84 v from remote earth and ground rod

[CLAG]

I have L1 L2 L3 and G
running from a 277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod)
The disconnect feeds a panel board( which has no line to neutral loads ) the panel board feeds a 208/ 120transformer
The transformer is grounded to the same ground rod as the disconnect and it
Has the system bonding jumper
So I have l1 l2 l3 n and g in the panel board
The panel board is feeding some 208v light poles and each pole has an auxiliary ground rod
The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v
The lights poles flickers and after a while the breaker trips
I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
All this is really close to transmission lines
Thanks for your time
I'll really appreciate your help thanks

 

[infinity]

Where is the system bonding jumper located?

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Dsg319]

I have L1 L2 L3 and G
running from a 277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod)
The disconnect feeds a panel board( which has no line to neutral loads ) the panel board feeds a 208/ 120transformer
The transformer is grounded to the same ground rod as the disconnect and it
Has the system bonding jumper
So I have l1 l2 l3 n and g in the panel board
The panel board is feeding some 208v light poles and each pole has an auxiliary ground rod
The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v
The lights poles flickers and after a while the breaker trips
I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
All this is really close to transmission lines
Thanks for your time
I'll really appreciate your help thanks

Do the light poles have an EGC pulled and connected to the pole?

Maybe just a faulted 2-wire circuit with a useless ground rod that was supposedly suppose to clear a ground fault.

 

[CLAG]

Yes they do

 

[synchro]

... The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v

... All this is really close to transmission lines

Did you measure the voltage from remote earth to ground rod with the generator or disconnect shut OFF vs. when they're ON to see what difference it would make?

 

[CLAG]

Where is the system bonding jumper located?

Welcome to the Forum.

In the transformer

 

[CLAG]

Did you measure the voltage from remote earth to ground rod with the generator or disconnect shut OFF vs. when they're ON to see what difference it would make?

No I didn't
I was a little frustrated thinking about the connections to ground that I dint think on that but tomorrow I'll do the test

 

[zbang]

A lot of the original description is clear as mud. For instance-
277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) (No equipment groundING conductor?, is the neutral brought to the disco?)
to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod) (From the generator neutral or ???)

I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
Is there a bonding jumper then from the transformer XO to the GES?

It sounds as if the EGC's are haphazardly connected. I'd start by tracing every ground wire with an eye to "where do the fault currents go?", if a lighting circuit faulting to the EGC can't trip the breaker, there's a large problem. Could also be that there are already branch circuit faults that a grounding problem is masking.

 

[CLAG]

A lot of the original description is clear as mud. For instance-
277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) (No equipment groundING conductor?, is the neutral brought to the disco?)
to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod) (From the generator neutral or ???)

I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
Is there a bonding jumper then from the transformer XO to the GES?

It sounds as if the EGC's are haphazardly connected. I'd start by tracing every ground wire with an eye to "where do the fault currents go?", if a lighting circuit faulting to the EGC can't trip the breaker, there's a large problem. Could also be that there are already branch circuit faults that a grounding problem is masking.

Sorry I'll try to say it as clear as I can The generator doesn't have a ground rod
Then I have l1 l2 l3 and equipment grounding conductor (which is bonded to the neutral )going to a 3phase disconnect
So I have l1 l2 l3 and equipment grounding conductor in the disconnect so it is grounded ( connected to a ground rod at the disconnect )
Yes it had the system bonding jumper at the transformer and at the panel board as well

 

[LarryFine]

Sorry I'll try to say it as clear as I can The generator doesn't have a ground rod
Then I have l1 l2 l3 and equipment grounding conductor (which is bonded to the neutral )going to a 3phase disconnect
So I have l1 l2 l3 and equipment grounding conductor in the disconnect so it is grounded ( connected to a ground rod at the disconnect )
Yes it had the system bonding jumper at the transformer and at the panel board as well

I'm not seeing a neutral in the feeder mentioned.

 

[Little Bill]

I'm not seeing a neutral in the feeder mentioned.

OP said there were no line to neutral loads so I would guess there was no neutral ran. That and the fact they were using a transformer for 120V loads.

 

[ActionDave]

.....The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v
The lights poles flickers and after a while the breaker trips

Forget about remote earth.
What breaker trips?
What other voltage tests did you make?
Is this a problem that affects all the pole lights?

