Open Ground on the generator side

[RonAltman]

One of the things noted in our pre purchase survey was an open ground on the generator side of the electrical system, not the short power side. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated?

20004 Carver 466

[Viper]

Did they provide any other details? How did they arrive at that conclusion? Did they test at an outlet with the generator running and the shore power disconnected or did they notice a disconnected wire?

[RonAltman]

To the best of my knowledge it was done from an outlet with the generator running. The first I heard about it was in reading the survey.

[Viper]

Pretty sure there is supposed to be a neutral to ground connection at the generator. There and on shore from the source is the only place this connection should be made. Don't know if this applies with your model or any marine generators but some generators utilize a floating ground which will throw off test equipment readings. Going through a wiring diagram for the generator should reveal whether or not this neutral/ground hookup applies. For safety reasons, it's best to seek out someone who specializes in marine generators. If it's a Kohler for example, it may be worth calling Kohler and asking about this issue on your model. While they're done with generator production, I'm sure they still provide support and staff that can answer technical questions, it's been a while since I've talked to them though. Perhaps KeithS will chime in.