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Hiwheel Joe · 09-25-2012, 05:53 PM

Not saying it is the generator, but curious if others have had this problem and how it may have been corrected. Need some guidance on what to look at.
We have the Honda EU 2000 and the Companion EU 2000 paralleled together. When the trailer is plugged in as required, running the Air conditioner seems to be causing an issue. This is the first time we have used both generators together. Used only one during the winter trips last year trouble free.

While the AC is on, 13500 Coleman, the generators RPMs will rev way up and at the same time, the AC fan almost comes to a complete stop until the generator RPMs drop. Maybe this is when the compressor is trying to kick on?? I can run the AC fan all day long without problem. After several of these the generator circuit overload light will come on and kill the AC power.

All I have read leads me to believe that this set up should at least run the AC and television at least. Have tried it without the TV on and get the same results?? Have tried it with eco setting on and off. One guy suggested it is a converter problem, one says the AC.

I am having the generators checked for proper operation first.

We ran the AC on shore power the weekend before without problems.

Anybody have any ideas as to where to go with this problem?

overlander63 · 09-25-2012, 06:00 PM

Turn the ECO switch OFF on both generators.

DMT · 09-25-2012, 06:07 PM

I can run my 15k Dometic with my EU2000i and Companion paralleled, but both eco mode switches must be off before starting the AC. If the Eco mode is on the generators will not rev up fast enough and the overload light comes on. Assume you are plugged in to the twist lock 26.6A outlet on the Companion and not the 15A regular outlet?

Hiwheel Joe · 09-25-2012, 06:13 PM

The title is a bit wrong, maybe I should have called it problem while running Honda
Gen. I do love my Honda Generator set. Nice and quite.. except when the problem occurs. Even then it is quieter than most.

Hiwheel Joe · 09-25-2012, 06:16 PM

Yes, plugged in to the twist lock 26.6A. Have tried with the ecos off, with the same results.

overlander63 · 09-25-2012, 06:23 PM

If you are running the generators with the ECO switches OFF, check the hard start capacitor for the compressor.

Wazbro · 09-25-2012, 08:11 PM

You could try asking someone else to try their AC on your generators.

Alphonse · 09-25-2012, 09:40 PM

Ran my 15k BTU unit on Sunday with no problem with Eco throttle switches on. They were running at barely above the low speed/idle. By the way, one of them will start and run the AC but it is at full load then. I tried it just out of curiosity.

As suggested, you may want to check out the capacitor in the AC unit.

robert@honda · 09-26-2012, 06:09 AM

You may wish to contact a local Honda dealer and arrange for them to be inspected and tested. Most Honda dealer have load bank test rig, that's used to load and measure the output of a generator. They can used the load bank to confirm both EU2000i units are functioning correctly.

You can find a Honda dealer in your area using this link:
Find a Honda Dealer

Hiwheel Joe · 09-26-2012, 08:11 PM

Hondas are at dealer being load banked right now. I will try another trailer when I get them back. If that works out then I will check the capacitor.

That's what I love about this forum. Lots of ideas I would never have thought of. I will post again when I find the solution. I appreciate ALL of the advice and avenues to try out. Thanks to all.
Joe

pickerdd · 10-01-2012, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiwheel Joe

<snip>
Anybody have any ideas as to where to go with this problem?

I had a similar problem with the AC in my '71 Safari tripping the overload circuit in my Honda EU3000is Generator. Initially, I thought my generator was faulty, but after a bit of investigation it turned out the hard start capacitor in my AC was faulty. After I replaced the hard start capacitor the generator fired up the AC correctly and was not overloaded in the process. I also replaced the run capacitor in the AC after I verified the hard start cap replacement fixed the issue. That seemed to also help the AC.

mefly2 · 10-01-2012, 08:54 PM

Our EU200s will not start the AC in Eco-mode ...

nautiqueman · 10-01-2012, 09:20 PM

Highweel, I had the same problem with my friends new Hondas running parallel. I will try them without echoboost on and see what happens. They ran all night with no problem, then I tried the echoboost and the coffee pot and my Bose surround sound system and one of the generators shut off and the ac would not run. I cut the generators off and reset the AC and still had some problems, but didnt have time to completely check everything back out. Let me know what you discover.

nautiqueman · 10-01-2012, 09:21 PM

Also, will this activity tear up anything?

robert@honda · 10-03-2012, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nautiqueman

Also, will this activity tear up anything?

The Honda generators have multiple protective features, including a thermal-based circuit protector, circuit breaker, low-oil shutdown, etc. They are all designed to prevent damage, so it's okay to try different configurations (Eco-Throttle ON/OFF) to see what works best for your set-up.

Hiwheel Joe · 10-15-2012, 06:34 PM

Quick update. I had them load bank tested at the dealer and the generators are fine. Still have the same problem with my trailer. I am more suspecting it is the A/C. Been gone on the road for a couple of weeks and have not had time to check further. This morning the A/C fan locked up while running only the fan on shore power so, here we go again. I will post when I check them on another trailer and let you know what I find out.

Wazbro · 10-15-2012, 08:37 PM

Hate to say it but sounds like you found the problem. That fan would be drawing extra power for a while before it locked up. Unfortunately that fan cost close to half the price of a new AC when I checked on 1 for mine (that did not include labor). If you get a new AC get a high efficiency one, using close to 4 amps less helps a lot when running on a generator.

Alphonse · 01-15-2013, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiwheel Joe

Hondas are at dealer being load banked right now. I will try another trailer when I get them back. If that works out then I will check the capacitor.

That's what I love about this forum. Lots of ideas I would never have thought of. I will post again when I find the solution. I appreciate ALL of the advice and avenues to try out. Thanks to all.
Joe

Joe, did you ever get this sorted out? Curious as to the outcome.
Thanks,
Alan

Hiwheel Joe · 01-16-2013, 05:23 PM

No, I have not. Shortly after this problem, the motor went out on the AC. Locked completely up. Have the new one, but just have not had the time to get it in yet. That may have been causing my problem?? Have not needed the AC lately, with it being 20-30 degree range. As soon as I do and it is warm enough to test it, I will gladly post the results. Thanks for asking.