Generator shuts down when plugging in???

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 11:56 AM

hi, did a bit of searching but have come up empty. anyways,

I have a brand new eastern tools 2500w inverter/gen. when plugging
in rv power cable (30>15amp connection) to the outlet, the gen immediately
shuts down, or trips the gens gfci breaker. either way, i have no power. i have
also shut off everything possible to keep load low when connecting. i have tried
small electric devices like laptop/ipod on their own plugged to the gen which have worked without problem. also, despite the shut down, i am not getting an overload indication from the generator either. things work fine when connected to shore power too.

please tell me there is an easy solution i am overlooking here, my knowledge of electricity is scant at best, thanks

**Herk7769** · 05-22-2011, 01:01 PM

Some things to check

The obvious:

Is the oil reservior filled correctly? Improperly topped off oil will shutdown the generator when the RPM ramps up under load.

The not so obvious:

Most El Cheapo 2500 Watt generators are 2500 watts Peak Power not continuous. In the small print they are rated MUCH lower continuously.

A low or bad battery in your camper will put a big demand for juice out of your Power Center. It can easily pull more than the 12 amps or so (1500 watts) your generator is "really" rated at.

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 01:35 PM

couple more things

i have now gotten the gen to stay powered up if i turn off the entire breaker panel in the rv. then i can turn the main switch on, and gfi switch. i then have power to my outlets. next, i power the microwave and turn it on and i finally hear the generator rpm up. up until now it could run in eco mode. so i then if i try to flip on the water heater breaker, and trip. converter breaker>trip, ac>trip.

why is it tripping so easy just having the breaker switches on when the devices arent even in operation, and the gen isnt even being required to rev up. it runs a vacuum cleaner with no effort at all.

i really wish i had another gen to compare it to, but i wonder if the 120 gfci socket itself is bad on the gen? is this a likely possibility?

backin15 · 05-22-2011, 02:42 PM

Do you have a 220 volt model? If so you you may be able to mod it to give it more output. There is a 900+ page thread on RV.Net under tech issues. There are wiring diagrams and instructions to show you how to rewire the windings from series to parallel. It will no longer produce 220 volts but it effectivly doubles the 110 volt output. I have an El Cheapo 3500 watt genny and after the mod it will run my AC and micro at the same time. I do not recommend you attempt this though unless you are mechanically and electrically inclined and don't mind voiding your warranty!

**Herk7769** · 05-22-2011, 03:23 PM

Water Heater - 1000 watts AC
Fridge - 600 watts AC
Microwave - 900 watts AC
converter - 500 watts (charging battery and current DC needs) AC

Power available 1500-1800 watts AC continuous

ECO mode does not respond well to instant voltage changes (like your microwave and vacuum motor) and will trip off line without an overload warning.

The_Stuff · 05-22-2011, 05:03 PM

are you trying to power GFI breakers behind a GFI on the generator? 2 GFI's wont work.

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 06:35 PM

how much of a charge is sent with a breaker on, but the device not in use?
ie microwave breaker is on, but micro isnt running.

further, why is a device that is off tripping my generators gfci?

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Stuff

are you trying to power GFI breakers behind a GFI on the generator? 2 GFI's wont work.

? i dont know ?

the breakers ive mentioned switching on/off are in the main panel inside the rv. is that a gfi breaker?

backin15 · 05-22-2011, 08:23 PM

I think the GFI he is referring to is in the outlet itself. You should have an outlet or two in your camper that have GFI test and reset buttons on it. Usually there are several outlets downstream of it that are also protected by the same outlet.
If I am understanding yourt posts correctly you are able to turn on the breaker to your outlets ok. You have a vacuum cleaner that runs fine off the generator, if you plug it into an outlet in the camper will it trip then or work ok? I am not an electrician so maybe The Stuff is onto something about 2 GFI's not working together.

caper · 05-22-2011, 08:27 PM

You will have a GFI outlet somewhere in your TT that will contol the outlet in the bathroom and the outdoor outlet. It might also control the outlet in the kitchen area. When you turn off all the breakers in the TT you are also shutting off power to the GFI outlet. As stated two GFI in series will not work.

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 09:03 PM

okay, got that. however, its not the issue. more and more, i think there is a problem with the outlet on the gen causing it to trip without much voltage at all. i believe this can be tested at the hardware store, no?

backin15 · 05-22-2011, 09:17 PM

The GFI will trip with little load on it if it senses a potential for current to ground.

**Herk7769** · 05-22-2011, 10:01 PM

OK, I am confused.

Is the generator tripping off line when under load; the outlets in the camper shutting down when being powered by the generator; or the AC breakers in the Power Center/Converter tripping off?

THREE different courses of troubleshooting.

Hippiern · 05-22-2011, 11:07 PM

if all the ac breakers are on at the power center the generator will trip instantly upon plugging in the cord. all the time, even when all devices in the rv are powered off.

the only way i could avoid this from happening is to turn the ac breakers all off before plugging the cord into the generator. then i can go inside to the power center, flip on the main, flip on gfi, and the generator continues to run and i finally get power to my outlets in the rv. then, if i try to add another breaker, be it the micro, the converter, or the water heater, the generator trips and everything dies. this trip is happening just by flipping the ac breaker switch, not actually running the device (micro,water heater, or converter). this seems crazy to me because i would think little, if any, current would flow just by having a breaker on, with the device not running.

sorry for the confusion guys, thanks for trying to help. appreciate it.

**Herk7769** · 05-23-2011, 06:40 AM

OK, make and model of generator. (or PDF of manual)

Also photo (of faceplate and sockets) of how you are plugging into the genertor would help. (Are you using the round plug or the 120 outlet with an adapter)

I think I know what might be wrong. I will need your manual to be sure.

Hippiern · 05-23-2011, 11:38 AM

ETQ Generator IN2500i

is a link to the product page with a zoom of the panel

http://easterntools.com/manual_pdf/I...ual_091024.pdf

is the manual

im plugging in to the 120 with an adapter

thanks again

**Herk7769** · 05-23-2011, 12:15 PM

As I thought.

The AC outlet on your generator is a GFCI outlet.

Plugging GFCI outlets into a GFCI outlet is unreliable because the floating grounds conflict with each other and register as a Ground Fault.

The only way to fix this is to replace the GFCI outlet in the generator with a NON-GFCI outlet.

Additionally, the on board DC charger is VERY low quality. It clearly shows 9 hours charge time for a 47AH battery under "no load" conditions. Since most camper single batteries are 70-100 AH it could take 24 hours of constant running to charge up your battery using the on board DC battery charger (Provided you do not use the generator to power the camper). You would be better served to get an external battery charger but watch the amps they draw at full charge draw. You are limited to about 2200 watts as the "rated output."

The_Stuff · 05-24-2011, 12:35 AM

ah yup. he is double ground faulting with that generator. you can either change out that plug on the genset to a standard plug or you can just turn the breakers off in your TT that use gfi plugs. doing that will turn off alot of plugins though!

Hippiern · 05-24-2011, 12:54 AM

well, that sounds reasonable. thanks for the help guys. frustrating weekend, especially with the 1 year old on board.

would swapping this outlet out be similar to any household outlet?
could you possibly point me in to a resource for doing this?

otherwise will prob look at trading up to something else. it seems like a product design flaw to assemble a generator thats marketed to run rvs
with an outlet like this. do any other gens have a gfi outlet?

Hippiern · 05-24-2011, 03:47 AM

any chance this problem goes away by connecting a grounding wire and rod? and, how elaborate to these need to be? i wouldnt wanna lug around
no 8 foot grounding rod.

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