Problem with A/C running from the geny

[riverdog]

Hello all... Need some advice.

I have a 2005 300 FV that is equiped with the Kohler 5k geny.  I have had no problems running my A/C from the geny but last week it would not turn on after I started it.  I would hit the power button and get zero response.  So, I reached into the electric panel and sitched the transfer switch from geny to shore and then back to geny.  This solved my problem and the a/c started up just fine.  However...  This weekend it was the same situation and it would not start up for nothing until we reached the marina and connected back to shore power.  Has anyone ever experienced this?  Am I missing something?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[raybo3]

riverdog are you handy with a volt meter? What I would do is open electric panel. Start the genny and check for voltage. If genny is working right then maybe you have a bad breaker. Its hard to figure out from the info you gave. Remember be very careful around the electric panel. Good luck and keep us posted....

[riverdog]

The voltmeter on the panel is indicating 12v when the geny is started.  I am very handy with a voltmeter and have not gone to this extreme yet.  I am just trying to see if there is anyone who has seen this before.  I checked on the panel and can not find a breaker that says it's for a/c.  I also checked all of the pop-out breakers on the rear panel by the battery switches.  Is there another breaker somewhere?  Also, all of my other 110 appliances were working.  This is definetly a head-scratcher

[B-Juled]

Have you checked the a/c strainer? Not sure what kind of water you run through but it is possible that if the strainer is clogged you might be drawing more amperage and causing the a/c to stop working. Just a thought...

[alswagg]

I would check for a loose connection from the generator to selector switch.   Al

[Dream 'Inn]

I would not switch the power between the two while the genny is running.  I was talking to someone this past weekend (our marina is 90% rinker owners) and he said that for some reason the voltage regulator tends to get blown out when switching between the two while the genny is running and shore power connected.

Ever hear anything about that Al?

[alswagg]

when swhitching to gen turn off the shore breaker and then flip on the gen breaker.  This is particulary nessesary on older models which do not have the new style rotary switch. Al

[raybo3]

I switched mine together and got a little arc between the breakers. Not good! So here is what I do. I start the genny, then shut the shore breaker then turn on genny breaker. Doing it this way will not cause voltages to "cross" and the breakers will not arc.

[riverdog]

Come to think of it, I might have actually put myself in the situation that Dream 'Inn is talking about just prior to this acting up.  I assume that the voltage regulator is on the genny.  Is there an easy way to check this with the voltmeter.  Is the part expensive and can it be replaced without complication?

[riverdog]

Ok, here's the deal.  When I had the genny and shore power hooked up and powered at the same time, I switched the transfer switch.  This momentary spike in voltage must have been the reason for the breaker that is on the front of the genny to pop.  So, the problem is solved and I will make sure not to duplicate this procedure again.   
Thanks to all...

[frodo13056]

The circuit breakers on the panel that Rinker uses are designed such that you BREAK the existing connection (shore power or generator) and then MAKE the connection to the new power source (either shore power or the generator).
Good rule of thumb for running shore power and generator - It's BREAK before MAKE - which is what should happen so that you cannot have the type of issues described here. The setup on the Rinker breaker panel is a BREAK before MAKE type connection but if you simply throw one set of breakers, the slider bar between the breakers will NOT BREAK the existing connection before MAKING the new connection - it's a very brief cut-over but you essentially will have two 110 Volt power sources for a few cycles (110 volts alternating current cycles at 60 cycles per second). The bad that can happen is that the shore power 110 volt supply most likely is NOT in sync with the generator 110 volt supply - meaning that the cycles per second are not in sync which is a bad thing for electric motors, microwave ovens, sensitive electronics.
Always BREAK the existing 110 volt supply breaker and then MAKE the new 110 volt supply - that way you can't hurt anything.