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Old 04-27-2020, 10:01 PM   #1
ShrimpBurrito
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Default Honda generator owners - can you use a GFCI?

I'm going to get a Honda inverter generator for home backup power. The most popular model is the new 2200 watt model (the EU2200i, which replaces the old EU2000i model). It reportedly has a "floating neutral", and so my understanding of that is such that a plug-in ground fault circuit interupter (GFCI), like this one, will not provide any protection. For those with a better understanding of this than I (ahem, Bill), is that correct?

In contrast, a slightly modified version of this generator, the EB2200i, has BUILT-IN GFCI's, made possible because it does NOT have a floating neutral, and instead has its neutral bonded to the frame. This begs the question, why would they not have a neutral bonded frame on the other model? Notably, this model lacks the DC charging circuit and the ability to piggy-back another generator with parallel cables that the EU2200i. So, while they're the same price, that's the trade off.

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Old 04-28-2020, 09:56 AM   #2
Bill
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Your question was "CAN I use a GFI?" There is never a time when you cannot use a GFI. The only question is what you expect it to do.

One of the unfortunate things about a Ground Fault Interrupter is the inclusion of the word "ground" in its name. It implies that a GFI MUST have a ground connection in order to work. Not so. A GFI simply compares the amount of electricity flowing out of the source through the HOT wire, to the amount flowing back to the source through the NEUTRAL wire. They are supposed to be exactly equal. If they are not, the GFI concludes that some electricity is escaping somewhere - it doesn't know or care where. It assumes the leak is dangerous, so it cuts off the power. A GFI will do this whether there is a ground present or not.

If you have a generator, and the generator has, or does not have, a neutral-to-ground connection, the GFI still looks at the balance between hot and neutral. And if there is an imbalance, it will still cut off the power. Again, it doesn't know or care where the leakage is.

I won't delve more deeply into the issue. Instead, I will refer you to an accepted RV electrical expert named Mike Sokol, who deals with this question every month, it seems. Rather than going all theoretical (as I tend to do), he simply recommends making a neutral-to-ground bonding plug for about a buck. You plug it into your generator, and it connects (bonds) the generator's neutral wire to the generator's ground. Now your generator is ready for either RV use, or usage for household standby power. As Mike notes, the lack of a ground connection can upset a so-called "smart" surge protector, and a bonding plug fixes this. But it has no effect on a GFI.

Check out Mike's explanation here.

http://noshockzone.org/generator-gro...utral-bonding/

Bill
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Old 04-28-2020, 11:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill View Post
...he simply recommends making a neutral-to-ground bonding plug for about a buck. You plug it into your generator, and it connects (bonds) the generator's neutral wire to the generator's ground. Now your generator is ready for either RV use, or usage for household standby power.
Thanks, Bill. Yes, I've read about making a plug like this. So if I understand correctly, using the plug will allow for the ground-fault protection afforded by a plug-in GFCI like the one I linked to above.

Basically, with the addition of the neutral-to-ground bonding plug and the plug-in GFCI with the EU2200i gives you the same GFCI protection as the EB2200i.

Sound right to you?

Dave
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Old 04-29-2020, 09:24 AM   #4
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Yes

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