SW4024 and Piezo Igniters [RE-wrenches]

[matthew tritt]

Jeff,

This sounds like more of an inverter problem than a generator one. Is this a
newer SW? The starting/stopping issue has to be directly related to the
inverter relay set-points (unless the Onan has a brain of it's own!),
perhaps absorption times? This sounds odd, but you might also check your
battery cable connections for corrosion and/or looseness, and/or mouse pee
signs.

Matt T
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffery Wolfe, Global Resource Options"
<jeff at globalresourceoptions.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 5:23 PM
Subject: RE: SW4024 and Piezo Igniters [RE-wrenches]


> I've been having a long-term problem with an Onan Emerald 6300W propane
> genset.
>
> Works great much of the time, but sometimes gets into a pulsing mode while
> charging. By pulsing I mean that the current draw on the charger will vary
> by 3 to 8 amps in a 2-3 second period, pulsing up and down. Sometimes this
> is ok, other times it makes the lights flicker like all heck. We get
voltage
> readings that vary by 15 to 20 volts during the pulsations. This will go
on
> anywhere from 2 minutes to half an hour, and then just stop. No way to
make
> it happen, or to stop it.
>
> After making way to many trips to the site and battling the local Onan
> dealer, they finally replaced the voltage regulator. Didn't change a
thing.
> Now Onan Northeast is involved, and has a better theory, which might also
> have something to do with the problems noted by others.
>
> The voltage regulator senses the voltage from the line to the inverter.
> During operation, the inverter/charger sends noise back onto the line
being
> sensed. The voltage regulator can pick up the harmonics, and start trying
to
> control to the harmonics, rather than to the true voltage signal.
>
> If this is the problem, the solution is to install a small 1:1 transformer
> in the line to the voltage regulator sensor. The transformer will drop out
> the harmonics, allowing the regulator to regulate based upon a pure
signal.
>
> Could it be that the microwave/piezo igniters/other electronic thingies
are
> putting an excessive amount of noise back onto the line, making the
voltage
> regulator behave poorly enough to bump off the inverter connection?
>
> On larger gen sets (don't know where the break point is) these
transformers
> come as standard, because apparently this is not an unusual problem.
>
> We are going to install the transformer on 1/13. I'll let you know what
> happens.
>
> On a related topic, this same genny has gotten into a habit of
disconnecting
> during charging, turning off, and then restarting and reconnecting
> automatically. It did not do this when first installed (even though it had
> the above described problem) but has done it ever since the partial
rebuild
> caused by the mouse nest in the generator.
>
> No error messages come on at all during this stop/start sequence. Gen
starts
> and synchronizes nicely. I'll track voltage better next time on site, but
it
> does not seem to be going off on high voltage. Any clues?
>
> Jeff Wolfe
> Global Resource Options
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jay Peltz, Peltz Power [mailto:jay at asis.com]
> Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 5:57 PM
> To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
> Subject: Re: SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]
>
>
>
> Hi Matt,
>
> Yes I agree, that with just the one load on, sometimes it can "fool" the
> regulator on the genny, but I doubt that this is the case.  Usually if you
> are using the stove, you've at least got a light on.  And in my
experience,
> if at least one light is one ( best if its an incandescent) then there is
no
> problems with a sensitive load.
>
> Jay
>
> peltz power
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "matthew tritt" <solarone at charter.net>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 11:10 AM
> Subject: Re: SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> > Hay Jay,
> >
> > .  I suspect that the real reason that certain  loads, like microwaves,
> oven
> > bars and submersible pumps don't work properly with the small, low
> > torque-high RPM gensets has to do with their controls, and not the
actual
> > load. Perhaps, that since these small generators will easily bog down
and
> > develop a less than perfect wave form when attempting to start some
loads,
> > the controls reject the power (or, in the case of some pumps, the engine
> > stalls out) Does anyone have experience with a small (under 6 kW) high
> speed
> > genset that will actually start and run sensitive loads? I've never seen
> > this type of problem with the Listers or other industrial grade sets
that
> I
> > use.
> >
> > Matt
> > ----- Original Message -----
> >
> >
> >
> > From: "Jay Peltz, Peltz Power" <jay at asis.com>
> > To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> > Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 9:11 AM
> > Subject: Re: SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]
> >
> >
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > What I'm curious about is that "glow bars" only use a few hundred
watts
> > max.
> > > I don't understand all this talk of overloading a 3500 watt genny?
> > >
> > > I think the problem is not in acutal power useage but in some other
> > problem
> > > such as wave form.  I've got a customer ( haven't been back out to the
> > site
> > > yet) who says their microwaves work fine on the inverter, but don't
work
> > > with the genny ( SW4024) which is a 4.5kw onan in good shape.
> > >
> > > Remember its not the size, its how it works!!
> > >
> > > jay
> > > Peltz Power
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Jack West, Talkeetna AE" <jackwest at alaska.net>
> > > To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> > > Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 12:38 AM
> > > Subject: Re: SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]
> > >
> > >
> > > > William et al,
> > > >
> > > > The ability of the 4024 to shed the charger load is approximately 1
> amp
> > > > per cycle (16ms).  IE, at 30 amps charging it takes 1/2 second to
> > > > completely shed the charger.  Pretty slow.  I have seen this cause
> > > > problems several times with pumps coming on.  Generally setting the
> max
> > > > charge amps to a lower value will fix the nuisance problems.  I did
> not
> > > > personnally measure this value but rather got the number from tech
> > > > support at trace when I was having similar trouble with a customer's
> > > > system.
> > > >
> > > > Jack West
> > > >
> > > > William wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I've never tested either feature.  Has anyone out there tested
> either
> > or
> > > > > both of these features?
> > > >
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