecting to a building with an existing ground so it's configuration is not a concern.

 

[Ken_86gt]

The manual is not wrong. The grounding codes have changed in the last 20 years though. There are the two ways to ground as described above, they both are effective. I believe the NEC currently wants you to drive a rod at the generator and no neutral bond at the gen. The rod needs to be in the ground 8 feet. The problem is that you need to test the ground with a ground tester that you will not have. If it is not <25 ohms you have to drive another. If I was looking at your set up either way would be OK to me. A generator is considered a separately derived system, use that term when you look it up in the NEC.

 

[shovelheadmike]

remove nuetral/ground bond at the gen. ground from the set to the house ground is correct. no ground rod at the set.

It is ok to ground the gen frame with a ground rod. However, it is.not mandatory. Either way, it is good to separate the ground from the neutral at the gen and run 4 wire from.it into the house. That would.be the two phase conductors, the neutral, and the ground. Be resolutely sure that there OS not ANY CHANCE that you could inadvertently back feed into the grid--you could kill a lineman.

 

[Isaac-1]

To clarify what was mentioned before, the NEC can consider a generator as a separately derived source, but does not always consider it one. It depends on the type of transfer switch used. Most consumer transfer switches do not transfer the neutral and therefore do not count under the separately derived source requirement. The installation of generators in a way that is code compliant with the NEC is complicated with lots of room confusion, it is best to ask your local inspector how he wants it done. As to the point about frame grounding there is some gray area here in the NEC as it falls back onto the installation manual for the generator for exception to the general rules, and since these military surplus generators have no "installation manual" you tend to be caught in a bit of a no mans land. There may also be state regulations that are not part of the NEC regarding generator installation, Florida in particular has been getting very picky about this the last few years, often requiring engineers to sign off on concrete mounting pads, as well as limiting placement near structures or property lines, etc.

Ike

 

[Speddmon]

A generator is considered a separately derived system, use that term when you look it up in the NEC.

That is not always the case. As Ike just stated, the transfer switch determines whether the generator is a separately derived system or not. There are very specific codes in the NEC for each type of system. If you follow the link I posted earlier in this thread you can see the post I made on this very subject. A little later in that thread I have some pictures of the two different types of configurations (separately derived and non separately derived).

JT, your situation requires a bit more information to determine if your set-up is a good one or not. Mainly, is your garage powered by the utility or only by the generator? If it is powered only by the generator, then you would leave the neutral bonded and drive a ground rod at the genny. If you have utility power in the garage, then you need to read the thread I linked above and start examining your specific installation to determine which type of hook up you have.

 

[Bill W]

OK
I read the posts and the link and I'm even more confused Sooo let me ask this
I have 4 wire (6/4soow) cord running to my house transfer switch which have seperate neutral & ground terminals/lugs ( whatever). Since I have 4 wires with one being ground do I (still ) need to isolate the neutral/ground bond on the genset and if so which wire(s) are those.