Electricians! Generator wiring...

[ka0tyk]

Some of you are following my RV build. I have a powertech 8wk diesel generator. However some of the wiring was a little messy... Got that all cleaned up... it fires up, etc. Yay!

Now I'm at the point of testing 110v out of it. I have the following schematic:

To clarify I have my T1 and T3 going to the 2 front 35a breakers. T2 and T4 are both going to the grounding point on the gen head. Along with the ground and neutral from the 110v side I'm trying to test with. That leaves me with a black "hot". I should be able to wire up the other end of my test wire to an outlet (check with my meter first obviously...) and plug something into it and get power right? Eventually they'll go into an auto switch/charger/inverter setup. But for now I just want to make sure its working properly, the voltage regulator is working, etc.

Also I see a #12 jumper wire between the T1/T3 leads on the breakers. I'm guessing thats the output sense of the regulator on the 120v side to regulate power output? I think I still need that...

 

[Taboma]

I'm not familiar with this gen, perhaps others on here are. I'm also somewhat confused by that # 12 jumper wire. It appears that gen outputs 120V between either black hot and neutral / Grnd. Do you get 240V between the two black hots ? I'm assuming so, since it appears they are derived from two separate windings. If that's the case, how is that # 12 jumper not creating a dead short between T1 and T3 ?
I'm also not sure what you mean when you state you're left with one black hot ? Not two as per the diagram ?

If it were me, unless there's something in a manual that explains that # 12 jumper wire, I'd try to contact the factory, unless T1 and T3 are the same potential, in phase and there is no 240 between them. In other words, two leads, but both the same phase, so like a single split circuit ?

 

[ka0tyk]

I'm not familiar with this gen, perhaps others on here are. I'm also somewhat confused by that # 12 jumper wire. It appears that gen outputs 120V between either black hot and neutral / Grnd. Do you get 240V between the two black hots ? I'm assuming so, since it appears they are derived from two separate windings. If that's the case, how is that # 12 jumper not creating a dead short between T1 and T3 ?
I'm also not sure what you mean when you state you're left with one black hot ? Not two as per the diagram ?

If it were me, unless there's something in a manual that explains that # 12 jumper wire, I'd try to contact the factory, unless T1 and T3 are the same potential, in phase and there is no 240 between them. In other words, two leads, but both the same phase, so like a single split circuit ?

its my understanding on other schematics for this gen that it can be configured to output 2 110v 35a, or a 240/110, etc... right now its setup for 2x 110v 35a via t1/t3. I'm guessing that the #12 jumper wire is for the 120v input/sensor on the high voltage regulator.

 

[Taboma]

its my understanding on other schematics for this gen that it can be configured to output 2 110v 35a, or a 240/110, etc... right now its setup for 2x 110v 35a via t1/t3. I'm guessing that the #12 jumper wire is for the 120v input/sensor on the high voltage regulator.

Oh OK, that explains the jumper and between the two hot blacks you'll maybe read nothing, only 110V between a black and neutral.
Fire it up

 

[hallett21]

So to clarify does that jumper get removed in a 240 scenario?

I see the 240 sensor has no attachment. Can you load the 240 schematic?

My gut says you’re good to go. Just test

Hot to neutral 120v
Hot to ground 120v
2nd hot to neutral 120v
2nd hot to ground 120v
Hot to hot 0v
Neutral to ground 0v


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rrrr]

Looks good to me.

 

[ka0tyk]

So to clarify does that jumper get removed in a 240 scenario?

I see the 240 sensor has no attachment. Can you load the 240 schematic?

My gut says you’re good to go. Just test

Hot to neutral 120v
Hot to ground 120v
2nd hot to neutral 120v
2nd hot to ground 120v
Hot to hot 0v
Neutral to ground 0v


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In a 240 line to line and 120 line to neutral it looks like this. I don’t have anything 220 to power so I figured making it 120 only would be best?

 

[Taboma]

I awoke early this morning thinking about this thread and the one thing that was bugging me finally came to the surface. I realize you stated you don't have any 240 loads (Which is common with RVs), so figure using the 120V only config is preferred.
What bothers me is, you've got each Black LINE off a 35 Amp breaker, but they're sharing a single neutral and that neutral does not appear to be rated for 70 AMPS.
In this configuration, both the hots are the same phase, not typically out of phase, so will not cancel each other out, so that shared neutral will get the full load.
What I'm seeing is paralleled 120V hots and a single neutral.
I'm not sure why you wouldn't want your Gen System to mirror the 50A, 240/120 configurations you'll encounter in RV parts when you plug in RV parks. Plus then if you're in a 30A 120V only park, the normal convertor cord adaptors should work as well.
I admit, I'm not up on all things RV, so perhaps I'm off base here, but I've never encountered a three wire using a shared neutral, where both hots were the same phase.

 

[ka0tyk]

headphone warning.

well fired it up again, put a plug on it and my meter. got 120v out of it so thats pretty cool. You think it would be best to wire it in a 240/110 per leg setup? I've been curious how I would be wiring 2x 110v into a transfer switch.

 

[Taboma]

headphone warning.

well fired it up again, put a plug on it and my meter. got 120v out of it so thats pretty cool. You think it would be best to wire it in a 240/110 per leg setup? I've been curious how I would be wiring 2x 110v into a transfer switch.

View attachment 992665

That single line drawing doesn't accurately reflect a 50A 240/120 4 wire connection you will normally encounter in an RV park.
That reflects more of a 30A 120V 3 wire hookup, but that's not what your generator outputs. If you're inverter only outputs 120V 20 or 30A, then fine, it will be just like you're connected to a 30 A RV outlet and using your 30A 120V to 50 A 240/120V adaptor that takes one 30A hot leg and splits it into two 120V legs to feed both panel phases.
The automatic transfer switch needs more poles, 2-hots and one neutral -- 3 pole, not 2 as shown.
On the invertor output, if it's only one leg of 120V, then add a jumper to the other pole, that way you're still powering the entire panel, but you'll have to know at reduced capacity, just like when you're plugged into a 30 A 120V RV outlet.
When you're on your gen, you get the full advantage of both hots ( 240/120) just like being plugged into a 50 A 240/120ZV RV outlet.
Like I wrote earlier, if you use the two 120V hot legs instead of one leg each of 240 V you're going to put way to much current on that single neutral. You can't group two 120V of the same phase with a single neutral, they have to be two different phases.

The other thing that does seem right with that diagram is how they're showing the Gen / shore power as one connection. You sure don't want those two seeing each other.
Are you going to put a manual transfer switch to select Gen or Shore Power, prior to the Transfer Switch ?

 

[ka0tyk]

That diagram is for a 50a automatic transfer switch from the manufacturer.

 

[Taboma]

That diagram is for a 50a automatic transfer switch from the manufacturer.

Take a peek at this one. At the end of the day, just tryin to help

https://gpelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/PDF/Manual_GP-TS-50.pdf

 

[Uncle Dave]

I have similar power tech PT8000 with the cat engine

It sounds like you have a bad motor mount (the noise and vibe on shutdown) - this setup is hard on them.

The guys at colton trucking can help out.

 

[ka0tyk]

Take a peek at this one. At the end of the day, just tryin to help

https://gpelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/PDF/Manual_GP-TS-50.pdf

View attachment 992668

that’s the same one I was looking at. Go power seems to be a decent brand. There’s victron but damn are they expensive.

 

[ka0tyk]

I have similar power tech PT8000 with the cat engine

It sounds like you have a bad motor mount (the noise and vibe on shutdown) - this setup is hard on them.

The guys at colton trucking can help out.

ill take a peek at them. It’s a reeeally tight fit inside that box.