Connecting ground wire


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Old 07-01-14, 12:22 PM
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Connecting ground wire

I have a ground rod driven, and a portable generator, and a #6 wire (as specified by gen manufacturer). It is stranded wire.

The rod has an eye-hook type thing that I'm assuming is to clamp the wire against the rod.

The generator has a little bolt extrusion for the ground and a nut that goes on it. There's no way that wire is wrapping around it and getting pinched by the nut due to the size and stiffness of the wire. What's the right way to make these connections?
 
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Old 07-01-14, 01:56 PM
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Welcome to the forums!

Can you post a picture of the geney connection? You might need a ring terminal or install a lug first.
 
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Old 07-02-14, 05:24 AM
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Thank you for the welcome. Here are some pics I snapped of my components. Please ignore the "high altitude kit" paper, it has nothing to do with anything.

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Old 07-02-14, 07:03 AM
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Not sure what that eye hook thing is but it would toss it in the trash.
On the ground rod you will want to use a clamp like this:

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The top one you just slip the wire between the clamp and ground rod and tighten down. The bottom one clamps to the rod and then you install the wire in the middle screw hole. If you go with the bottom one just make sure it is small enough for the size of the round rod.

This is what you need for the Generator connection:

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The top one you install on the geney and leave it connected. You install the wire in the screw hole and tighten the slotted screw. The bottom one you would need to crimp onto the #6 wire and then connect to the generator each time.
 
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Old 07-02-14, 08:46 AM
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Thanks very much, that's extremely helpful. What is the top picture that gets installed on the generator called? (or a link)
 
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Old 07-02-14, 09:18 AM
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It is a single terminal lug. TERMINAL LUGS
 
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Old 07-02-14, 09:38 AM
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What is the application of your portable generator Sir?

And that electrode you probably don't need, is that copper clad? With that eye hook on it it looks like something for an antenna mast or something.

NEC 250.34

(A) Portable Generators. The frame of a portable generator
shall not be required to be connected to a grounding
electrode as defined in 250.52 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 normally non–current-carrying metal parts of equipment
and the equipment grounding conductor terminals of
the receptacles are connected to the generator frame.
 
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Old 07-02-14, 11:41 AM
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This will be generally for emergency power for my home, possibly camping. No plans to backfeed or anything fancy.

You know it probably is something to do with radio, it had RCA on it. Can you tell I don't know what I'm doing yet?

I did do a little research on this whole grounding the generator controversy, and it got confusing fast with sharpy diverging opinions. I thought I could just take care of it for a few bucks and a few minutes, but it's proving otherwise.
 
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Old 07-02-14, 02:42 PM
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Try the generator sticky at the top of this forum.

If an electrode is used it must be bonded to the one for the house.
 
 

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