Lone Star Birds Christmas Rally

[ernie ekberg]

The Lyght power system transfer switch, was what I believe Paul Lazar installed. This is what I'm going back with. We don't have the humidity or salt air as Paul has on the east coast. Should last quite a while. Now, if it would only thaw out a bit to make installation easier

[pgchin]

(12-10-2013 13:58)timetravelers Wrote:  I installed the same ATS as Corey, but am not happy with it. It drops out one leg of the generator when the AC put the starting load on the line.

Interesting, there may be more "causes" then just the ATS since this new ATS you used has surge protection built in:
1) The one leg of the genny actually may be "surging" over the logic boards design point and you need to address the genny issue of 1 leg surging too much and the ATS is doing its job by dropping the 1 over surging leg. This could be anything from the genny head itself, the voltage regulator, loose wiring in the box mounted on the genny head, etc.
2) Loose wiring during the install in the ATS itself, loose cables to the logic board, etc.
3) The logic board (top right in Coreys pics) actually may be defective and there is nothing wrong with the genny leg surging. If this is the case, then I am sure the MFG wil stand behind it and get you a new board ( I would hope!)
FWIW all genny's surge some on power up, be thankful for the surge protection of your new ATS because if the genny truly is over surging on that leg and you did NOT have that new ATS and had the old one like me AND you have sensitive electrical equipment plugged into that line, then it will be Toast on genny power up! DO NOT ask me how I know this!!!! It was the dreaded story of the blown logic board (blown AC input rectifier bridge on the chiller's board) on my wine chiller while on vacation last summer in MI.....in my trip notes in another thread! Now THAT WAS truly an issue (warm wine)...... temp fix.... sticking 16 bottles of MI vineyards best into my two other fridges waiting for a new board to ship and eating out for the interim (LEO)! What fun, remove wine chiller, disassemble on outside picnic table, solder in new board, test outside,reassemble, reinstall, THIS TIME, with an AC switch so I can turn it OFF before I start the genny, then back on!!!!!!! Of course deplete the bottle count during the job! :-)

[timetravelers]

The built in surge protection actually opens the relay passing the generator output through to the coach if the voltage drops momentarily below about 109 volts. My number 2 AC on leg 2, drops the voltage on compressor start up. It drops just below this voltage minimum design set point for milliseconds, and so the ATS shuts the gen power off. (Don't hold me to the 109V , I didn't write it down after talking to the ATS engineer). If I don't run #2 AC, everything is fine.

My temporary fix, until I get different ATS that doesn't do this, is to not run AC #2 on the generator. The ATS manufacturer gave me a new unit, but it did the same thing. I asked them if we could just bypass the built in protection, but he said they couldn't do it.

I have Progressive Industries whole coach isolator in addition to the ATS. BTW, I called Progressive about having 2 isolators in the same circuit, and they said it is OK, just reduces the protection, maybe about 5%.

PS my Powertech gen produces lower voltage on leg 2, after their service people installed a new voltage regulator, they set as high as they could. It is bad wiring in the head, and can only be fixed with a rebuilt head.

---

Moderator, I think this thread got highjacked, could you put it in a new one?

[pgchin]

(12-11-2013 13:49)timetravelers Wrote:  My number 2 AC on leg 2, drops the voltage on compressor start up. It drops just below this voltage minimum design set point for milliseconds, and so the ATS shuts the gen power off. (Don't hold me to the 109V , I didn't write it down after talking to the ATS engineer). If I don't run #2 AC, everything is fine.

Might try checking the # 2 start capacitor on AC#2, may save you some bucks.......


[/quote]
Moderator, I think this thread got highjacked, could you put it in a new one?
[/quote]
Yeah I agree a good / proper subject title may benefit more members for the ATS discussion for future searches for the ATS threads' albeit it started out innocently enough just trying to help out one of the Lone Star Rally members coaches and save them some time who was at the rally and having some issues and decided to "share".