How to Ground Your Generator When Camping

Even if you're an experienced camper, it's always a good idea to brush up on the basics before heading out into the great outdoors. After all, part of the appeal of camping is getting away from it all and enjoying some peace and quiet. The last thing you want is to be bothered by a noisy generator or, worse, deal with an electrical fire. That's why today we're going to answer a question we get a lot here at Camping World: do I need to ground my generator when camping?

What Are the Risks If I Don't Ground My Generator?

If you don't ground your generator, you run the risk of electrical fires and shocks. That's because generators produce electricity, and that electricity needs somewhere to go. If there's nowhere for it to go, it will build up and eventually cause a fire. Even if you're using your generator correctly, if it's not properly grounded there's still a risk of an electrical shock. And we all know how dangerous those can be.

How Do You Ground a Generator When Camping?

Fortunately, grounding your generator is a pretty simple process. All you need is a length of copper wire (about 10 feet should do the trick) and something to drive it into the ground with (a hammer will do). Once you have those two things, just follow these steps:

1. Drive the copper wire into the ground about 10 feet from your generator. Make sure the wire is buried deep enough that it won't be disturbed by foot traffic or other activity.
2. Connect one end of the wire to the green grounding terminal on your generator.
3. Connect the other end of the wire to a metal stake driven into the ground near your generator. This will complete the circuit and allow any excess electricity to flow safely into the ground instead of building up in your generator.
4. That's it! You're now ready to use your generator without worry about electrical fires or shocks. Just remember to keep an eye on the wire connection and make sure it stays snug so that there's no danger of electrocution.

As you can see, grounding your generator is a pretty easy process that only takes a few minutes (and some basic supplies). But even though it's easy, it's still important—after all, your safety should always be your top priority when camping. So next time you're packing up for a trip, make sure you add some copper wire and a metal stake to your list of supplies. It could very well save your life!

Now that you know how to ground a generator check out our article on the best camping generators on the market: