Introduction & question about load balancing generators [RE-wrenches]

[by way of Michael Welch]

<x-flowed>carl reuter wrote:
>
>  How to balance out the two legs of ac
>  output on the average Honda type generator.

Hey Carl,

Bob-O is on a much deserved vacation so I'll mention a method he
recommended to me once that has worked very well on a couple
installations I've done.  You bring one leg off the gen-set to the ac2
input on the Trace.  The other leg goes to the normally open contact on
a Todd transfer switch.  The ac output from the Trace goes to the
normally closed contact on the transfer switch.  The common is the hot
on the 120vac load center.  The Trace has a 60 second default setting on
it's internal transfer switch and the Todd's timer circuit has to be
less and usually is (they do have a timer to allow the gen-set to come
up and settle in).  You fire up the gen-set and both the Todd and the
Trace are seeing ac in good.  After about 30 seconds, the Todd transfers
the load center over to the one leg of the gen-set and in doing so
disconnects the Trace's ac out from the load center (home loads now on
the gen-set).  About another 20 seconds or so and the Trace's internal
transfer switch comes on an starts charging the battery with the other
leg of the gen-set.  Although Trace does not recommend an external
transfer switch, this works well and I have spoke with them and they
apparently have no problem with the arrangement.  You can balance the
output further by scrolling the charger amps down on the Trace.  It's
default is 30 amps I think and the home loads will be less than that
most likely.  By the way, I do not recommend using a Honda that is less
than 5KW.  The chargers in the Trace are not very efficient and are
using the top end of the wave form and the peak voltage on most gen-sets
of this variety are pretty low.  That means as the battery voltage comes
up, the amps fall off.  Loading both sides of the generator usually also
increases the peak voltage as well which is an added bennifit.  The Todd
I've used is the smaller inexpensive 30 amp model and it works well on
the 2,500 watt inverter as long as you current limit the gen-set to 30
amps.  If it is grid-tied, you need to go with a larger transfer switch
as even the little guy can pass thru 60 amps if I remember right.  Dito
on the bigger Trace.  Good luck.

Kurt Nelson, SOLutions

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