Gen Runs but Not creating power

[Midnightsun]

Source of the post I haven't worked on or with Onan generators, but the shop where I took a friends' Kohler from his '89 Santego 38 told me that the generator should never be started with loads, nor should the switch be thrown to Ship's Power immediately after startup.

YMMV.

Good to see that it's working.

Although this is viewed as good practice I have never done so on the Avanti or now on the Carver and never had an issue.

I have a whole house unit at home. The 200A transfer panel switches over immediately after a power failure is sensed, it then fires up the generator which furnishes the entire house while under load. Guess what I am saying is all automatic home generators are started under load all the time.

[KyleR]

It's definitely not ideal to start it loaded, but I'd be more concerned about all the electronics and motors that are seeing low voltage (i.e. drawing large current) as the generator comes up to speed. Also there is probably a lingering (although relatively short) period when the generator is trying to stabilize itself so all your loads are seeing fluctuating voltages and currents. Same applies when shutting it down however the gradual voltage drop/higher current typically lasts longer as the generator winds down.

Again, probably minimal impact on the generator, not so great for the loads.

As for emergency generators, all the ones I've ever looked into actually start and come up to speed first, then the automatic transfer switch gets flipped. Just my 2 cents.

[Alanna Mo Cree]

This discussion is precisely why I preferred my manual transfer switch on my last boat (not a Carver). I've already forgotten about the auto transfer switch on the Carver once and had a rough start of the generator under load. It was a reminder of why I use checklists.

My old checklist was easier IMHO:
Startup

Cabin Door CLOSE
Generator Master Switch START
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR START —
Generator Exhaust CHECK
AC Transfer Switch GENERATOR
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cord STOW

Shutdown

Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cord CONNECT
Shorepower Pedestal ON
AC Transfer Switch SHORE
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR COOL —
Generator Master Switch STOP
Bilge Blowers OFF
Cabin Door AS REQ.

With the auto transfer switch there is a lot more to it:
Startup

Cabin Door CLOSE
A/C Unit FWD S/R OFF
A/C Unit Salon OFF
A/C System Water Pump OFF
Shorepower #2 OFF
Shorepower #1 OFF
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Generator Master Switch START
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR START —
Generator Exhaust CHECK
Shorepower #1 ON
Shorepower #1 Volts NOMINAL
Shorepower #2 ON
Shorepower #2 Volts NOMINAL
A/C System Water Pump ON
A/C Unit Salon ON
— WAIT FOR A/C UNIT START —
A/C Unit FWD S/R ON
Shorepower Cords STOW

Shutdown

A/C Unit FWD S/R OFF
A/C Unit Salon OFF
A/C System Water Pump OFF
Shorepower #2 OFF
Shorepower #1 OFF
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cords CONNECT
Generator Master Switch STOP
Bilge Blowers OFF
Shorepower Pedestal ON
Shorepower #1 ON
Shorepower #1 Volts NOMINAL
Shorepower #2 ON
Shorepower #2 Volts NOMINAL
A/C System Water Pump ON
A/C Unit Salon ON
— WAIT FOR A/C UNIT START —
A/C Unit FWD S/R ON
Cabin Door AS REQ.

Maybe the manual shut down of the A/C system is overkill, but instead of having a momentary blink of power switching from ship to shore or vice versa I know there is going to be a few minutes without AC for the A/C. I also try to avoid having both systems come up at the same time because those compressor starts are brutal on the amp draw.

[650Guy]

what a great discussion! Generators are awsome and awful all at the same time! having one is just an amazing addition and proper use is key! when they have troubles... they are awful cause nobody wants to work on them (at least around me!)

[650Guy]

Source of the post This discussion is precisely why I preferred my manual transfer switch on my last boat (not a Carver). I've already forgotten about the auto transfer switch on the Carver once and had a rough start of the generator under load. It was a reminder of why I use checklists.

My old checklist was easier IMHO:
Startup

Cabin Door CLOSE
Generator Master Switch START
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR START —
Generator Exhaust CHECK
AC Transfer Switch GENERATOR
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cord STOW

Shutdown

Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cord CONNECT
Shorepower Pedestal ON
AC Transfer Switch SHORE
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR COOL —
Generator Master Switch STOP
Bilge Blowers OFF
Cabin Door AS REQ.

With the auto transfer switch there is a lot more to it:
Startup

Cabin Door CLOSE
A/C Unit FWD S/R OFF
A/C Unit Salon OFF
A/C System Water Pump OFF
Shorepower #2 OFF
Shorepower #1 OFF
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Generator Master Switch START
— WAIT FOR GENERATOR START —
Generator Exhaust CHECK
Shorepower #1 ON
Shorepower #1 Volts NOMINAL
Shorepower #2 ON
Shorepower #2 Volts NOMINAL
A/C System Water Pump ON
A/C Unit Salon ON
— WAIT FOR A/C UNIT START —
A/C Unit FWD S/R ON
Shorepower Cords STOW

Shutdown

A/C Unit FWD S/R OFF
A/C Unit Salon OFF
A/C System Water Pump OFF
Shorepower #2 OFF
Shorepower #1 OFF
Shorepower Pedestal OFF
Shorepower Cords CONNECT
Generator Master Switch STOP
Bilge Blowers OFF
Shorepower Pedestal ON
Shorepower #1 ON
Shorepower #1 Volts NOMINAL
Shorepower #2 ON
Shorepower #2 Volts NOMINAL
A/C System Water Pump ON
A/C Unit Salon ON
— WAIT FOR A/C UNIT START —
A/C Unit FWD S/R ON
Cabin Door AS REQ.

Maybe the manual shut down of the A/C system is overkill, but instead of having a momentary blink of power switching from ship to shore or vice versa I know there is going to be a few minutes without AC for the A/C. I also try to avoid having both systems come up at the same time because those compressor starts are brutal on the amp draw.

This is great!! in my line of work we live (and hopefully not DIE) by checklists! Im totally going to customize this for my boat and tape it to the inside panel for use!!! THANK YOU!