Question for you guys about using portable generators at the track. Do you guys ground your generators? I just bought one and the instructions say I should ground it by connecting a grounding wire to the grounding nut on the genny and attaching the other end of this wire to a copper or brass grounding rod driven into the earth. Most times at the race track this is not possible as I am pitted on blacktop.

Plus I plan on using it to provide power when I need to work on my racecar in the garage. My garage is one of those commercial units that you can rent. It's in the middle of the row a long way from any earth, so running a grounding wire would be pretty impractical. It has a metal frame with the motor and everything else attached to that. Does sitting the generator on the ground provide a good enough ground?

 

I don't know what kind of generator it is, but I use a portable coleman 15 hurs a weekend, every weekend for the last 2-3 years, and I've never grounded it ever, works fine, starts of the first pull, and has never let me down.

 

Thanks for the response Blue Bird. Anybody else use a prtable generator at the track?

 

Nope never did that with mine, been doing it for the past 4 years.

 

Well, it's sitting on the ground so it is likely grounded (though not necessarily very well) anyway. I use one and never really thought about it. I will ask my EE friend though!

Rich

 

Ditto, I've used a generator for many things through the years and I've never once grounded it, and I've had no problems. Not to say this is necessarily safe, but on the other hand I've never seen someone ground a portable generator and I'd think the manufacturers would realize this is common practice and design them to be OK without the ground.

 

I spent about a decade or so on construction sites and we never grounded a portable generator.

 

Thanks guys. I'm pretty sure that it's the manufacturers way of covering their *** just in case. I just wanted to make sure.