Generator - Power Output June 18, 2022, 03:05:08 pm Has anyone had their power output work on some generator startups and not on others? It's infrequent, but periodically I will start up the generator and the 120V system stays dead. But if I shut it down and restart it later (can be a few minutes or an hour - time length doesn't seem to matter), everything works fine. It's not a breaker problem. The first time, I assumed it was and turned off all breakers, including on the generator itself, and reset them. That did nothing. Now, I just shut down the generator, come back later, start it up and it works fine.
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #1 – June 18, 2022, 03:08:24 pm Hello Greg,It sounds like your transfer switch may be going bad you will have to locate it and check the conections. Jody 1 Likes
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #2 – June 18, 2022, 05:54:53 pm Either the transfer switch or loose 120 VAC connections could be causing the symptoms you describe. Pull the power center (under the counter extension, to the left of the sink) and have a look at the screw connections; tighten if necessary. This article in the Lazy Daze Companion explains what to do. Be sure to remove all AC power sources before you do this!
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #3 – June 18, 2022, 11:35:14 pm HI GregH; I assume you are letting the time delay, about 30 seconds, go by before you shut it down. Could be the delay is erratic, or the transfer relay isn't quite operating correctly. RonB
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #4 – June 19, 2022, 12:08:37 am I'll look at the transfer switch. I assumed that was the issue. But thought I'd ask if anyone had any other ideas (like kick the tire and it all works ).
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #5 – June 19, 2022, 03:48:25 am Hi Greg; I was thinking about this problem. How many hours do you have on the generator. A standard Onan MicroQuiet 4kw. Could be a slip ring issue. Are there any abnormal power 'glitches' when it is providing power? Speed issues? RonB
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #6 – June 19, 2022, 02:51:54 pm Ron, It has 1505 hrs and virtually all of that is from previous owners. We bought the '06 in Sept 2020. Almost the whole generator use since then has been cranking it up once a month (idle for 5 minutes, run it with the AC on as a load for 2 hrs, idle for 5 minutes, shut it down). I also have an Alaskan camper and bought a 170W suitcase solar panel for it. I hook the panel to the LD battery and it handles the recharge when camping. If my wife is with me, we use the generator to make coffee and run a hair dryer in the morning. I think we've used the generator a couple of days to run the AC in the afternoon. So really, it only gets used monthly to keep it in good shape.It is the standard Microquiet 4kW generator and no glitches when running. It either works perfectly after the less than a minute warm up or it doesn't generate any power at all.
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #7 – June 19, 2022, 05:35:56 pm When I had problems with my transfer switch in the past, something that I found very helpful was a non-contact AC voltage sensor. This inexpensive little probe lights up and beeps when it detects AC in a wire that's right next to its plastic tip. There's no need to find exposed, live terminals and hold multimeter probes against them, being oh so careful not to slip and short them together.In my case, I started at the power source and just slid the probe along the wire, verifying that it was live. At the transfer switch's terminals I was able to tell which ones were live, without making electrical contact. It was easy to see where the flow of power stopped... and there was my culprit.It's a quick and easy (and safe!) way to diagnose AC electrical problems. I recommend it highly. 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Generator - Power Output Reply #8 – June 21, 2022, 01:25:04 pm Andy, I’ve got one and will give it a try. All, I pulled the whole unit out of the cabinet so I could get to everything. Started up the generator and “unfortunately” it all worked perfect. Typical electrical issue. No matter how much I wiggled the wires, it never broke the connection. I shut it down and made sure every connection into the transfer switch and then all breaker connections were snug. Nothing had any play. So I’ll just have to wait until it goes out again and track the power then.
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Topic: Generator - Power Output (Read 225 times)
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