Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a WEN GN625i (6250 watt) generator with two outputs. One is a L14-30 twist lock which is 240v and the other one is a TT-30 which is 120v. The electricians installed an interlock and a 30amp breaker. Each time I plug in the L14-30 (240v) into the house and then the generator the overload feature shuts the generator down. This occurs even when all of the breakers in the house are off. Before I test anything I shut all of the house breakers on. The electrician checked the end of my cord and it shows 240v.
The electricians disconnected one leg of the 30amp breaker and we tried the 120v TT-30 output. This worked, but will only power half of the outlets I want (none of these are 240v).
Before I start trouble shooting my generator are there any other options I can check? The electricians says it is the generator overload not working correctly.
The electricians says it is the generator overload not working correctly.
Maybe; maybe not.
When the actual wiring was done/setup, did you have "HIM" setup/hookup the gen to make sure everything was working properly? That would seem like a no-brainer to me.
Like any licensed mechanical person- they're always fast on the trigger to point the finger at something/someone else!
When the actual wiring was done/setup, did you have "HIM" setup/hookup the gen to make sure everything was working properly? That would seem like a no-brainer to me.
Like any licensed mechanical person- they're always fast on the trigger to point the finger at something/someone else!
The electrician was there with me testing everything. They took everything apart to check their connections. They even changed out the 30 amp breaker to make sure it was OK.
When the 240v connection would not work I ordered an adapter to connect my cable to the 120v connection. When it came in the electricians came back to see if it would work and it did. But I would really need to get 240v working.
Last edited by reubenray; 07-18-2023 at 03:31 PM..
The "overload" in the generator is also a GFCI, it is sensing the down stream bonding of the ground and neutral that all services must have and is working correctly by tripping. See if your generator manual has anything about unbonding the generator from the frame. Most larger generators will have a jumper to remove to accomplish this, only down side to unbonding the generator is that you should not use the 120 volt outlets as theu will also be unbonded
The "overload" in the generator is also a GFCI, it is sensing the down stream bonding of the ground and neutral that all services must have and is working correctly by tripping. See if your generator manual has anything about unbonding the generator from the frame. Most larger generators will have a jumper to remove to accomplish this, only down side to unbonding the generator is that you should not use the 120 volt outlets as theu will also be unbonded
Would grounding the generator do this? There is a screw for this on the generator.
The manual has nothing about unbonding the generator. If it makes any difference my generator is an open frame generator.
Somewhere in the generator outlet box there is a jumper connecting the netural to the frame, this is a good thing for the 120 volt outlets but a bad thing for the 240 volt outlet being connected to a system that is already bonded.
the GFCI sees the house bond as a neutral to ground short and trips like it should
Somewhere in the generator outlet box there is a jumper connecting the netural to the frame, this is a good thing for the 120 volt outlets but a bad thing for the 240 volt outlet being connected to a system that is already bonded.
the GFCI sees the house bond as a neutral to ground short and trips like it should
Thanks for the info. I found some youtube videos showing what to do to unbond it. I am waiting to hear back from WEN to see if this would void the warranty. This generator is marketed to be 120/240 volt transfer switch ready, but obviously it is not.
Also be aware that your generator can only supply 20.8 amps per leg CONTINIOUSLY (5000w total - 2500w/leg) - so don't load an individual leg up beyond that.
the 6250w is SURGE capacity.
Do you have any subpanels (garage/shop/wellpump)? that you need to turn breakers off on too, when testing?
Is the interlock properly requiring you to turn the MAIN breaker OFF before the generator breaker is moved to ON ?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
