as for connecting the two ground wires togeather he should have someone see if there is a coating of paint or the like on the house wire. if there is nothing will ground. jim At 05:10 AM 12/18/2007, you wrote:
>Chances are if you follow that line coming from your house you'll be >able to trace it back to the electrical box inside... If that is the >case, just take the ground lug from your generator run it to the >ground from the house and use a cable clamp to join the 2 together. >A cable clamp is like a muffler clamp on a smaller scale. It will >have a threaded rod bent in a horseshoe shape or some are >rectangular, threads on both ends and a piece that will come off of >the threaded rod. Sandwich the 2 grounds between the rods and the >piece that comes off, run the washers and then the nuts on and >tighten everything up. This will save you hours of frustration and >cancel the entertainment for the neighbors. >----- Original Message ----- >From: Edward Przybylek >To: <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>[email protected] >Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 10:56 PM >Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Generator Grounding Follow-UP > >Hi Ron, > >I went outside and took a look around my electric meter to see if there is >any kind of grounding cable near the box. Lo and behold, there is a fairly >thick cable coming out of the side of the house and going into the ground. >I poked down into the dirt around the cable but was unable to find a rod >connected to it. If there is a rod, my guess is that it is buried several >inches below the top of the soil. How would I find out if it is a ground >cable? Would following the cable on the inside of the house tell me >anything? If it is a ground cable, is there any reason not to connect to >this cable and use it as a ground for my generator? How would I connect my >generator grounding cable to the cable coming out of my home. As always, >any help greatly appreciated. > >Take care, >Ed > >_____ > >From: ><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>[email protected] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >On Behalf Of Ron Yearns >Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 10:21 PM >To: <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>[email protected] >Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Generator Grounding Follow-UP > >Well guys lucky for me and probable unlucky for you all I found my copy of >the 1996 National Eclectric Code. It had went missing since I had moved. The >box was marked science and math books. Stranger yet it also contained my >books on upholstery and furniture repair. Well anyway here is some info on >the grounding of generators. > >Article 250-83, c discusses rod and pipe electrodes. Yes galvanized pipe of >three quarters of an inch or larger may be used as well as five eights inch >diameter copper clad steel rod. Both are required to be a minimun of eight >feet in length. They are to be driven to a depth of eight feet.. Flush or >preferable below the finished grade. If rocks prevent this it may be driven >at an angle between 90 and 45 degrees. If this is not possible it maybe >buried in a trench no less than 30 inches in depth. > >Note plate electrodes may also be used, but most choose the rods. > >Article 250-94 table shows the smallest copper conductor to ground a service >with current carrying conductors of number 1 or smaller to be number 8 if >copper. > >Article 250-92 a speaks to protecting equipment grounding conductors. If >they are exposed to physical harm all need to be in conduit. If not exposed >to physical harm then number 6 and larger may be run along the structure and >secured to it. Number 8 or smaller must be en conduit regardless. > >I found nothing in the Code that would permit using two four foot rods and >tieing them together. The angle driving or trench permits the full eight >foot lenth to be used. Best to use one of those methods. > >Now for installing the rod. Don't grab a hammer and try to pound it all the >way. Dig a hole out away from any building footings. Usually two feet. Make >the hole about a least a foot deep and big enough you can fasten the clamp >and wire on the rod. Shove the rod down by hand as far as you can, by >pumping up and down. Pull the rod out of that hole, pour the hole full of >wwater. Reinsert the rod after a little time of waiting or maybe refilling >the hole if the water goes down quickly. Repeat the pumping up and down with >the rod by hand until it stops going easy. Pull the rod out refill with >water and keep repeating this process until re moval is too difficult then >resort to the sledge hammer. Usually you can get the rod down at least four >to six foot before you need the hammer. This technique is called watter >jetting and is also used with other equipment for horizontal boring under >highways and streets for utility lines and pipes. > >Another note if this generator is located close to the main service point on >the house there may all ready be a rod buired under the meter. It might be >easier to dig it up until the wire to it is found and you could split bolt >to it. >Luck to you, >Ron >----- Original Message ----- >From: Edward Przybylek >To: BlindHandyMan >Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 9:13 PM >Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Generator Grounding Follow-UP > >Hi all, > >After all your replies, I decided to ground my new generator. Better safe >then sorry. When the manual said that not grounding the generator could >pose the threat of electricution, it made me decide it was the best course >of action. I went to Home Depot to purchase the necessary supplies. I >picked up a lenght of 10 gauge stranded copper wire and then went to search >for the copper grounding rod. The thing you guys forgot to mention is that >the freaking rod is 8 feet long. I asked the associate how much of the rod >I should cut off the 8 foot length to pound into the ground. That's when he >said "All 8 feet." My first response was "Are you for real!" My soil is 5% >dirt and 95% rock. Getting 8 feet of anything that deep in my yard is going >to be a task meant for the Gods and not a mere mortal like myself. The last >time I pounded any kind of rod into my yard was a galvanized pipe to support >a newly planted evergreen to help it make it through the winter. It went >down approximately 3 feet and stopped dead. I mushroomed the top of the >pipe with a four pound mallet but the pipe went no further. Now you expect >me to pound an 8 foot copper rod into the ground! Yeah, right. What I'm >anticipating is a very bent rod and a flurry of filthy words that till make >the ladies in the neighbor hood blush wildly and hurry their children >indoors. From now on, gentlemen, make sure you mention the finer points of >a task before making recommendations. <big smile> Let you know how it >goes. > >Take care, >Ed > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.17.4/1188 - Release Date: >12/17/2007 2:13 PM
