Generator Not Picking Up Loads

[3bcamper]

Can anyone give me insight as to why the generator will not pick up the loads? Worked fine before I left home, I have reset the inverter. Indicator lights look fine, generator runs just fine. I ammeter is blank. Help!

[Titus]

There is a circuit breaker down at the generator. You have to remove the cover used to check the generator oil level, and the breaker is on the bottom right of the opening that is behind the access cover. I have never tried to remove the access cover without removing the spare tire first, but it may be possible to do so.

[Titus]

PS, I don't think that the inverter has anything to do with the generator picking up load or not. The generator provides charging power to the charger (the other 'half' of the invertor) but I think that all other generator power goes to/through the EMS system. Are you able to get shore power to work? If not, then the problem may be in the EMS system or one of the 120V breakers inside the Interstate. On mine those breakers are inside the panel below the front of the lounge seat.

[3bcamper]

Titus, you are a prince among men; you salvaged my weekend. Thank you. By the way, my cct breaker is on the lower left, as you face the front of my vehicle, just below the on/off rocker switch. The Onan manual points to a cct breaker in that area, but the graphic is indistinct.

[Titus]

Glad I could help. Either they moved it or my memory failed - but at least I got you in the right neighborhood.

Now the question is why it tripped. I thought that the EMS system would unload circuits as needed to keep amps below 20. Did you turn on the AC by any chance? That draws close to 20A when starting - and could trip either the 20A AC breaker or the 20A generator breaker. Mine shows 20 on the EMS for a second then drops down to 14-15A.

[3bcamper]

My first thought was the a/c. I tested the generator under load last week, and everything seemed fine. However it’s possible that it tripped that time and I didn’t notice. My next project is to take a closer look at the air-conditioner. It does draw a lot on start up that bogs down the generator momentarily. It’s possible I have a bad start capacitor, or that’s just the nature of these air-conditioners. This is a nine-year-old interstate and I bought it a little over a year ago. I was able to find almost no maintenance records.I’ve been doing a steady stream of improvements to this for the last year, bringing it up to snuff.

[Titus]

I think it is characteristic of these AC. Several have installed a soft-start to lessen the starting current. Mine is marginal, but works, so I have not installed the soft-start. It isn't cheap, and I am

[GettinAway]

Might even be that it’s warmer now than when you tested it. I don’t know the science behind it, but I’ve read that it draws more power when you are trying to start it in hotter temps.

[3bcamper]

Originally Posted by GettinAway

Might even be that it’s warmer now than when you tested it. I don’t know the science behind it, but I’ve read that it draws more power when you are trying to start it in hotter temps.

Electrical resistance in wires increases as temperature rises. This is usually a larger factor in longer wire runs. However, it could be that since this generator is barely sized for the loads that the increased resistance could be a factor.