Portable Generator open ground

[185EZ]

nothing to see here

[enblethen]

Did you start and test the output of the genset? The little plug in tester works good for this. Use an adapter to test the 30 amp TT receptacle.

[185EZ]

There's continuity between all of them.
upper left on the 20A and lower right and left on 30A
same with upper right pins on 20A and continuity between lower right and left on 30A
also continuity between all grounds

Yes it's a misprint of 240V in the specs.
There isn't even a switch for it.
The old Durostar had the 240V switch and that was one of the reasons I wanted the EMS in case the switch was accidently turned on

[wnjj]

enblethen wrote:
Genset is not an inverter style so the neutral should be tied inside.
I would start over with nothing plugged into genset and verify it is wired correctly.
Also be aware the 30 amp receptacle could be 240 volt!!! That is according to reading but genset is marked 120 RV.
Something is definitely wrong with specs!

Tied inside makes sense, but what I meant was that the 20A receptacles selected one of the output legs as neutral and the 30A receptacle selected the opposite one. Since it is unbonded neutral vs hot is arbitrarily but once one of them hits a receptacle it isn’t anymore.

Check for continuity between the upper left pins on the 20A receptacles and the lower right one on the 30A. If they are not connected the genset is wired wrong and I would fix it.

I’m guessing there are pairs of like colored wires that just get connected to the receptacles without regard for hot/neutral.

[DrewE]

enblethen wrote:
Genset is not an inverter style so the neutral should be tied inside.
I would start over with nothing plugged into genset and verify it is wired correctly.
Also be aware the 30 amp receptacle could be 240 volt!!! That is according to reading but genset is marked 120 RV.
Something is definitely wrong with specs!

Consumer portable generators are not usually bonded, but have a floating output. That makes it practical to connect as a backup generator in a house via a transfer switch of some sort. (A bonded generator would not be usable because it would lead to the system being bonded in two places, a no-no per the NEC.)

Jobsite generators I think are supposed to have a bonded neutral, but I'm not positive on that. Occasionally one may find one that has a switchable bond. At any rate, most portable generators one buys do not have a neutral-ground bond.

Edit: Meant to also say that the 240V part of the Amazon specification does seem to be in error. The picture clearly shows a 120V only generator (one single circuit breaker, only 120V sockets).

[road-runner]

I wouldn't bet my life on it being 100% correct, but the specs in the manual say 120 volt only, and the wiring diagram shows the 3 receptacles in parallel, and unbonded. The manual unfortunately does not contain the words "neutral" or "bond(ed)", and "ground" is used only with respect to earth ground. Even with brands like Honda, the specs in the manual differ from the advertised specs (e.g. advertising gives power rating in watts, the manual gives it in VA).

[enblethen]

Genset is not an inverter style so the neutral should be tied inside.
I would start over with nothing plugged into genset and verify it is wired correctly.
Also be aware the 30 amp receptacle could be 240 volt!!! That is according to reading but genset is marked 120 RV.
Something is definitely wrong with specs!

[wnjj]

Sounds to me like the neutral on the 20A generator receptacle isn’t the same as the neutral on the 30A. One of them must be hot-neutral swapped. Is there continuity between neutral on the 20A and 30A (generator off)?

[185EZ]

road-runner wrote:

185EZ wrote:
Sorry, didn't think the 50 amp would make a difference with the generator thing.
only one dogbone 30 amp male to 50 amp female
I have a EMS PT50X

I don't have an EMS, but I think there's a very good possibility the EMS will diagnose the dogbone provided power as defective. Somebody with a 50 amp EMS can say this with more certainty. You said the EMS is happy with house current. Is this from a 240 volt outlet? If so, plug into 120 volt shore power using the dogbone and see what the EMS says.

I have 120v 30 amp service at home and the dogbone works fine with the 50 amp EMS.
I have also plugged into a campground 50 amp and EMS works fine.
I let the generator and EMS do it's thing before I plug it into the rv.
Doesn't really make a difference since the EMS won't let power through at this time whether the cord is plugged in or not.
I think the EMS is doing a great job but maybe too good.
Like going to the doctor.
Hey Doc I feel great
Well our tests prove otherwise.:(

Everything was good until the bonding plug
I'll just deal with no EMS and an open ground. Pretend it never happened, lol.

[road-runner]

185EZ wrote:
Sorry, didn't think the 50 amp would make a difference with the generator thing.
only one dogbone 30 amp male to 50 amp female
I have a EMS PT50X

I don't have an EMS, but I think there's a very good possibility the EMS will diagnose the dogbone provided power as defective. Somebody with a 50 amp EMS can say this with more certainty. You said the EMS is happy with house current. Is this from a 240 volt outlet? If so, plug into 120 volt shore power using the dogbone and see what the EMS says.

[road-runner]

Being a generator that none of the rest of have likely used, there could be something "different" about it. For example, maybe the outlets are miswired, with hot and neutral swapped between the two duplex receptacles. Another possibility, maybe the generator's waveform is sufficiently flawed to be triggering some error in the EMS. Maybe there's a wiring fault in the RV that's not showing up with shore power or the internal generator. One thing that's different with this generator is that the DC output doesn't have its own winding, but rather uses a tap on the main winding. But overall, I don't see anything in the Gen4000DF wiring diagram that looks like an issue. The wiring diagram is on page 30 of the manual at this link: http://www.buffalotools.com/manuals/gen4000df-ssmanual2017_sf.pdf

[185EZ]

Sorry, didn't think the 50 amp would make a difference with the generator thing.
only one dogbone 30 amp male to 50 amp female
I have a EMS PT50X

[enblethen]

Now we have a fifty amp rig. Lots of items that can be effecting readings. 120 volt AC water heater elemnet for one.
What combination of adapters are you using to plug rig into the genset? They are a problem in many cases!

[185EZ]

quick recap
50 amp cord works fine with EMS and house current
onboard 7000kw genset works fine

1st portable generator would have hz vary ALOT, 58 to 98hz, and EMS wouldn't let power through.
Funny thing is when it did let power through there was no open ground fault.
If plugged into rv without EMS it would give a fault code to charger/inverter but power up other appliances and a/c.

Got a 2nd portable generator. 60 to 61hz.
But showed an open ground and wouldn't let power through
Disconnected EMS and all good with the rv

I think I'll leave EMS out before I screw something up

[enblethen]

You need to back up a little!
First you may read continuity as some devices in the rig will cause this.
Open the 120 volt power distribution panel. Turn off all circuit breakers. Check between the white(neutral) and the green or bare ground wire. You should have continuity from genset cord body with jumper.
Check between the black and the ground. You should not have continuity.

If you do not have as shown, then unplug the rig's shore power cord. verify the cable to insure it is wired correctly. Has some one replaced the rig's cord body? Check it.

[185EZ]

EMS removed
RV
Generator not running plugged into rv
Bonding plug in
No continuity between neutral and ground in any receptacle in rv.
Only continuity between neutral and hot

Generator
Bonding plug in
Continuity between ground, neutral and hot
Bonding plug out
continuity only between neutral and hot, same as rv