Honda generator use/operation on 2001 Hunter

[Don Lucas]

I just got a Honda EU2200i for use on my 2001 Hunter 410. Some things and questions I've found I would like to ask other owners of similar Hunter who have used the generator.

1 -I connected my generator to the shore power bus A via the normal shore power plug
2 - The shore power breaker would always trip and I found that this was due to the voltage across the hot and neutral leg causing the trip breaker to trip it. I defeated that feature by disconnecting the little capacitor wire on the trip pak.
3 - The reverse polarity light comes on with the Honda
4 - With the generator running an shore power A bus energized there is no problem to the hot water heater, which comes directly off the output of Bus A output. But if I turn on my charger/inverter that energizes the outlets and microwave, there is now power on the hot water heater. Note that the inverter can not power the hot water heater
5. With my parallel breaker shut to engerize Bus B for the air conditioning they wouldn't get power unless the charger/inverter is on. Again this is even though that the inverter can not power the air conditioners. If the air conditioner is off and I turn the charger/inverter off, the air conditioner will lose power and shut down.

My theory is the Honda really is putting out a +60V/-60V power on the hot and neutral legs and that somehow there the outlets side of bus A needs to be connected to pass the power for the neutral leg.

For those with a similar Hunter who have/are using a Honda generator, how does this operation compare?

 

[Nodak7]

Don, we carry two Honda Generators on our 41DS. An EU2000i and a Honda EU2000i Companion. We run them in parallel and feed the boat using the 30A outlet on the Companion. We have run the whole boat electrically in this manner and have had no issues. It may be that using the 30A outlet works better than the standard 120v outlet.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

.

My theory is the Honda really is putting out a +60V/-60V power on the hot and neutral legs and that somehow there the outlets side of bus A needs to be connected to pass the power for the neutral leg.

?

I assume you mean hot and ground which is as it should be. Because the generator neutral floats, some voltage potential exists between neutral and ground causing your reverse polarity LED to light which is typical but not ordinarily a problem.

 

[Don Lucas]

Don, we carry two Honda Generators on our 41DS. An EU2000i and a Honda EU2000i Companion. We run them in parallel and feed the boat using the 30A outlet on the Companion. We have run the whole boat electrically in this manner and have had no issues. It may be that using the 30A outlet works better than the standard 120v outlet.

I don't understand your reply. I'm plugging the Honda into the 30A shore power connection.

 

[Nodak7]

I don't understand your reply. I'm plugging the Honda into the 30A shore power connection.

Don, the companion has a 30A outlet built into it. I can therefore use a short (15') 30A shore power cable to connect to the board shore power plug. It works very well for us!

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Do you Honda generator owners know about the recall? https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/a...table-generators-due-to-fire-and-burn-hazards

 

[Don Lucas]

Don, the companion has a 30A outlet built into it. I can therefore use a short (15') 30A shore power cable to connect to the board shore power plug. It works very well for us!

so you didn't any of the other "issues" I posted in post #1

 

[SycloneDriver]

Are you sure you have it wired correctly.
I did some research years ago and the cheap inverters do have 60v on each leg but the better units supposedly have a true neutral and hot. I'm not sure how that works on a portable generator though. I have also read that you can build a grounding plug (short the neutral to ground at the generator). More research is needed I'm afraid.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Check out this link. It explains neutral/ground bonding with small portable generators.

 

[Don Lucas]

Check out this link. It explains neutral/ground bonding with small portable generators.

Thanks. That was enough of a clue that I was able to make up a neutral/ground jumper and now I have power without having to turn the charger on.

Guess turning on the charger/inverter was connecting the 2 lines and that was getting around it.

 

[Don Lucas]

In the end:

With that neutral/ground connection and the installation of a hard start kit I can start and run my aft 7k btu air conditioner off the Honda EU2200i (have to start in with ECO off)

 

[SycloneDriver]

I'm curious if you tried the AC without a hard start kit. Those kits often seem to increase the surge load on the generator, many people do seem to have success with them though.
Happy to help.

 

[Don Lucas]

I'm curious if you tried the AC without a hard start kit. Those kits often seem to increase the surge load on the generator, many people do seem to have success with them though.
Happy to help.

I tried the aft 7k btu without the hard start kit and it wouldn't start on the Honda 2200. I haven't tried starting this one on the ECO mode yet.

I also installed a hard start kit on my 16K btu unit. It wouldn't start on the Honda at all. But it did reduce the start amps from around 38-40 to 25. My diesel generator really seemed to like it and didn't have the the short bog down it normally had.

 

[SycloneDriver]

What kit did you use?

 

[Don Lucas]

I used a SUPCO I got from Grainger (they had them on the wall they are that common)

https://www.grainger.com/product/SU...T_67708&req=Products_You_Have_Recently_Viewed

The 7K unit wouldn't start on ECO but runs fine on it

 

[Stu Jackson]

These "kits" always have me confused. It's like alarms: when they go "off!" Doesn't that mean they get quiet? Wouldn't you say "The alarm went ON?"

Same thing with "kits" where sometimes somebody says soft start and other say hard start.

Hard to start?

Soft ramp to prevent hard starting.

English is so hard....

 

[SycloneDriver]

All of the "hard start kits" that I am familiar with increase the current draw except the Dometic soft start.

Sometimes you just have to experiment to find something that works.

I personally used a hard start kit on an old deep freeze, worked for a few more years IIRC.

FYI Two years ago I was having trouble starting the AC unit in my 5th wheel trailer. It acted as if the generator was not putting out enough voltage. I could shut off a few other small loads and it would start. The voltage under load seemed fine. I did a little digging and found that the factory had crimped the solid power wires to the stranded wire on the AC unit. I very very easily pulled the crimp apart. Replaced it with wire nuts and its been fine. In fact I'll be headed out with it in a few hours. Fingers crossed.

 

[Don Lucas]

All of the "hard start kits" that I am familiar with increase the current draw except the Dometic soft start.

?????? what does a hard start capacitor kit have to do with current other than starting current? My direct tests today resulted in the 16K BTU needing 10+ amps LESS on starting than it had before. I didn't test the 7K unit but it was less enough that it started on the Honda when it wouldn't before.

Running amps don't appear to have changed at all, which is what you would expect.

 

[SycloneDriver]

As far as I know a hard start kit very briefly increases the start current, increasing the motor torque and allowing it to start. It takes specialized equipment to measure inrush current a regular hand held clamp on amp meter or a generic plug in watt meter won't do it. What's really important here is that it works in your situation. They do not affect running current.

 

[Don Lucas]

doing that ground-neutral jumper also fixed the problem with my trippak breaker and I reconnected that