Bonded Neutral Vs Floating Neutral – What is the Difference | Generator Guide

Bonded Neutral vs Floating Neutral
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If you use a generator to power your appliances, then there are chances of faults, which can give a shock. But, this doesn’t happen in properly designed modern portable generators. Why is that? The answer is the grounding.

A generator is grounded to divert the unwanted current to the ground through the least resistance path, so you stay safe. For a generator a bonded neutral and floating neutral terms are most used when it comes to grounding. It is important that we understand these terms.

How are they different? and how they work? In this article, we have provided answers to those questions and also few others.

What is ‘Grounding’?

Grounding

Grounding is the term that refers to the connection between the conducting body and the electrical circuit or an appliance through a very least resistant path. The conducting body is, for almost all cases is earth. That’s why it is grounding, and earthing is used alternatively.

For a generator, the grounding is done by means of its frame, and a neutral wire is connected to the generator frame, which acts as a ground terminal providing the low resistance patch to the current if the fault occurs. Note that bonding and grounding are two different terms. Bonding means the connection of components of the generators to the frame. This brings them to the same voltage and eliminates circulating current if there is a fault.

What is Bonded Neutral?

When the neutral is connected to the frame of the generator, it is referred to as a bonded neutral.

A transfer switch is used to make a connection between the generator and the main panel of the house. The electricity from the main panel flows to all the circuits of the house and comes back to the panel. The neutral is a return path for the current supplied from a live wire.

Nowadays, most of the generators come with GFCI outlet protection. A GFCI is an acronym for the “Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter,” it senses the smallest current flowing out of the path and trips the breaker in milliseconds. For these generators, the use of a GFCI switch is a must to prevent the breaker from tripping.

For safety consideration, NEC requires the neutral to be taken away from the original source and connect to the first means of disconnect. The connection of the neutral should be at only one place; otherwise, it will result in stray voltage and currents.

A GFCI transfer switch is a 3-pole switch that transfers the neutral from the panel to the generator. As this is done, there will exist only one neutral from the generator frame. If you use the 2-pole switch, then it will not transfer the neutral to the generator, and the GFCI outlets will see another ground. From the transfer switch, it will mark as leakage, and the breakers will trip.

What is Floating Neutral?

As opposed to bonded neutral, where the neutral is connected to the generator frame. A floating neutral is the one where a neutral doesn’t get connected to the frame or to the ground. This means both the wires on the receptacle are live wires.

But, for safety purposes, there must be a neutral connection. The neutral will already be there in a home from the main panel and in an RV as well. That’s why floating generators are mainly used to power the home or an RV. There is no need for a 3-pole switch as we don’t need the neutral to be transferred. A simple transfer switch will do the job perfectly fine.

The fact that both wires will be hot wires will result in the unavailability of the return path when there occurs a short circuit. Suppose a power develops a short circuit. No worries, as you will be safe because the current will disperse to the ground from the generator frame. You won’t get a shock as the floating neutral ensures the connection between the live wire and the frame at the same time when a short circuit happens.

Conclusion

Now you should have a clear understanding of bonded neutral and floating neutral. These mechanisms are there for your safety, so it is not a good idea to make changes to them yourself. Take help from an electrician if you have any problem regarding the neutral. Don’t try to be DIYer here. It can be dangerous and will also void your warranty on it.

If you are not sure of your generator type, then refer to the instruction manual; it will be mentioned there.

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