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Need advice on Genset wireing

JRM

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so my retired electrician friend passed away before he could wire in my MEP, Here is a video of the situation- he wired the house perfect- but then we decided to put the unit in a shelter- I brought #6 NMB to the shelter but he passed a few months ago, so- how do I splice #6 and how would you join the NMB with the SOOW that has the 50A plug on the end? Before he passed he noticed that I didn't bring in enough NMB to make it to the genset, he wasn't very happy about that.
 

Scoobyshep

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In your shelter i would install a disconnect and then use a piece of nm to the generator.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
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Light in the Dark

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Is the interconnect on your home rated for what this will put out? I dont have sound on this computer, but it looks like an 803... and what was on your house looked like a 30A?
 
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Scoobyshep

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Is the interconnect on your home rated for what this will put out? I dont have sound on this computer, but it looks like an 803... and what was on your house looked like a 30A?
hard to tell but it looks like a 50 amp inlet. either way the breaker for the inlet should protect the smaller wiring.
 
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Scoobyshep

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So now that I have time to get on the computer, there are some answers needed.

1 do you plan to ever put it back on the trailer or will it live in the shed?
2 how do you plan on connecting the nm cable to the inlet?
3 Grounding!! Have to make sure you didnt double bond.
 

Scoobyshep

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side note, where is that 12-2 romex coming from?

as for splicing 6 yes it can be spliced, they do make big wirenuts but your better off with split bolys or polaris lugs.
 

LEOK

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Just put another outlet in the shed you will have to move the MEP near the door to run it or it will over heat. Too bad you didn't run 4 wire, you might have ground it through romex coming in. I wouldn't bond my neutral and ground at the generator. Only bonding point is the main breaker box.
 

LEOK

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After watching the video again, seems I errored. The plug on house does have center ground pin thus a 4 wire. So you want splice at box on house and again in the barn. You will need 8 split bolts size SBC4 and if ground is smaller two smaller bolts. Too cover the split bolts don't go cheap here
Scotch Rubber Splicing Tape 23, 3/4 in x 30 ft
Scotch 33 plus tape. First a covering rubber fusion then another cover of scotch 33
watch video
 

JRM

Member
166
9
18
Location
Brightwood, Oregon
So now that I have time to get on the computer, there are some answers needed.

1 do you plan to ever put it back on the trailer or will it live in the shed?
2 how do you plan on connecting the nm cable to the inlet?
3 Grounding!! Have to make sure you didnt double bond.
Thanks everyone for the responses- Yes its 4 wire 6/3 with ground
1. Yes, it will pretty much live in the shed for good.
2. I had no idea what he had planned- going with advice here such as LEOK's split bolts sbc4
3. its grounded on the center pin to the main ground in the house, I will drive a ground rod for the portable clamp that came with the MEP.

What LEOK says sounded like what my friend had planned, he said the wall box will become a jct box and simply move the box on the house into the barn.

Scoobyshep- GOOD EYE! yes, I put a T in the underground section of conduct and the yellow #12 hangs a left as when i built the house i stubbed a 3" down the bottom of my breaker box under the foundation for future power to my future 40x60 shop, i ran that yellow wire over to that stubbed off section- all in conduit nothing exposed.
 

Scoobyshep

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Ok. So tee in a conduit is not good, should have been a junction box. Since you are relying on the house bond the generator is not a separately derived system. In english, dont drive the ground rod. 6/3 nm uses a smaller ground wire (#8) and if you do that you are essentially adding another rod to your ground network. 8 is too small for a service bond wire.

Instead ground the generator with the piece
Of 8 from the nm cable and make sure the neutral to ground bond in the generator is open. This ensures that the neutral is carrying the unbalanced load and the ground is there to keep the chassis at 0 potential.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 

Chainbreaker

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He is right don't use second ground rod, only use green or bare wire for chassis.
True, unless you plan to load test or run a monthly test using an external load that is not tied into house circuit.

I disconnect my generator from house then switch over to SDS mode by flipping my DIY switch that reconnects the neutral generator bond to generator frame ground which is then reconnected to driven ground rod ~30' away from the house and then use external load(s) connected to my spider box connected directly to generator.

I used to use my home's dryer plus a few other house circuits activated but decided it is just a bit too risky to be connected to house when doing any type of extended load testing or monthly exercise runs. If I encounter a problem I don't want my house to experience it.
 
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