Generator Problem

[butchabb]

I recently purchased two 2000 watt Honda generators ,for running paralell,to power my 2010 Flying Cloud. After running for about 4 hours and after successfully testing my a/c etc. the camper power started to go off and on in about 2 second intervals without the gen indicator lights showing any malfunction. The only appliances on at the time were the lights, tv, fridge. After disconnecting the power cord and trying again the problem continued. When I reconnected to The 30amp campground power everything worked perfectly. I took the gens to the Honda service center and they said they could not find anything wrong. My RV tech says that if something was wrong with the camper electrical system the problem would occur when plugged into the land power as well. Does anyone have any ideas?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by butchabb

My RV tech says that if something was wrong with the camper electrical system the problem would occur when plugged into the land power as well. Does anyone have any ideas?

Could be that shore power is pure sine wave and generator power is modified sine wave. Shouldn't affect the lights, but the television might hiccup on modified sine wave. But that's just a guess, not a diagnosis.

[idroba]

The Honda inverter generators are all pure sine wave units.

[DKB_SATX]

Isolate for your testing as much as possible.

It sounds like you were running both of the Hondas in the parallel setup, even though you're not running the AC right now. Try running each of the Hondas individually to power the load you mentioned in the trailer (lights, TV, fridge) and see if you can duplicate the problem with one or both. It could be that the problem is in the parallel setup rather than either generator, and your Honda dealer may have tested each generator on its own and not trained up together in parallel.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by idroba

The Honda inverter generators are all pure sine wave units.

Darn. Wrong twice in one day! Electrickery, that's what it is!

[richinny]

was the water heater on gas or electric? (1300-1400 watts)

the converter was also connected. (wattage varies by load)

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by richinny

was the water heater on gas or electric? (1300-1400 watts)

the converter was also connected. (wattage varies by load)

Even so, if the problem was overloading the generator set that should have been indicated at the generator, and I wouldn't expect the intermittent behavior that was described. Also, if he were running the 2 generators in parallel, he should have little difficulty running everything in the trailer that he could run on 30A shore power.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, it seems tha most all of the newer trailers have a generator inlet and a shore power inlet; These have have been known for a relay type problem. [transfer switch]

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Darn. Wrong twice in one day!

That would be a personal best for me- as in wrong ONLY twice in one day.

[butchabb]

Thanks for the input. I was running the gens in paralell when intermittent problem occured. The hot water heater was on gas. I did not think to try to run the gens individually though the dealer said they tested both ways without any problems. I did plug the land power into both the gen and land receptacle but not the gen power. Did not have any problem with either receptacle. Any other suggestions? Thanks

[idroba]

Try contacting "Robert at Honda" who is a forum member who works for Honda and answers questions relative to Honda generators, but on a personal basis, not as a Honda representative.

I am not quite sure how to find him though. Maybe someone else can chime in here.

[dznf0g]

Is one a Companion model? Using the correct paralleling cable? If they are both non-Companion models, there is a special cable with a "magic box" in-line. The Companion has this magic circuitry in the unit itself.

[richinny]

contact robert through his profile:

Airstream Forums - View Profile: robert@honda

[butchabb]

Thanks for the lead with Robert, I'll give him a try.

[robert@honda]

Sorry I'm late...got stuck in traffic at 207.130.48.70

Did you get this resolved? For sure, the Honda dealer can confirm each unit is operating properly with a load bank test set, and that would let you know if the issue is with one or the other EU2 or something about your Cloud.

If possible, bring the Cloud to the dealer, and he can also use the load bank to measure to power draw of all the energized systems on board. This can also help isolate where an excessive draw or other problem.

Depending on the configuration of the devices, some may be causing a problem if they expect the power source to be using a neutral-bonded circuit (where neutral and ground wires are connected together). I've see issue with outlet testers, and UPS (back-up power supply battery systems for computers) that refuse to work unless they see a neutral-bonded connection. I mention this because Honda EU-series generators are NOT neutral-bonded, but it's very likely the power outlet at the campground is neutral-bonded.

Can you replicate the problem and narrow it down to just the A/C or other on-board devices?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Bob,

Could a neutral-bonded dog-bone be used with the parallel Honda's?

I use one on my single 2000i to "fool" the ground fault indicator on our surge protector.

Bob

[robert@honda]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Bob,

Could a neutral-bonded dog-bone be used with the parallel Honda's?

I use one on my single 2000i to "fool" the ground fault indicator on our surge protector.

Bob

Yes, a male plug with the neutral/ground wired together would do the job. Here's some photo of one:








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