SQLit said:
answer to the masses, everyone is entitled to an opinion. If you disagree
with me, OK attack me, but do not confuse the issue for the people who are
asking for help. I try to reduce technical questions to something that the
guy next door can handle. A lot of the time the answer is hire a qualified
contractor. That is another subject. This is an open forum, all can voice
there opinion. Let us leave it at that and not attack each other, we all
know what an ass hole is..
Lets try to be a little more applicable to the question
MARK,,,, your comments should be left to people that UNDERSTAND the issue.
I have worked on and installed non-grounded electrical systems. I WOULD
NEVER recommend them to an residential customer. Your opinion is considered
and rejected for this application.
Lets try and answer the questions at hand, not take the average guy into
territory that is way un - charted for the average guy.
We are here to help each other, I for one have learned alot in the
newsgroups.
my thoughts alone all negitative email should come to me
not the group.
My answer wasn't meant as an attack. I'll give an opposing view to anyone, so don't take it
personally....
Since we're here to help each other, comments should be aired in the open. The OP asked what was
unsafe about an ungrounded portable generator. Most of your answer was incorrect or not relevant --
that a breaker won't trip without a ground rod and comparing it to a distribution system that is
hundreds of miles long. I could agree that a ground rod may help a GFCI trip, but no one stated if
GFCI's were on the generator.
We can all have opinions, but here is what the NEC says:
250.34 Portable and Vehicle-Mounted Generators.
(A) Portable Generators. The frame of a portable generator shall not be required to be grounded and
shall be permitted to serve as the grounding electrode for a system supplied by the generator under
the following conditions:
(1) The generator supplies only equipment mounted on the generator, cord-and-plug-connected
equipment through
receptacles mounted on the generator, or both, and
(2) The non-current-carrying metal parts of equipment and the equipment grounding conductor
terminals of the receptacles are bonded to the generator frame.
Now if you want to power your house with this generator through a transfer switch, then you would be
required to ground it and I would agree that it is a good thing. But I think you over reacted to
christmas lights on trees being powered by an ungrounded portable generator.
So for the "average guy", why is an ungrounded portable generator unsafe? I can think of a few
answers of why it may not be good for the generator, but none dealing with safety.