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Using Hybrid Generator to power the house

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Make sure you spec a transfer switch the switches the neutral along with the hot legs. There are electricians taking the ground off the transfer switches that don’t do this to make it work with the Ford PB. They should be drawn and quartered!

Also you need the 7.2 Kw for 30 amps. The 2.4 is too small. Jim
My electrician disconnected the ground to get the truck generator to work. Is this safe - I’m an accountant and don’t comprehend this process entirely.
I just want to make sure that in the event we lose power and I use the Truck generator and transfer switch we are safe!
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Hullguy

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My electrician disconnected the ground to get the truck generator to work. Is this safe - I’m an accountant and don’t comprehend this process entirely.
I just want to make sure that in the event we lose power and I use the Truck generator and transfer switch we are safe!
Absolutely not! Your electrician is a hack!
 

GolfR

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My electrician disconnected the ground to get the truck generator to work. Is this safe - I’m an accountant and don’t comprehend this process entirely.
I just want to make sure that in the event we lose power and I use the Truck generator and transfer switch we are safe!
As with many things...it depends. Where did he disconnect it? In the box...no that's not good. Inside a cable? This might be ok for a single use but you don't want to accidentally use that cable for something else.

I ended up building a ground isolation pigtail to backfeed my house. 30 amp plug/receptical on each side and 1 foot of 10 ga 4 wire cable. Cost about $30 in material. On the plug (truck) side I connected both the ground and return wires into the return pin which isolates the ground and eliminates the ground fault. Since the truck has a bonded ground and the ground and neutral are connected in my house there is no issue with this. I made sure to label the heck out of the cable because it could be a BAD thing if I or someone else were to use the cable for something else (not sure what but better to be safe).
 

Hullguy

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As with many things...it depends. Where did he disconnect it? In the box...no that's not good. Inside a cable? This might be ok for a single use but you don't want to accidentally use that cable for something else.

I ended up building a ground isolation pigtail to backfeed my house. 30 amp plug/receptical on each side and 1 foot of 10 ga 4 wire cable. Cost about $30 in material. On the plug (truck) side I connected both the ground and return wires into the return pin which isolates the ground and eliminates the ground fault. Since the truck has a bonded ground and the ground and neutral are connected in my house there is no issue with this. I made sure to label the heck out of the cable because it could be a BAD thing if I or someone else were to use the cable for something else (not sure what but better to be safe).
You can label something all you want but this is not an approved wiring method. The only way to power your house SAFELY is by using the correct, listed equipment
 

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GolfR

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You can label something all you want but this is not an approved wiring method. The only way to power your house SAFELY is by using the correct, listed equipment
Safety Is highly dependent on the skill, knowledge, and intent of the user. Ovens, chainsaws, and guns aren’t “safe” in the hands of people who don’t know how to use them. In the hands of people that do, we couldn’t live our lives without them.
 
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GolfR

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Can you explain how to do this and materials required?.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KH4T7T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1 Foot of this from your local Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwi...-Portable-Power-SJOOW-Cord-55812699/204725136

Ford F-150 Using Hybrid Generator to power the house 1642599431984


On the receptical (female) side wire this way. On the plug (male) side put both the return (neutral) and the Ground into the Neutral pin leaving the ground pin floating. This will issolate your ground from the neutral at the truck and avoid the ground fault.

This method and tool is "safe" if you use it for its intended purpose with the appropriate equipment. It could be very bad if you use this pigtail with an unbonded ground device or generator. Execute at your own risk...ring out the cable with a meter to make sure you have it right. If wiring diagrams or the use of a meter are foreign to you, I recommend you get help or simply don't do this. Also make absolutely certain your transfer box connection is disconnecting the main. Having this plugged in and the main on is very bad for many reasons.
 
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KevinTriplett

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Thanks for this, Golfr - just to be clear (I deal with 12V all the time but AC is a bit ofa mystery to me): if the neutral is grounded on the truck-side of the 30A connector, then why would connecting the ground wire to the grounded neutral be different from connecting it to truck ground?

Put another way: If I connect an ohm meter from grounded neutral to ground on the truck’s 30A receptacle, what would it read? Thanks again for your help.
 

n8dgr8

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Thanks for this, Golfr - just to be clear (I deal with 12V all the time but AC is a bit ofa mystery to me): if the neutral is grounded on the truck-side of the 30A connector, then why would connecting the ground wire to the grounded neutral be different from connecting it to truck ground?

Put another way: If I connect an ohm meter from grounded neutral to ground on the truck’s 30A receptacle, what would it read? Thanks again for your help.
On a digital multimeter, it is going to ring or beep when the multimeter is connected to the neutral and ground in the truck. Same thing on your house.

When you connect the house ground wire to the truck ground there are two paths for the electrons to flow through. The truck GFI detects the two paths and trips. That is why you need a special transfer switch (per code) or to break the redundant ground path (not per code).
 

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Gros Ventre

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As regards "breaking the redundant ground path." Breaking it between the truck & house is not per code and unsafe even if it seems to work. However if you can get the truck set up as a floating neutral by an electrician (or if Ford provides a method to do so), that is both safe and per Code.
 
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As regards "breaking the redundant ground path." Breaking it between the truck & house is not per code and unsafe even if it seems to work. However if you can get the truck set up as a floating neutral by an electrician (or if Ford provides a method to do so), that is both safe and per Code.
What makes it unsafe - I’ve seen that response multiple times. What specifically makes it unsafe, what can happen?!

I’ve been told by two master electricians and an electrical engineer that it is safe??‍♂
 

n8dgr8

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What makes it unsafe - I’ve seen that response multiple times. What specifically makes it unsafe, what can happen?!

I’ve been told by two master electricians and an electrical engineer that it is safe??‍♂
I suspect the concern is that you sell your truck or move and someone re-uses the setup without realizing the ground is not connected on a different style of generator. In wet conditions there is more risk of shock without a GFI protected generator.
 

Gros Ventre

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The issue is that if a fault occurs on the truck side of the break, the path to ground goes thru the trucks neutral path then into the house and to ground at the neutral ground bond. In effect the truck frame can be at a voltage above ground with a fault.
 

crossfirefrnk

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KH4T7T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1 Foot of this from your local Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwi...-Portable-Power-SJOOW-Cord-55812699/204725136

1642599431984.png


On the receptical (female) side wire this way. On the plug (male) side put both the return (neutral) and the Ground into the Neutral pin leaving the ground pin floating. This will issolate your ground from the neutral at the truck and avoid the ground fault.

This method and tool is "safe" if you use it for its intended purpose with the appropriate equipment. It could be very bad if you use this pigtail with an unbonded ground device or generator. Execute at your own risk...ring out the cable with a meter to make sure you have it right. If wiring diagrams or the use of a meter are foreign to you, I recommend you get help or simply don't do this. Also make absolutely certain your transfer box connection is disconnecting the main. Having this plugged in and the main on is very bad for many reasons.
Thank you for the information! I plan on doing it this way. We rarely loss power and don't care to spend a lot of money a lot of $$$ on a transfer switch I may never use.
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