[AT] While we're on the subject of generators

[charlie hill]

I'm no electrician.  Have trouble dealing with stuff I can't see.  LOL. 
This whole thing with  grounds and neutrals just doesn't make sense to me. 
It seems to me like 120V should be 1 phase and a neutral, 240V should be 
both phases and a neutral and the grounds for any or all of them should be 
isolated from the rest of the system.  I don't even want to think about 3 
phase.

This is one of the great mysteries of my life.  I guess I should go to 
school on it or at least buy some books or something and learn to make sense 
of it all.  I'm not one bit more confused by quantum mechanics and string 
theory than I am by house wiring.  When it comes to any of the above I'm 
like a dog chasing an automobile.  If he ever catches it he won't be able to 
drive it.  I can at least wire up simple stuff but I don't understand why it 
works like it does.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Goss" <rlgoss at insightbb.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] While we're on the subject of generators


> Exactly, Bruce.  As a result, when I wired my new shop, I hooked them all 
> together on the same buss.  That was a No-No, and the inspector told me 
> so.  I complained that I looked for a box that had the separate buss in it 
> and there weren't any.  He then proceeded to tell me the busses are in a 
> little box on the shelf with a separate price tag on them.  So I searched 
> at Home Depot and found the things hidden on a shelf about waist high, 
> bought one, installed it with the grounding screw I had used for something 
> else, and went to the trouble of separating all the neutrals from the 
> grounds so I could hook them all back up together again.  It's a Royal 
> Pain, but that's the way the code is written.
>
> Larry
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bruce Moden <brucemoden at yahoo.com>
> Date: Monday, October 6, 2008 14:43
> Subject: Re: [AT] While we're on the subject of generators
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>
>> Note:
>> In other electrical applications "neutral' is synonymous with
>> "ground" if you check your panel box you will note that all the
>> white wires (neutral) in your household wiring go to a bar of
>> similar wires and all the ground wires go to a bar for bare
>> copper (ground) wires and if you check further the two are
>> connected.  This has been my experience over the years- but
>> is free information and may be worth the price paid!
>> Pharmr
>>
>>
>> --- On Mon, 10/6/08, Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> wrote:
>>
>> > From: Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net>
>> > Subject: Re: [AT] While we're on the subject of generators
>> > To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> > Date: Monday, October 6, 2008, 7:50 AM
>> > When you have it running, I am connect yourvoltmeter from
>> > each hot leg
>> > to the common.  Then connect from this to the generator
>> > frame.  If there
>> > is no voltage, then this is the neutral for sure.  The
>> > common should be
>> > your neutral.  I say should be as I have had some
>> > interesting things
>> > happen.  ost a message on the old generators forum at
>> > smokstak.com  ther
>> > are some Onan technicians there who work in the areas that
>> > have to run
>> > on generators all the time....
>> >
>> > Cecil in OKla
>> >
>> > Chris C wrote:
>> > >
>> > >   Can anyone here help me out with an older Onan
>> > Generator?  I have a 12KW DJC generator that I am wiring to
>> > my panel as a backup generator.  I know that the generator
>> > need to get neutral bonded to get along with the GFI's
>> > in the house,  but I can't find a wiring diagram to tell
>> > me for sure what the neutral is.  And I have found the local
>> > Onan folks completely useless as they seem to believe that I
>> > will sue them if things go bad..  Anyone have some Onan
>> > info?
>> > >
>> > >           Chris
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
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