2005 Classic 25 with Honda generator eu2000i

[charlieBob]

I need some advice please. I am trying to figure out a safe solution to using the Honda eu2000i and The Honda 2000 Companion to power my 2005 Classic 25. This is what I have done:

I hooked up both gens using the parallel kit supplied by Honda. The kit supplied a 30 amp twist lock receptacle. I plugged in a model 44260 Surge Guard 120volt 30 amp and it shows an open ground. I read in the Honda gen manual that Honda system grounds the gen frame to the ground terminals in the AC output receptacles. I plug in the trailer shore power to the gen and the surge guard indicates Reverse Polarity. I use an Automated Engineering Corp. Model 20020 digital voltage monitor in the trailer plugged in to a receptacle in the galley. It indicates a reverse polarity fault condition with red fault warning light on. Meanwhile both gens are green light and go.

I remove the surge guard and plug trailer shore power directly into 30 amp twist lock plug. I get the Ground Fault indication with a red fault warning light on the digital monitor. Both gens are still doing their thing with green lights and a go condition. There is ac power being supplied to the trailer.

My questions: Is this normal? Do I need the surge guard when running the Hondas? Is there a different voltage monitor to use when running on generator power supply? Any concerns with what I am doing?

I have read that Honda gens have surge protection. I have also read on forums about re-wiring the receptacle to eliminate the GF condition. I don't want to harm anything or do something that would negate the warranty on the gens.

I know you guys are out there so let me know what you think. Thanks!

[alano]

Here's a good article that explains the ground-neutral bonding issue with portable generators. The upshot is to bond the ground and neutral together at the generator. The article explains a simple plug you can make for this purpose.

There's also an interesting comment regarding running two Honda generators in parallel:

Mike Sokol says: January 13, 2014 at 7:53 am, I’ve had several readers use the G-N bonding plug on Paralleled Honda generators. One was done using an aftermarket parallel kit, while a few of them had one of the Honda companion generators which doesn’t require an external kit. These all worked well, with the only slight exception being the external parallel kit version when the interconnecting “parallel” cables were accidentally phase reversed. That phase only caused a 3-light tester to indicated H-N swap on the outlets in the RV, but otherwise worked. So I recommend that you use the G-N bonding plug on the “second” generator feeding your shore power plug, plus make sure you plainly mark the parallel interconnecting cables so it’s clearly visible how they plug into the generators. Apparently those parallel interconnect cables only have a small colored stripe to indicate the connection which is easy to get mixed up.

This may explain your reverse polarity fault.

[sgschwend]

The national electric code (NEC) is part of the fire protection code (NFPA70), it was established to resolve the safety and fire issues with residential and commercial electrical systems.

In creating a power supply (which is what you are doing with one or two generators) a ground is required. It is necessary to provide a grounding circuit. Without a ground the load center will not have a complete safety circuit and some of the protective devices will not work, not just a GFCI but also a short between the power lead and any other conductor such as your trailer skin.

In establishing a new power supply (with your generators) the neutral or return needs to be tied to ground to provide a reference for the power lead, otherwise the voltage will not be balanced and you could get an electric shock off the neutral side too. In the unlikely case of a second panel or breaker box the second panel's neutral is not tied to ground.

[charlieBob]

I posted this thread in a sub forum-Solar and generators. There were more people looking. All ended well after I read Mike Sokol and the No Shock Zone. I made a N-G plug and it solved my problems. All is good with being able to monitor frequency and voltage on the inside and the surge protector working.
Thanks for your input!