‰ NOW 13 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM NOVEMBER 2013 QST PAGE 46 ‰ CORDS EXTENSION CORDS ARE PROBABLY THE CHEAPEST OPTION. SPECIAL GEN CORDS ARE REALLY MADE FOR THE JOB SEE FIGURE 2. THEY OFFER ALL WEATHER CONVENIENCE AND COME IN BOTH 20 AND 30 A VERSIONS THAT CONNECT DIRECTLY TO YOUR GENERATORS 240 V OUTPUT. IF CONSIDERING A GEN CORD, SIMPLY SELECT THE SIZE THAT ACCOMMODATES THE OUTLET ON YOUR GENERATOR. THE LOAD END OF A GEN CORD TYPICALLY SPLITS INTO FOUR 120 V RECEPTACLES. IN THIS CASE, THE VOLTAGE DROP IN THE GEN CORDS COMMON NEUTRAL WIRE CAN BE REDUCED BY ƒ QST DE W1AW ‰ BALANCING THE LOADS BETWEEN THE TWO PHASES. SEE THE SIDEBAR ENTITLED THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING NEUTRAL FOR MORE EXPLANATION. GROUNDING REQUIREMENTS WHEN USING AN EXTENSION OR GEN CORD CAN VARY. GENERALLY, MOST GENERATOR MANUALS THAT IVE SEEN RECOMMEND GROUNDING THE GENERATOR. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSULT WITH YOUR LOCAL BUILDING INSPECTOR FOR ANY ADDITIONAL LOCAL CODE REQUIREMENTS. IF NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED, WE ‰ END OF 13 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