AC tripping generator

JBarca wrote:

Mdk0420 wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
55V on startup? Sounds like the gen can't handle the surge. Even 95V is low.

What is the AC voltage and amps on shore power?

It seems to be a common problem with all generators due to the need to ramp up however from the tests I've seen the honda only drops to 95v for a few seconds. Then again the test I saw was with harbor freight testing us8ng a kill a watt meter and that thing is pretty slow and inaccurate.

To run my tests I plugged in the kill a watt meter first then a line splitter and used my clamp over the line splitter to get amp readings while using the ports on the line splitter to test voltages. The kill a watt meter helped me see wattage readings real time within some sort of accuracy. The amps and volts I did off my meter because the kill a watt doesn't hold min/max but also doesn't react quick enough to get the voltage drops. It was saying voltage drop was closer to 105v but i know that's not accurate when running the min setting on my meter I got a 55v reading. Testing shows that it ramps up to 95v almost instantly maybe a second or two before it gets back to 120v.

I know 95v is normal because of honda inverter tests I've seen. Those 2200i's can actually start ACs but my 4500w generator can't and it's kind of disappointing lol.

It's also weird that only sometimes it maxes out the generator almost like a motor locked up. Other times it starts up just fine.

Preload doesn't seem to help because it trips sometimes when the AC fan is still running but once the compressor kicks in it trips. It's very random and I can tell when it happens while outside because the generator will Rev all the way up for a few seconds and eventually trip

I just saw this response as I was typing when it came in.

OK, there is something else that may be going on. Your statement in blue turned up a few thoughts. Since you are running on a genny, you are boondocking off-grid, right?

Unless you or someone changed it, your 2003 Sunline is on the older American Enterprises power converter or the Centurion. What size battery bank do you have, and what guidelines do you follow when to plug in and charge the batteries? Those older power converters did not have a boost mode. The point is, what else is going in the camper that eats into 120 VAC power?

The fridge is going to take 325 watts 120 VAC unless you force it to gas mode only. The water heater will pull 1,400 watts if the AC elements is on, and the power converter, well, it's a wild card pending on how drawn down your battery is. Those 3 power draws can all be going on in the background and you not know it unless you force a test with them all off. For a test, turn the power converter breaker off, (Sunline used to put the power converter on the general purpose circuit) the fridge, and the water heater off, (yes your 2003 can have an electric element heater, the power switch is on the back of the heater itself, not on the tank panel. ) Then connect the battery, and it will run the 12 VDC to run the AC unit controls. If the genny works consistently, then other loads in the camper may be randomly adding up against you.

The clamp meter shows that there is no other major draw happening at the time of testing. My fridge is broken. Got a bunch kf yellow dust near the AC lines so I disconnected it last year. It should only be the compressor and the fan running.

Iirc I think draw before turning the AC unit on was around 20 watts on the kill a meter.

While camping I do run the fridge and stuff. The generator can work in those conditions as well. It's about the same randomness with or without the other loads. Maybe a little more frequently