A/C problem or Generator problem

[ttrott712]

Hi everyone,
I'm having problems with my A/C on my 2022 Hideout 186SS. At first it wasn't working at all and supposedly they replaced the whole unit. It seems to work fine at campgrounds 30 Amp hookups.
Now when I hook up the unit to my generator (Predator 3500/3000 running watts) the surge protector (Hughes 30 Amp Smart Surge Protector - properly grounded) the unit shuts down in a couple minutes and the Hughes shows a E1 Line voltage error. The A/C is the only thing running. Do I dare try bypassing the surge protector?
Any feedback?

Thanks,
Tom

[BubbaShoots]

I never run a surge protector with a generator. I can’t come up with any reason to do so.

[flybouy]

No, the low voltage shut off is protecting the a/c unit. What is the voltage reading when it shuts down? What else do you have running on electric? Fridge? Water heater? Remember 3000 watts is NOT 30 AMPS! 3000watts÷120volts = 25 amps. That's about what the a/c will require alone. If your battery is charged then the converter will likely be ok maintaining a float charge at the same time.

[Bustinbeards]

Was the ac on auto?

I had the same issue using a 4500 watt Westinghouse . But if I put the ac fan on hi or low no issue with the e1 error.

I was using a southwire bonded plug also

My watchdog said voltage dropped to 104. I was only testing the AC and had everything turned off including the converter

[JRTJH]

It may be a "bonded ground" issue.

Most generators isolate ground and neutral. Most EMS systems look for a "ground/neutral connection". If the EMS doesn't see that connection, it "errors out" and shuts down power.

There are "ground/neutral plugs" designed to "bond the neutral to ground" on the generator to eliminate the problem. Here's one such plug, sold by Hughes specifically for their autoformer systems: https://www.continuousresources.com/...xoCQvcQAvD_BwE

[Javi]

That A/C is going to start at approximately 32-35 amps for a few milliseconds when the compressor kicks in.. I'd suggest a https://www.microair.net/products/ea...r-conditioners as the solution.. it will start the compressor at about 15 amps and once running it should easily run on that genset.

You don't have to take my word on this, there is a huge amount of information about this on the net and YouTube

[ttrott712]

I have the ground neutral switch in place on the generator. Also, my unit came with one solar panel and I added a second battery. Both are fully charged. Nothing else is running on the unit. I just did another test. The generator was showing 12.4 amps. I turned on the A/C at the lowest fan speed. At the 3 minute 19 second mark, the A/C shut down, the generator temporarily dropped to 7.4 then right back to 12.4 but no power to the trailer.

[NH_Bulldog]

If you were drawing 12.4 amps from the generator BEFORE turning on the AC, that sounds like a problem.

[bsmith0404]

Shut off the breaker for the converter. It draws around 7 amps alone. That should be enough to get the AC running. A 3000 watt gen is just enough to run an AC, but you have to watch for anything else that’s using power. The converter is probably your biggest draw, until you try to use the microwave or coffee pot.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by ttrott712

I have the ground neutral switch in place on the generator. Also, my unit came with one solar panel and I added a second battery. Both are fully charged. Nothing else is running on the unit. I just did another test. The generator was showing 12.4 amps. I turned on the A/C at the lowest fan speed. At the 3 minute 19 second mark, the A/C shut down, the generator temporarily dropped to 7.4 then right back to 12.4 but no power to the trailer.

If your trailer is drawing 12.4 amps before you turn on the a/c SOMETHING is on. With 25 amps to work with something is using 1/2 of the available amperage. I would turn all the breakers off in the camper. Start the generator and let it stabilize. Then start the a/c unit with fan on high and the temp set higher than the ambient. That will let the fan start and the amperage of the fan to settle down to the running amps. Then lowernthe thermostate temp until the compressor kicks on. If your generator is running OK then it should continue to run.

[ttrott712]

Thanks Everybody,
I needed to move on to some other business but I will try all suggestions today
Tom