J
JoeRaisin
I work (when there IS work) as a gas/oil drilling consultant. There are
generally several work trailers on the drilling location powered from
the generator house - a large semi-trailer itself.
Suffice it to say the generators provide fluctuating power levels at
best which is why most trailers utilize a couple of layers of UPS
protection to level things out. My question is about grounding, which
can sometimes be an issue.
Some folks have taken to hammering in their own ground stakes outside
their trailers. These trailers are usually 50-150 feet from the
generator house.
Some have taken the added measure of NOT using the ground line from the
generator and use only the ground stake and they swear this has saved
their equipment on numerous occasions.
How dangerous is it to have these separate grounds that far apart? If
they insist on their own ground stakes, would it be better to keep the
generator ground and bond the two grounds via the ground bus on the
trailer's panel?
I probably won't be able to convince anyone to alter their own beliefs -
I'm just trying to assess the level of risk I'm at when entering/exiting
these trailers in a snow/mud mix ankle deep (ie: should I wear my thick
rubber gloves when grabbing the metal door handles).
Most of these trailers use a split phase as they need 220 for the
heaters (Michigan).
Thanks in advance.
generally several work trailers on the drilling location powered from
the generator house - a large semi-trailer itself.
Suffice it to say the generators provide fluctuating power levels at
best which is why most trailers utilize a couple of layers of UPS
protection to level things out. My question is about grounding, which
can sometimes be an issue.
Some folks have taken to hammering in their own ground stakes outside
their trailers. These trailers are usually 50-150 feet from the
generator house.
Some have taken the added measure of NOT using the ground line from the
generator and use only the ground stake and they swear this has saved
their equipment on numerous occasions.
How dangerous is it to have these separate grounds that far apart? If
they insist on their own ground stakes, would it be better to keep the
generator ground and bond the two grounds via the ground bus on the
trailer's panel?
I probably won't be able to convince anyone to alter their own beliefs -
I'm just trying to assess the level of risk I'm at when entering/exiting
these trailers in a snow/mud mix ankle deep (ie: should I wear my thick
rubber gloves when grabbing the metal door handles).
Most of these trailers use a split phase as they need 220 for the
heaters (Michigan).
Thanks in advance.