Are they grounded good?

HERE ARE THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN DETERMINING WHETHER A GROUND IS GOOD OR NOT ...

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Start with the Strap

The ideal ground strap is .at, braided copper, 3/4 of an inch to an inch wide, of 6 AWG or better. It is coated and will have a nickel or tin coloring. NSN 6145-00-395-8799 brings this strap by the foot.

The distance the strap must cover from the earth electrode--rod or other buried metal--to the generator should be short and straight. Fifteen feet is the maximum. Make sure there are no loops, kinks, knots or bends. Make sure the strap maintains the path of least resistance by running it around or under obstacles and not over them.

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The strap needs to be securely connected both to the rod and the generator. It should not be wrapped around the rod as a means of connection. If this has been done, it should have been a temporary solution until a clamp could be found and used. If the wrap looks permanent, report it or fix it!

Continue with the Connections

Your generator frame or the trailer it sits on, has a built-in ground terminal. Make sure the threads on the terminal are clean and good and that the terminal is not loose. Also, make sure the wing nut is tight and the ground-wire lug is mated metal-to-metal with both the generator frame or trailer and any washers in use.

On the opposite end, you must use a clamp or a thumbscrew. If a clamp is used, make sure the area of the rod or underground pipe that the clamp is mated to is clean and has good, bare metal. You might use a knife to scrape the spot to ensure this. Make sure the clamp is tight and that the strap is tight within the clamp. You might find a strap that is attached to the clamp with copper wire. This should be temporary. If it looks permanent, report it or fix it!

Finish Well

As you wrap up your inspection of the grounding site, make sure the top of the ground rod is below the land surface. See if the soil around the ground rod has been conditioned with chemicals and water. Make sure that every generator has its own ground rod.

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