So is that a "yes" to bonding neutral and "ground" of the generator to the gen's frame manually myself if I'm unsure if it already wired up that way?
If so, would that be a safe way to do it?...
I would recommend that you have this done by a professional. It needs to be done internal of the generator such as this illustration shows.
Here the bond was removed because the â€bonding€ took place at the main for the building. The â€bonding€ can not occur at both the generator and the building.
Remove the cover where the receptacles are, link the neutral to ground on all the receptacles with a few short pieces of 12 gauge wire (preferably green insulated wire so it will be properly color coded) and then run a long 12 gauge wire down to the screw that Coleman put for using a grounding rod and attach it there. Oh wait.. I might have to run that wire to the frame, not the screw. Might have to do both actually just to be sure its done properly. Link the 12 gauge wire from neutral/ground bonding at the receptacles to the screw meant for a ground rod and then link the screw to the frame. That would be a full proof way of making sure everything is bonded properly and is attached to the frame.
NO! NO! NO! this is not the way to bond the generator and is doing nothing but causing a more dangerous situation.
As I understand it about the RV panel, it is considered a "sub panel" under the NEC code and so neutral & ground must be isolated there.
There is no such animal called a panelist this is a phrase that has been picked up in the field and has no meaning in the NEC.
What makes the distribution panelboard get called a subpanel is what is supplying the panel. Every panel is supplied by either feeders or service entrance conductors. The RV is supplied through feeders by both the pedestal or generator as either are required to have overcurrent protection for the conductors connected between them and the RV.
This is because the power source it is getting is supposed to be properly bonded either in a main breaker panel such as in a house, an RV park/campground outdoor breaker panel with GFI receptacles, or bonded at the generator.
This is correct
(Note: If i say ground I am referring to the wire that goes to the 3rd prong on a 15A receptacle. You seem to do otherwise. I'm confused by the various usage of ground vs grounded vs grounding so I'm keeping it simple by saying "neutral" & "ground")
Well it is easy to understand what each is called and what each is supposed to do. The words ground vs grounded vs grounding simply mean connect to mother earth. The terms "neutral" & "ground") say the same thing, connected to earth.
The one word you have left out is the most important and it is called bonding and means that the conductors you mentioned have been connected together at the point where the supply of current is taken and in this case the generator.
In earlier post I have pointed out that ANY and ALL generators used for a RV must be listed for the use. Look carefully at the section of the NEC posted below.
551.32 Other Sources.
Other sources of ac power, such as inverters,
motor generators, or engine generators, shall be listed for use in recreational vehicles and shall be installed in accordance with the terms of the listing.
Other sources of ac power
shall be wired in full conformity with the requirements in Parts I, II, III, IV, and V of this article covering 120-volt electrical systems.
Yes I know and understand that a lot of people do not know about this section and just as many do not understand the requirements of bonding these systems.
In my area there is a slew of RV parks and I get calls all the time about someone using a generator that is not bonded and feeling a tingle on rainy days until I ask on the phone about the electrical connection before I go out on the call. 99% of these calls are about the remote generator that is not properly listed for the use and are not bonded.
The part I like best is when it is still raining and the generator has been set inside a cavity of the RV to protect it from the weather. Now it just became a mounted generator and I recommend to the park manager to either have the RV owner sign a wavier of liability or evict then from the park.
The NEC does not require that the generator being used on a RV be listed because the NEC is making a lot of money from the sale of listed generators but instead the NEC requires that generators be listed for the purpose as a safety issue.
The danger comes when the RV owner wants to save a little money and buy something just because it works without understanding the danger involved.