Onan
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
John From Detroit
Well-known member
Many here may be able to help you..
Need full model and model number.. and a good description of what's wrong.
Need full model and model number.. and a good description of what's wrong.
muskoka guy
Well-known member
I had a 5500 onan that we did quite a bit of work to. What is the issue.
Onan 5500 6755k. So here's the deal. I'm trying to figure out how to wire my gen into a inverter the EVO-3012. The inverter will only accept 120V. The gen has two hots going to the RV main panel one hot feeds leg a and the other leg b. I can't feed my panel that ways per inverter wiring instructions. I need to only have one hot going to my inverter. So my question is, is there any way I can disable one hot and not have a in balance load coming off the gen. The reason for this is the inverter doesn't like dirty power feeding it but if you wire it directly to the generator input on the inverter/charger the inverter cleans up the power for the charger. I know there are two breakers on the gen so I'm assuming that turn off one that cuts the power to one hot but will that cause a problem with the power on the remaining hot.
John From Detroit
Well-known member
OH, what you have is not a generator question but an INVERTER question..
And you need to re-think a bit
Your RV's main Electric should be a 120/240 volt panel, two hot bus bars, one ground, one neutral (not bonded to ground) this is what the generator feeds.....
In this box you will install a Breaker, most likely 30 amps, which feeds the inverter/charger via 10 or 8 ga Romex
A 2nd Romex line (Same size) returns to the area of the main panel, and there you install a SUB panel, this is like a 30 amp RV Main panel, only no (Well opitonal)_ MAIN breaker. just the branch breakers.. Circuits like the TV,, Microwave,,, GFCI, and Bedroom, you wish to inverter power go into this box, and block outs (or just leave breakers not connected) in the main for those positions.
And you need to re-think a bit
Your RV's main Electric should be a 120/240 volt panel, two hot bus bars, one ground, one neutral (not bonded to ground) this is what the generator feeds.....
In this box you will install a Breaker, most likely 30 amps, which feeds the inverter/charger via 10 or 8 ga Romex
A 2nd Romex line (Same size) returns to the area of the main panel, and there you install a SUB panel, this is like a 30 amp RV Main panel, only no (Well opitonal)_ MAIN breaker. just the branch breakers.. Circuits like the TV,, Microwave,,, GFCI, and Bedroom, you wish to inverter power go into this box, and block outs (or just leave breakers not connected) in the main for those positions.
No my question is. Is there a way to disable one hot off you gen. Without having a in balance load. My inverter is installed correctly. I don't need to get to power anything other then my inverter and my inverter will only take 120. I was on hold with onan for 20 minutes and had other things to do guess I'll just have to suck it up and stay on hold
AStravelers
Well-known member
First, why are you worried about a balanced load coming from your generator? In your normal day to day generator usage, there will be times you have next to no load on one hot leg and an air conditioner running on the other leg. You may even be running the microwave along with the A/C on that same leg with no real load on the other leg.Nastones said:
Second, I am not clear on your INVERTER question. How did you wire your inverter into the AC power panel? Many folks relocate the circuits they want to power with the inverter from the 50amp (actually the two 50amp panels) to a sub panel and then wire the inverter to that sub panel. Usually just the AC power outlets and the microwave go on this sub panel. This way you don't have the water heater, air conditioners, etc connected to the inverter.
About wiring the generator to your inverter (I assume so the inverter will charge the house batteries). Just run a wire from either the "A" or "B" side of your AC power panel to your inverter. No need to have more than 30amps available to your inverter.
So my inverter is tied into the main panel then to a sub panel just like it should be. My inverter has a gen input that will change battries and of course run power to the RV. According to wiring specifications for the inverter I need to run the gen hot directly to the inverter generator input. Inverter aside I would like to know if anyone knows if you can disable one hot off of your generator without causing any problems to the generator itself. I guess I shouldn't have even used the word inverter in any of my explanations.
aquadave
Well-known member
without knowing exact model # of your Onan and even so it can be difficult. BUt you can sometimes just flip a switch to 110V only, then both legs are the same 110 leg no need to balance. You can rewire the generator to 110 only it takes a little more skill. But i'm going to bet since you're more than likely 110V 30 amp shore power there is no need to worry about balancing. if you have 110V shore power then more than likely your Onan is 110 as well no balancing needed. The 2 supply wires are on the same leg. If you have a 220V shore power balancing needed. If you are factory wired for 220V it is already balanced. Now how much power are you inverting? Chances are not that much and balancing is a mute point. Balancing is for large loads. Do you have 2 amp draw meters next to your remote start switch? Those are for balancing power draw. Balancing a genertor is different from 3 phase. balancing a generator is turning on or off different loads watching the 2 meters and keeping them close in load. All generators are "dirty power" the best way to overcome that is with a battery backup surge protector normally used with computers. In short #1 110V shore power no need to balance. #2 220 is balanced according to the 2 amp draw meters #3 all generator power is dirty
Lou Schneider
Site Team
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Like Aquadave said, the question is whether the generator is wired for 120/240 volts or 120 volts only.
