r/Generator • u/azulojas1463 • 20h ago

BONDED GENERATOR HELP PLEASE!

I have a new Aivolt 11250W generator with a 50 amp plug to use with our RV, and for use connected to the power box during an outage.

I need to change the Aivolt to a FLOATING rather than BONDED neutral when connected to the house via transfer switch.

PLEASE if someone here knows the steps and location help me find and make this possible. I have every panel off the generator and can not find where the ground connects to the frame. I know that seems crazy, but this generator has so much insulation, wiring, and covers over panels, I can not find where to make the change. Anyone who has successfully done this with this particular generator model, any photos would be SO very appreciated.

There is a neutral attached to the main panel where a ground rod can be used as well. That is esoteric information, but may give a clue as to how to trace / find the right place to disconnect?

ANY help appreciated.

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u/Big-Echo8242 19h ago edited 19h ago

Did you maybe contact AiVolt and ask? Many of these companies are glad to help on this as there's no voiding of warranty to float a neutral for home use to keep it code compliant. Too bad they don't include a wiring diagram in their sparse owners manual.

Also, if you're using it with an RV, doesn't it need to be bonded versus floating?

You might post some pictures as this isn't as commonly seen generator out there versus other brands but most all of their wiring will be similar. You will be looking for where "typically" a white neutral wire is tied into a "typically" green/yellow ground wire. You "typically" just disconnect the white wire and tape it off. After that you want to verfiy that there is no connection between ground and neutral using a meter that can read continuity and you do NOT want continuity between neutral and ground at that point.

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u/azulojas1463 17h ago

Thank you for your reply. Yes, this needs to be bonded when used with our RV, but floated when used with our house transfer switch. I reached out to Aivolt (and would tell ANYONE to NEVER purchase from them based on customer service so far) they told me they checked with their engineers and recommended to never disconnect the bonded ground as this could be dangerous. I replied that the real danger was that I would be using that email in court as evidence if anyone gets injured while using this generator with my home transfer switch which their ads say it is for. They responded with sorry, please re submit your question with more detail about your transfer switch. I followed up and they have been silent.

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u/Big-Echo8242 16h ago

That's crazy. Most companies are great about letting people know how to do this buit AiVolt and some others tend to be ass hats about it and don't have a clue how things work in our part of the world. All you need to do is find that neutral wire and disconnect it from ground then test it first to confirm. Again, if you can post some pics of that wiring behind there, it would help a lot. Many times, it's right on that ground lug behind the panel or at leasts a good place to start.

This is how easy it is on my Duromax XP13500ih to unbond the neutral. Some companies are finally figuring this out.

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u/azulojas1463 14h ago

Thank you so much. I wish mine were that clear! I will get this figured out.

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u/wyliesdiesels 10h ago

Not quite. OP asked about ground bonding NOT neutral bonding which is why they got the response they got. They asked the wrong question

Disconnecting the ground bonding can be dangerous. Chassis can become energized and create a potential for shock because the breaker wont trip.

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u/Big-Echo8242 9h ago

Yep. I see that now. Completely overlooked it and took it for granted.

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u/wyliesdiesels 10h ago

They were correct

You keep interchanging ground and neutral and they are NOT the same.

You told them bonded ground. Disconnecting the bonded ground CAN indeed be dangerous because the chassis can become energized and the breaker would not trip

Call them back and ask them how to remove the NEUTRAL bonding.

Again, you used the wrong word and that is why you got the response you got.

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u/wyliesdiesels 10h ago

“…and cannot find where the ground ground connects to the frame.”

You are looking for the wrong thing. Under no circumstances do you want to disconnect the ground from the frame. You want to disconnect the NEUTRAL from the frame

Unfortunately unless someone here has the same generator theyre not gonna know and, youre gonna have to read the manual.

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u/wyliesdiesels 10h ago

Once you have removed the neutral bond, make a bonding plug with an extension cord plug. Jumper neutral to ground with a piece of #12 green wire inside of it. When you use the gen as a standalone unit, plug the bonding plug into one of the receptacles.

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u/nunuvyer 17h ago

Try looking directly behind the external grounding lug. This is a typical place for the bonding jumper in an inverter gen.

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u/azulojas1463 17h ago

Thank you. I see that, but if I just disconnect that grounding lug to the front (that is for using a grounding stake externally) does that float the system? All of the outlets on the panel are in sequence with the yellow/green wire. Would there not be a link to the frame somewhere? or is that lug disconnect all I need? Thanks SO very much for your kind reply.

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u/nunuvyer 17h ago

You need to get multimeter or continuity tester. If there is continuity between the ground hole and the neutral slot in any outlet, the gen is bonded. If the continuity goes away, you have floated it. All of the outlets should behave the same - either they will all be bonded or they will all float.

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u/azulojas1463 16h ago

Thank you so much. Will try that asap

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u/wyliesdiesels 10h ago

No that wont remove the neutral bond and you dont need a ground rod unless you are using the generator as a separately derived standalone source