 

[ptonsparky]

Where is the system bonding jumper for the Generator? A Floating neutral to a rod does not bond it. Doesn't matter if you have no neutral load, it must be bonded somewhere. At the Gen or at the Disconnect. Not both.

Like this?
Gen to Gen disconnect: Three phase conductors, one floating Neutral, one EG bonded to Gen. System bonding jumper in the Gen disconnect. GES.
Gen Disconnect to transformer: Three phase conductors to primary One EG to Xfmr frame.
Transformer Secondary to Tran disconnect: Three phase conductors, one floating Neutral, one EG bonded to frame.. Secondary bonding jumper in the Tran Disconnect. GES.
Branch Circuits to poles. Phase conductors and EG. Supplementary rods as desired.

ETA: As Dave suggests, your 87 volts to remote earth could be coming from the floating Gen neutral and has nothing to do with the tripping breakers

 

[CLAG]

Forget about remote earth.
What breaker trips?
What other voltage tests did you make?
Is this a problem that affects all the

I have L1 L2 L3 and G
running from a 277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod)
The disconnect feeds a panel board( which has no line to neutral loads ) the panel board feeds a 208/ 120transformer
The transformer is grounded to the same ground rod as the disconnect and it
Has the system bonding jumper
So I have l1 l2 l3 n and g in the panel board
The panel board is feeding some 208v light poles and each pole has an auxiliary ground rod
The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v
The lights poles flickers and after a while the breaker trips
I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
All this is really close to transmission lines
Thanks for your time
I'll really appreciate your help thanks

Hello everyone thanks

I have L1 L2 L3 and G
running from a 277/480 generator ( it is not grounded) to a disconnect (which has a connection to a ground rod)
The disconnect feeds a panel board( which has no line to neutral loads ) the panel board feeds a 208/ 120transformer
The transformer is grounded to the same ground rod as the disconnect and it
Has the system bonding jumper
So I have l1 l2 l3 n and g in the panel board
The panel board is feeding some 208v light poles and each pole has an auxiliary ground rod
The problem is that if I measure from remote earth to the ground rod I got 85 v
The lights poles flickers and after a while the breaker trips
I found out that in the 208 /120 panel board had the main bonding installed so I removed it and I thought that was the problem but it's still doing the same thing
All this is really close to transmission lines
Thanks for your time
I'll really appreciate your help thanks

Hello everyone
I just want to say that I really appreciate your help !
Yesterday and today I did not go to troubleshoot that job
But one of my co-workers went today and he decided to install the auxilary ground rods first and then fix the problem and he told me that when he was installing the gec at the auxiliaries ground rods he said that when the wire made contact with the rod it made an arc!
after a while he decided to remove the connection to ground at the disconnect and he went back to the auxiliary ground rods and the arc disappeared and the breaker for the light poles did not trip again
But I feel that something else is going on there

 

[ptonsparky]

Hello everyone thanks

Hello everyone
I just want to say that I really appreciate your help !
Yesterday and today I did not go to troubleshoot that job
But one of my co-workers went today and he decided to install the auxilary ground rods first and then fix the problem and he told me that when he was installing the gec at the auxiliaries ground rods he said that when the wire made contact with the rod it made an arc!
after a while he decided to remove the connection to ground at the disconnect and he went back to the auxiliary ground rods and the arc disappeared and the breaker for the light poles did not trip again
But I feel that something else is going on there

Yes, there is.

 

[Dsg319]

Hello everyone thanks

Hello everyone
I just want to say that I really appreciate your help !
Yesterday and today I did not go to troubleshoot that job
But one of my co-workers went today and he decided to install the auxilary ground rods first and then fix the problem and he told me that when he was installing the gec at the auxiliaries ground rods he said that when the wire made contact with the rod it made an arc!
after a while he decided to remove the connection to ground at the disconnect and he went back to the auxiliary ground rods and the arc disappeared and the breaker for the light poles did not trip again
But I feel that something else is going on there

Is there an EGC pulled and connected to the metal poles??

 

[ptonsparky]

Hint. Don't touch the poles .

 

[ptonsparky]

Is there an EGC pulled and connected to the metal poles??

My thoughts as well.

 

[Dsg319]

Hint. Don't touch the poles .

Hopefully there’s no male dogs in the area.

 

[Fred B]

Here is a thought. Did someone install lights as a 277 rather than 480? If so these lights are trying to use the EGC as a neutral.