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Old 06-20-2017, 05:46 PM   #1
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Generator-AC-EMS Issue

Okay, last night I sucussfully ran our AC using a Honda 2000i; had to use the bypass mode on the EMS to make it all work. Ran fine for about 30 minutes until my generator just stopped (and of course, shutting down the AC). Knew it wasn't out of gas and when I tried to restart it, it kicked right on. However, the AC didn't come back on. AND ... the EMS display didn't have any readout at all. Worked off the batteries just fine for the remainder of the night. Just hooked up to a 30 amp outlet and the EMS is now acting normal as is the AC. Which is good - it's 108F here in Hurricane, UT. Why would the EMS go dark? Why would the generator konk-out? No fuses or breakers tripped anywhere along the line.
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Old 06-20-2017, 10:10 PM   #2
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Okay, last night I sucussfully ran our AC using a Honda 2000i; had to use the bypass mode on the EMS to make it all work. Ran fine for about 30 minutes until my generator just stopped (and of course, shutting down the AC). Knew it wasn't out of gas and when I tried to restart it, it kicked right on. However, the AC didn't come back on. AND ... the EMS display didn't have any readout at all. Worked off the batteries just fine for the remainder of the night. Just hooked up to a 30 amp outlet and the EMS is now acting normal as is the AC. Which is good - it's 108F here in Hurricane, UT. Why would the EMS go dark? Why would the generator konk-out? No fuses or breakers tripped anywhere along the line.
You have me stumped a bit on this one. An overload condition on the EU2000 kills the power output from the gen, but the engine continues to run. The only thing I know that stops the engine (besides a fuel issue of course) is a low oil condition via the "Oil Alert" feature. This should be accompanied by the top light in the vertical set of three being lit up red (might only be red just before it kills the gen and when you pull the starter grip, not while gen is shut off if I'm reading the manual right). The EMS in bypass typically says "OFF" on the display but if I've never tried cutting power while it is bypassed and then re-powering. Maybe it stays blank? Strange because typically if the screen is blank there is no power. Could you have tried a receptacle or microwave to see if you actually had AC power in the trailer? Some A/C's have time delay circuitry in the control board to protect the compressors. This can sometimes include the fan too. If you restarted the generator quickly and did not wait at least 3-5 minutes this may have been the issue.

This is probably unrelated but make sure your ECO-throttle is in the OFF position when starting and running a large load like the A/C.
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Old 06-21-2017, 09:31 AM   #3
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You have me stumped a bit on this one. An overload condition on the EU2000 kills the power output from the gen, but the engine continues to run. The only thing I know that stops the engine (besides a fuel issue of course) is a low oil condition via the "Oil Alert" feature. This should be accompanied by the top light in the vertical set of three being lit up red (might only be red just before it kills the gen and when you pull the starter grip, not while gen is shut off if I'm reading the manual right). The EMS in bypass typically says "OFF" on the display but if I've never tried cutting power while it is bypassed and then re-powering. Maybe it stays blank? Strange because typically if the screen is blank there is no power. Could you have tried a receptacle or microwave to see if you actually had AC power in the trailer? Some A/C's have time delay circuitry in the control board to protect the compressors. This can sometimes include the fan too. If you restarted the generator quickly and did not wait at least 3-5 minutes this may have been the issue.

This is probably unrelated but make sure your ECO-throttle is in the OFF position when starting and running a large load like the A/C.
Hey Dave, thanks for your thoughts. The oil is new and set at the correct level. The 2000i had a full tank of gas, eco-throttle not on, and fuel vent cap open. I did restart almost immediately which as you noted may have been an issue but failed to test any of the 120v outlets (). The EMS manual says that if the display is blank, there is a broken connection somewhere between the display and the unit - obviously not the case since it's working now. Hopefully this will remain a one time only issue?
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Old 06-21-2017, 09:39 AM   #4
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Just a thought, but any chance a little water might have gotten in the fuel? Just enough to interrupt the firing cycle on that little one cylinder engine on its way through the fuel system? I don't recall, is there a little fuel filter on these generators that might be starting to get blocked?
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Old 06-21-2017, 10:39 AM   #5
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I don't recall, is there a little fuel filter on these generators that might be starting to get blocked?
Interesting. Not recalling one that is obvious on the machine I had to go into the manual to find it. There is a small fuel filter, but it is buried and they want it changed by a service tech ideally. Of course people find a way to do it themselves.
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Old 06-21-2017, 03:21 PM   #6
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Is the ems is still blank after testing it out on your home 120v, I'm sure you already tried it.
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Old 06-21-2017, 07:28 PM   #7
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Is the ems is still blank after testing it out on your home 120v, I'm sure you already tried it.
The EMS display came back on shortly after hooking up with shore power (thank heavens).
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