Generator and Surge guard
Question for everyone who uses an inverter generator. Do you use a surge guard when running a generator or is it not neccessary? Reason why I know many of you use one to protect a/c from low voltage...
Forum Discussion
Since Progressive Industries sells an adapter for the purpose of bonding the output of a generator with a floating neutral I emailed the company to ask whether this is safe considering the warning included in their EMS-HW30C owner's manual that warns against this practice ...
"I've just installed one of your EMS-HW30C surge protectors in my travel trailer and would like to know if I can safely plug the EMS into my Honda EU2000i inverter generator. It has a floating neutral output and I notice Progressive sells a bonding plug that will bond the genset's neutral and ground together ... however, in the EMS-HW30C owner's manual it specifically states -
"RV wiring is different than wiring found in homes; the neutral and
ground conductors are isolated in the RV, unlike in a home where
they are tied at the service panel. Therefore, never connect neutral
and ground together for any reason. This could result in a ground
fault condition, and may result in electric shock and/or a fire
hazard."
That seems to be in direct contradiction to the bonding plug being sold by Progressive just for this purpose. What is the real story here? - can I or should I bond my EU2000i floating neutral output and can I then safely plug my EMS-HW30C into it?"
To which I just received the following reply ...
"The important thing to keep in mind is some inverters have a modified sine wave output, this can cause damage to the components of the EMS and is not covered by the warranty. Many of our customer have had success using various models of Honda generators. Our EMS units are engineered to work with commercial power supplied by camp grounds and RV/Trailers, so we cannot be responsible for malfunctions or damage."
While I appreciate getting a response it sure would have been a lot more helpful if he'd just answered the question I asked. :S
"I've just installed one of your EMS-HW30C surge protectors in my travel trailer and would like to know if I can safely plug the EMS into my Honda EU2000i inverter generator. It has a floating neutral output and I notice Progressive sells a bonding plug that will bond the genset's neutral and ground together ... however, in the EMS-HW30C owner's manual it specifically states -
"RV wiring is different than wiring found in homes; the neutral and
ground conductors are isolated in the RV, unlike in a home where
they are tied at the service panel. Therefore, never connect neutral
and ground together for any reason. This could result in a ground
fault condition, and may result in electric shock and/or a fire
hazard."
That seems to be in direct contradiction to the bonding plug being sold by Progressive just for this purpose. What is the real story here? - can I or should I bond my EU2000i floating neutral output and can I then safely plug my EMS-HW30C into it?"
To which I just received the following reply ...
"The important thing to keep in mind is some inverters have a modified sine wave output, this can cause damage to the components of the EMS and is not covered by the warranty. Many of our customer have had success using various models of Honda generators. Our EMS units are engineered to work with commercial power supplied by camp grounds and RV/Trailers, so we cannot be responsible for malfunctions or damage."
While I appreciate getting a response it sure would have been a lot more helpful if he'd just answered the question I asked. :S