With 120/240 volts the two windings are out of phase with each other and you'll measure 120 volts from each hot leg to the common neutral and 240 volts from one hot lead to the other.
MOST but not all RV generators are wired with the two windings in phase with each other, in this case you'll again measure 120 volts from each leg to neutral, but ZERO volts from one hot leg to the other.
If you have the second case, where the generator is 120 volts only, you can combine the two hot leads to a single output and continue to have the generator's full output available. Do not try this if you measure 240 volts from one hot leg to the other.
Each of the two generator outputs supplies half of the generator's power, so if you only use one output you'll be limited to half of the rated power, or 2500 watts for a 5000 watt generator. This should be confirmed by the size of the circuit breaker on each output leg, a pair of 20 amp breakers means you can only draw 20 amps, or 2400 watts from each winding.
There's nothing wrong with drawing up to half of the generator's rated power from a single winding, but that's the limit unless you can combine the windings in parallel with each other.
With 120/240 volts the two windings are out of phase with each other and you'll measure 120 volts from each hot leg to the common neutral and 240 volts from one hot lead to the other.
MOST but not all RV generators are wired with the two windings in phase with each other, in this case you'll again measure 120 volts from each leg to neutral, but ZERO volts from one hot leg to the other.
If you have the second case, where the generator is 120 volts only, you can combine the two hot leads to a single output and continue to have the generator's full output available. Do not try this if you measure 240 volts from one hot leg to the other.
Each of the two generator outputs supplies half of the generator's power, so if you only use one output you'll be limited to half of the rated power, or 2500 watts for a 5000 watt generator. This should be confirmed by the size of the circuit breaker on each output leg, a pair of 20 amp breakers means you can only draw 20 amps, or 2400 watts from each winding.
There's nothing wrong with drawing up to half of the generator's rated power from a single winding, but that's the limit unless you can combine the windings in parallel with each other.
aquadave
Well-known member
Lou is right and I would add you should have someone very familiar with electrical look at it. It could be simple or it could be complicated but in this case there will be no in-between
5500 6557k I guess I should have mentioned my RV is a 50amp service. So yes my gen is running two hots to each of the two legs in the service. Onan swears up and down that their generators do not put out dirty power but the reps at samlex don't agree. My inverter will clean it up but the fact remains I still need to get 120 to the inverter with out the gen being out of balance. Onan said that it can be re wired but that's Beyond me so I think I'm going to sell this gen and get a single phase gen since I'm only going to be using it to charge my batteries. Thanks guys
John From Detroit
Well-known member
To disable one of the outputs. Turn off the circuit breaker.
BUT, As others have said
On a 50 amp RV half your RV should run on one breaker, Half on the other (Mine is wired that way)
On a 30, the 20 amp breaker feeds one A/C or THE A/C. Is your RV 30 or 50 amp?
BUT, As others have said
On a 50 amp RV half your RV should run on one breaker, Half on the other (Mine is wired that way)
On a 30, the 20 amp breaker feeds one A/C or THE A/C. Is your RV 30 or 50 amp?
AStravelers
Well-known member
It seems like your main concern is that someone is telling you that your Onan generator puts out "dirty power" and you want to fix that. Would you want to share that documentation with us?Nastones said:
What problem is this "dirty power" causing you?
BTW, The inverters I am familiar with such as Magnum, just pass through generator or shore power. They don't take the 120V gen/shore power and run it through their inverter circuits and then send it to the output. Do you have documentation from your inverter that states different?
aquadave
Well-known member
so you are 220 how much amp draw does your inverter use? and you don't already have an inverter? and so we're clear you're inverting 120VAC to 12VDC
John From Detroit
Well-known member
I have put a scope on my ONAN and the reps at ONAN speak the truth.
Just so you know
We have run thousands of dollars in high priced electroncs off my Onan Emerald and not one complaint save for a tripped breaker or two.
Just so you know
We have run thousands of dollars in high priced electroncs off my Onan Emerald and not one complaint save for a tripped breaker or two.
AStravelers
Well-known member
OK. So what did you see???John From Detroit said:
I'm assuming it is a nice clean sine wave, no harmonics, ragged edges, etc. But you know what "assume" means? It makes an "ASS" out of "U" and "ME. (ass-u-me).
Besides if the OP was to use your reply as proof to the inverter people he would want to tell them more than some John Doe on a forum said they are wrong. Not that you really are some John Doe, but the inverter people don't know that.
John From Detroit
Well-known member
Sorry. I forgot to specify. You assumed correctly and took the proper action to avoid the memory trick for the spelling of Assume.
Yes it was a nice clean wave. No "Wolly Worm" look at all. clean and sharp. Not quite "inverter" qualitym but nothing to worry about either
Yes it was a nice clean wave. No "Wolly Worm" look at all. clean and sharp. Not quite "inverter" qualitym but nothing to worry about either
