Forum Discussion
MrWizard
Oct 04, 2020Moderator
If you unplug shore power with the A/C running,
The arcing will be at the shore cord male plug and the campground RV outlet.!
If you shut a synchronous generator off while there is a substantial load (A/C compressor) ,
The arcing will be in the transfer switch contacts,
But the biggest danger is damage to the the generator head,
As the generator head winds down, voltage drops rapidly and amp load of the compressor increases,
When the voltage is too low to hold in the ats, it drops out aka open the contacts that this amp load is flowing thru, but the back EMF from the breaking open circuit causes a power spike in the generator head and the field control circuit
That is where the expensive damage accumulates until there is failure,
A winding down generator, is not the same as flipping a disconnect or pulling a plug
The arcing will be at the shore cord male plug and the campground RV outlet.!
If you shut a synchronous generator off while there is a substantial load (A/C compressor) ,
The arcing will be in the transfer switch contacts,
But the biggest danger is damage to the the generator head,
As the generator head winds down, voltage drops rapidly and amp load of the compressor increases,
When the voltage is too low to hold in the ats, it drops out aka open the contacts that this amp load is flowing thru, but the back EMF from the breaking open circuit causes a power spike in the generator head and the field control circuit
That is where the expensive damage accumulates until there is failure,
A winding down generator, is not the same as flipping a disconnect or pulling a plug
About Motorhome Group
38,756 PostsLatest Activity: Sep 23, 2025