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R

rover v8

i am trying to install a generator as a back up to a house . now i have installed a change over switch but cannot check for polarity as cannot get an earth reading. as with all of europe we have 2 pin plugs. we have tt over here with the earth and neutral in the same lug with an earth stake. now i have changed that and put in a clean earth but still no reading from the genny to earth. any ideas ?
 
no i have not. i have read else where that you need to do this for an rcd to work but we have a main switch. this i believe is best done in the plug ? will the genny then need a seperate earth of its own ?thanks for replying.
 
no i have not. i have read else where that you need to do this for an rcd to work but we have a main switch. this i believe is best done in the plug ? will the genny then need a seperate earth of its own ?thanks for replying.

When you talked about TT earthing in your first post, i thought you had already provided the generator with it own earthing provision. If you haven't, then YES you do need to provide the gen-set with a separate TT earthing provision. This has nothing to do with RCD protection, this is all to do with grounding/referencing the Neutral point of the generators windings.
 
if you sort out a flight for me and 4 electrician's mates, provide us with accomodation, feed and water us, i'll come and have a look at it for you. a job like that could take 2 to 3 weeks, at a guess. i'll only charge you my regular rate as well!
 
ok then thats all simply. what i do not understand is why i could not get a reading from the genny across the clean earth ? thanks for your help.
shagbite, you would not cope over here , hours are 2 long 8 till 2 ,ppe is a pest espescaily when you drop something as flip flops give you great protection and water ? only grape juice here or beer with your bread and cheese at 11am for breakfast. also safety hazard is the waterfalls off the end of your nose when you are working live. wages 40e for a days work, you still up for it ?
 
What i probably should of asked in the first place is what type of generator are we talking about here, and what sort of KVA/KW output. Do you have a name and model number, or better still an on line link to the unit you have??

There are some small single phase Gennie's that are not suitable for supplying a household installation, pretty much only good for on site work, powering tools etc.
 
the customer brought it from lidl's. it is only 2.8kw. the idea is that we have lots of outages here for a long time, so he wants to be able to run the water pump and freezers . he realises that it will not do the house.
- Einhell - Genuine Spares and Accessories - Buy Online
here is the link but not to much info there.
my main problem is checking the polarity that is coming out for obvious reasons.
 
I'd be very surprised if any part of the generator windings was connected to the chassis of the generator but would certainly make absolutely sure there was no internal path before going any further.

Then assuming you do find that the generator outputs are floating you can connect the chassis and one of the output conductors to your new TT spike, that's now the Neutral. The other conductor then becomes the Live phase.
 
Here is a couple of statement from the Manual for this Generator....


4. Intended use
The device is designed for applicationsoperated with a 230 V alternating currentsource.Be sure to observe the restrictions in the safetyinstructions. The generator is intended toprovide electric power tools and light sourceswith electricity. When using the device withhousehold appliances, please check theirsuitability in accordance with the relevantmanufacturer’s instructions. In case of doubt,ask an authorized dealer of the respectiveequipment.The equipment is to be used only for itsprescribed purpose. Any other use is deemedto be a case of misuse. The user/operator andnot the manufacturer will be liable for anydamage or injuries of any kind caused as aresult of this.Please note that our equipment has not beendesigned for use in commercial, trade orindustrial applications. Our warranty will bevoided if the equipment is used in commercial,trade or industrial businesses or for equivalent​
purposes.





6.4 Connecting to earth​
The housing must be connected to earth inorder to discharge static electricity. To do this,connect one end of a cable to the earthconnection on the generator (Fig. 3/Item 4) andthe other end to an external earth (for example
an earthing rod).


This sounds very much like a ''floating earth'' generator. To be honest it's not a type that i would connect to household appliances, as, ...as far as i can see the is no AVR incorporated within this unit to the alternators output, ..eg, little to no voltage regulation. Voltage output is solely dependant on alternators speed in other words...




 
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ok i have not used gennys before , so are you saying that if it is a floating earth that by connecting one side down to earth the other side automaticly becomes the live phase ? as for checking to see if it is connect to the chassis in any way we would need to almost pull it apart to check ?
 
ok then thats all simply. what i do not understand is why i could not get a reading from the genny across the clean earth ? thanks for your help.
shagbite, you would not cope over here , hours are 2 long 8 till 2 ,ppe is a pest espescaily when you drop something as flip flops give you great protection and water ? only grape juice here or beer with your bread and cheese at 11am for breakfast. also safety hazard is the waterfalls off the end of your nose when you are working live. wages 40e for a days work, you still up for it ?

rover, you make it sound terrible!

but what kind of fella would i be if i left you in the lurch? the offer's still open.

p.s. make up an extra bed - my trusty geordie bag carrier's just stepped up.
 
Do the outputs test clear to the frame. If yes conect one O/P to frame and earth, the other O/P is then your line.
If not, you've bought the wrong generator.

For gods sake it's not rocket science.
 
thanks for that tony, if i was as intelligent as you i would not be asking the question. generators are not a path that has crossed me in my career till now. thanks to all that have helped in this thread it is muched appreciated.
 
Be aware that if this generator does not have an AVR installed that if the generator runs over speed (or under speed for that matter), the voltage it supplies will increase or decrease and could cause damage to any equipment it is supplying, especially motors in pumps / refrigeration compressors.
 
tony , no i have not tested yet as have not been back to site since starting this thread. i will be going on saturday morning to set it up.
 
thanks for all the reply. yes earth was flosting but all sorted and up and running. thanks again.

So you have a floating earth portable generator without an AVR, supplying household appliances, that it was never envisaged or designed to supply!! Did you not read the extracts of the operators manual i posted above??

Here they are again...



4. Intended use
The device is designed for applications operated with a 230 V alternating current source.Be sure to observe the restrictions in the safety instructions. The generator is intended to provide electric power tools and light sources with electricity. When using the device with household appliances, please check their suitability in accordance with the relevant manufacturer’s instructions. In case of doubt, ask an authorized dealer of the respective equipment.The equipment is to be used only for its prescribed purpose. Any other use is deemed to be a case of misuse. The user/operator and not the manufacturer will be liable for any damage or injuries of any kind caused as a result of this. Please note that our equipment has not been designed for use in commercial, trade or industrial applications. Our warranty will be voided if the equipment is used in commercial, trade or industrial businesses or for equivalent purposes.



 

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