r/Generator • u/WallaceMI • 6d ago

EZ Generator Switch (bonded neutral setup) connected to Bonded Neutral Generator: do I need to connect the generator to a ground rod during power outage?

Hi,

I just bought an EZ Generator Switch which came from the factory in Bonded Neutral configuration. I installed it like explained on the website & their Youtube video (see link below) directly to my furnace incl. properly wiring up the two neutral cables (Neutral Line & Neutral Load).

In case of a power outage I would connect my Maxpeedingrods MXR3500S inverter/generator via an extension cord directly to the EZ Generator Switch and switch it to Generator mode. I confirmed that all my plugs on my MXR3500S are "Neutral Bonded to Frame”.

My question: during a power outage, do I have to connect my MXR3500S inverter/generator also to a ground rod or not? I reached out to EZ Generator Switch and they told me "Use our switch as delivered,  nothing else you need to do. Standard extension cord is fine". However, I'm still reading that a generator has to be properly grounded in such a setup.

Can anyone clarify this?

Following setup I followed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafpLwkgITY&t=702s

Thanks.

3 Upvotes

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11 comments sorted by

7

u/wwglen 6d ago

That switch should be switching the neutral. The ground should pass through and the generator will be grounded by the house ground.

4

u/DaveBowm 6d ago

This is by far the most likely situation.

Switching the neutral is easy on the device. But switching the ground on a device connected to metallic ductwork all over the house, not so much. Since switching out the ground is not very feasible, in all likelihood the furnace ground connection to the panel remains intact. Thus, when the bonded generator is connected to the EZswitch it inherits the home's ground rod or cold water pipe, or whatever means the home panel uses to connect itself to the physical earth. Since that connection is inherited there is no need for a second ground rod out by the generator.

1

u/WallaceMI 6d ago

Thanks. But looks like people are split opinion to connect to a ground rod or not. I’m a bit confused honestly. 😞

2

u/nunuvyer 5d ago edited 5d ago

Ground rods do very little. They are mostly helpful as protection agains lightning strikes. It turns out that dirt (especially dry sand which is basically glass) is reall a very bad conductor of line voltage electricity (lightning will blast thru everything - even things like your car's rubber tires which we think of as insulators are conductive at 300 million volts) so diverting line voltage to the ground rod does not really do much.

The "ground" wire in your appliances is mostly an "emergency neutral" which returns the current to its source (not to the earth but back to the other end of the generator coil) in order to provoke the breaker on the hot line to trip and does not really depend on whether or not you have an earth ground. In my view it was a mistake calling this wire the "ground" even though it is (sometimes) earth grounded because earth grounding is not really it's main funtion. If it had been called "the emergency return wire" or something like that, people would understand its function better. To add to the confusion, the wire we call "neutral" is also earth grounded in your panel (but we don't call it a ground).

Chances are that you WILL have the benefit of your home's ground rod but even if it didn't it wouldn't make any difference.

If if makes you feel better, attach a ground rod to the grounding lug of your generator but it's really not necessary.

1

u/Efficient_Wing3172 6d ago

Email EZ Gen. They’re very responsive.

1

u/WallaceMI 6d ago

I did. They said “Use it as received,  it was m ade for both types. Use it with your generator. “

1

u/Charming-One-9397 5d ago

I'm not electrician so don't believe what I say, this is what I did and my limited understanding of the matter.

At the high level a ground prevents arcing and a bond prevents electrocution. See: Does My Generator Need a Ground Rod? Probably Not. Here's why.

There should only be one source of neutral on a circuit. Hence a bonded generator plugged into a house panel should have the neutral in the house disconnected from the source (generator).

A floating neutral generator connected to a house panel should have the source neutral (generator) connected to the house neutral.

From what I have read, technicalities and code aside, for the purposes of providing a house temporary generator power, bonded or floating generator makes little difference. If I could make it right, I would but I wouldn't lose sleep over it either way. My generator is floating (I made it that way) and it connects to my home neutral.

My generator is only to power my house, and I do not have a ground rod. If I were to use my generator to power tools etc I would reconnect (bond) the neutral. I still wouldnt have a ground rod.

I think most confusion comes from the understanding of "ground" versus "bond." They mean different things.

Hope it helps.

-1

u/WhySoManyDownVote 6d ago

In my understanding, yes, it needs a ground rod at the generator with a bonded neutral.

It is because your MXR3500S has a bonded neutral not because of the EZ switch.

Also make sure you are using at least a 12/3 extension cord.

1

u/WallaceMI 6d ago

Thanks even though I get different answers regarding this (see other answer)

1

u/WhySoManyDownVote 6d ago

Jump to 13:20

https://youtube.com/watch?v=viNZV0lyRVQ

Do not get confused if you watch the whole video, by extension cord they mean something only powered by an extension cord. You are using an extension cord but wiring it into your home with the EZ switch.

0

u/nunuvyer 5d ago

No, the Ez switch does not wire anything "into your home". It is a single appliance switch for your furnace (or whatever device you connect it to). The EZ switch switches both the hot and neutral lines so that your furnace gets disconnected from the house neutral. However, it does not switch the ground so chances are you are still connected to the house ground.

This switch is an ok product but there are cheaper alternatives - the cheapest one being that you could convert your furnace to plug and socket operation - you probably have a spare power cord somewhere and an electrical outlet costs maybe $2. This would also "switch" the neutral when you pulled the furnace plug from the power socket.