generator damages AC, other electornics

Timeking wrote:
That is what I am thinking, that the Champions are poor copies, and I should have gotten a Honda or Yamaha. ??? Seems stupid that the same technologies used in one unit would not be used in another. Perhaps I was fooled by the cheaper price?

Did you even read the responses? Honda & Yamaha have the same warnings. It's all a CYA that they know you will never follow.

For startup, it's good to have the heavy loads turned off (same plugging into shore power).

For shutdown, if you are manually shutting it down, good practice to turn off the major loads.

But from a practical point of view, you are going to run out of fuel and it will shut down while under load. I've been doing it for years and I've never heard of anyone having any issues as a result.

First Generator....Yamaha 2400. Current generator....Champion 4500 dual fuel.

Don't you use an EMS? If not, you should. It'll protect your electricals.

I use a remote control for both starting and shutting down my Yamaha generator. The inverter charger does have a time delay on it for starting--but I'm sure on shut down that the wave form gets pretty distorted--even with an inverter generator.

I'd say the changes of damage are NON zero--but I've never heard of anyone having a problem.

I've started the Yamaha at -34 F

jkwilson wrote:
Nothing special about the Champions. Every manufacturer has a similar warning and similar risk of damage.

How exactly would a generator know it was getting ready to run out of fuel until the instant there was no fuel? And how would the generator do a “smart shutdown”? It’s the equipment that needs to be turned off.

The answer is simple: Pay attention to how much fuel you have and shut equipment off to refuel before the tank is empty.

I read an article where they tested the various clones against a Honda. Real testers with equipment, not Joe with a Kill a watt meter. You are correct the clones are poor copies. Lost the bookmark to the testing.

I try to shut my AC off before shutting down generator but run out of gas on occasion. Much less since I added extended run tank. No damage in over 20 years of Honda use. New AC LG 9500 dual inverter has me a bit concerned.

As regards "Pay attention to how much fuel you have" would require having some way to check fuel level ... there is no fuel gauge on the Champion nor the Honda. There is on the Yamaha. In any case, adding fuel to a running generator is a real good way to fire, explosion, and/or death.

As regards "how would the generator do a “smart shutdown”?" ... It does not seem difficult for any manufacturer to implement a fuel level sensor, and when the sensor detects "Low Fuel" a relay disconnects the power, and then shuts down the generator. !!!!

I can't believe these engineers haven't thought of that, and how that easily accomplished feature would be a sales boon. I think I will write to Champion, Honda, and Yamaha.............

^Save the emails for something else and don’t worry about it. Seriously.

when the generator senses an overload, it shuts off the power. Now before it trips the overload output voltage drops considerably, then the overload trips. just like a breaker tripping, and pretty much like what happens when the generator runs out of gas.

I'd say the mfg is just putting in a CYA.

Timeking wrote:
As regards "Pay attention to how much fuel you have" would require having some way to check fuel level ... there is no fuel gauge on the Champion nor the Honda. There is on the Yamaha. In any case, adding fuel to a running generator is a real good way to fire, explosion, and/or death.

As regards "how would the generator do a “smart shutdown”?" ... It does not seem difficult for any manufacturer to implement a fuel level sensor, and when the sensor detects "Low Fuel" a relay disconnects the power, and then shuts down the generator. !!!!

I can't believe these engineers haven't thought of that, and how that easily accomplished feature would be a sales boon. I think I will write to Champion, Honda, and Yamaha.............

Your understanding of how equipment works is lacking. The very act of the generator shutting down while equipment is powered on is what has the potential for damage. Whether because it runs out of fuel or a sensor tells it it’s about to run out of fuel and it chooses to shut down, the result is the same. A low fuel sensor wouldn’t help in the least. The device needs to be shut down while the generator is running to eliminate a chance for damage. That is not only not simple, it’s not possible without extensive redesign of the equipment being powered by the generator.

My suggestion was when low fuel is detected, DISCONNECT THE POWER FEED, and THEN shut the engine down. Two phases.

Timeking wrote:
My suggestion was when low fuel is detected, DISCONNECT THE POWER FEED, and THEN shut the engine down. Two phases.

Again, you don’t understand how fuel level is detected. Such a device would require shutdown with a significant amount of fuel in the tank and would result in frequent unintentional shutdowns from wind or bumping the generator, and would completely preclude using the generator while in motion.