Neutral switching only serves to disconnect the N/G bond from the main panel when the generator already has a N/G bond.

but if I had my druthers I'd put the ground onto the panel's ground wire. Can you get a longer piece of wire?

The issue is that the electrical service and panel and water supply come in one side of the house and the furnace and hot water heater are on the opposite side near the buried propane tank, so I'd either have to run a 45 foot extension cord or 45 foot ground wire or somehow try to split the difference. By using the jumper "ground" on the HW heater I can use a 10 foot extension cord and ground wire and be on the side of the house out of the way (north side) and right outside one of those small basement sliding windows. It is very convenient to hook it up and keeps the fumes and noise away from windows and doors and length of runs for extension cord and ground wire down, which I understand to be helpful and safer?

I am very confident but not 100% sure the cooper is continuous. There is one short run of about 3 feet that I can't see but they would have had to piece something in and mixed copper and plastic which would make no sense and probably not up to code. Of course some things I do make no sense.

I gather the bare #6 copper is the ground wire of choice? Is there a suitable insulated ground wire that is acceptable. I think I've seen # 10 at Home Depot but not # 8 or #6 but I am not sure. Is the #10 OK? Thanks!!!

By that you mean back feeding the panel? I am not doing that.

I am currently running 1 new 10 gauge outdoor type extension cord. I would plan to use this new short GFCI cord between that cord and the generator to "protect" the connection. If that works, it would seem like $30 very well spent.

Honestly I am not sure where the ground is in my home. I have not found any rods in the ground around my house, and I know my home pretty well. The only thing I have seen that comes close are green wires connecting to my water lines...definitely something I will be looking into when things are looking better.

Sure they can be bonded at the transfer switch, but then it's classified under "Separately Derived Power Generation" in the NEC when you do that.

Neutral switching is only required if the grounds are tied together, to avoid having the neutral above ground potential.

what ground are you using for your building service? If you dont have a rod now, it would be a very good upgrade, and not too expensive to put the proper 2 in the ground. Safer..

when all this shit blows over, of course..

-j

"I didn't generalize, you did. You said the NG bond cannot be at the generator when they are connected to a transfer switch. They certainly can with certain transfer switches."

Some do, some don't, it depends highly on the transfer panel so you can't generalize. Interlock kits for example have a different approach.

Incorrect, it can be either in the panel OR at the generator.
Transfer switches can switch the neutral. Mine for example does such thing, so the bond is at the generator, as per an electrician's recommendation.

Simple. There is no ground fault protection. So when the old extension cord powering the electric skillet has a nick on the hot and that brushes against the wife or baby who is also touching any grounded device, it could create a life threatening situation. Everything is more dangerous when people are using extension cords

Cool, glad to hear you fixed it.

power back yet? hope so

-j

I've explained the danger but you have ignored it.

I say, if you can't explain the danger, then you don't understand it either.

It's okay to warn people of the danger, go ahead. I will stand back and I won't disagree, better safe than sorry. BUT, you should know that you are appearing like you're just repeating what Nunya said, but don't actually understand.

Once the generator is also connected (better actually bonded) to the house's electrical system it's no more dangerous than the utility power would be.

There was no ground and no need for it until the user followed your advice. Forget about ground, you need two conductors to complete a circuit. Ground is not one of them with a floating neutral generator.

Yes, this is too much to ask in an emergency situation. Give safe advice or don't give any. Don't give unsafe advice and expect the forum regulars to bail you out or teach you why what you are recommending is dangerous.

Thanks for all of the replies. Here is what I have and what I plan to do. My house is 10 years old so has a relatively modern electric system. There is no PEX or plastic supply lines in the water supply system, it is 100% copper pipe. My main water supply line comes in near the main 200 amp electric panel and is grounded via a thick unsheathed cooper wire. I can see that ground wire running between the water supply and service panel, they are only about 6 feet away from each other. I can also see a clear cooper run of pipe that goes from that area, across the basement to supply cold water to my propane hot water heater. The hot water heater has the same thick braided copper wire jumping hot and cold pipe on the water heater. Based on this I ASSUME that the jumper is a proper ground as I can see the clear, uninterupted run of cooper pipe, the hook up to the main panel and the jumper on the water heater.

If I make-up the modified extension cord (thanks for the picture it confirmed what I needed to do!) and tie the generator ground into the exposed jumper/ground on the water heater (which I truly believe to be 100% grounded based on the above), it is as safe as it can get?

I want to know/learn/understand. Is it too much to ask or is this forum no longer about learning?

As far as the N/G bond, it's not at the generator with a transfer switch, it's bonded at the panel.

You guys keep talking about return path through ground... yes, I know that now, but I don't see how it is less safe than the typical wiring in a house.

The generator might be wet, extension cords yet, but even if his whole plumbing became live because of a short, the current would flow back to the neutral and trip the breaker.

I'm trying to understand, but no one is giving me comparisons as to how a short would kill someone with a generator, but not with normal house wiring (Again, don't mention GFCIs, they aren't everywhere). The only ADDED risk I see, is AT the generator, outside, in the rain.