Can you charge from a non inverter generator?

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binks said:
So I just need to do the 2 100k resistors?

LeftieBiker said:
L-1 charging generally works fine. It's L-2 that requires modifications. Ground the generator to play it safe.
Need to know the model # to determine which resistors you are referring

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product-manuals/

@50% capacity 1500 W from a 3550W sounds about right , lots of threads on grounding on this forum
Just make sure it is pure sine wave not modified
 
https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/100406-3550-watt-generator/

Model 100406

ElectricEddy said:
binks said:
So I just need to do the 2 100k resistors?

LeftieBiker said:
L-1 charging generally works fine. It's L-2 that requires modifications. Ground the generator to play it safe.
Need to know the model # to determine which resistors you are referring

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product-manuals/

@50% capacity 1500 W from a 3550W sounds about right , lots of threads on grounding on this forum
Just make sure it is pure sine wave not modified
 
The manual is pretty vague on this more specifically on page 15 where it states : see your model's control panel for specified type of grounding"
So look at the control panel and see if it shows a recommended neutral bonding procedure.
I can tell you this , you will definitely NOT want the neutral to be floating but some form of solid bonding to ground.
If the information is not indicated on the control panel you may try this as it seems to fool the EVSE

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5792&start=30#p182547
 
Since the generator neutral is floating, you will need a single resistor (or solid bond) between neutral and ground. I use either a single resistor or a solid bond between neutral and ground, depending upon the application. I made up 120-volt plugs to keep with the generator (one with a solid copper connection between neutral and ground; the other with a 100k ohm resistor). That way I can run the generator floating (no plug), resistance grounded, or solidly grounded simply by choosing the plug to insert into one of the outlets. For safety, the generator frame should be grounded to a ground rod, regardless of operating mode. At home, you could ground the generator frame to a metal water pipe.

Rotating machines produce sine waves by their nature so conventional generators produce true sine waves. Inverter type generators have high quality inverters so they also produce true sine waves. Either type will work for charging the car as long as the generator has sufficient capacity to match the EVSE and the neutral is either solidly grounded or grounded through a resistor. Modified sine waves are only produced by cheap inverters that produce limited power from battery sources.
 
binks said:
What is the difference between the two types ? Resistor and soild

If there is a ground fault in the circuit being supplied from the generator, the 100,000 ohm resistor will limit the leakage current to about 1.2 mA (less than the 5 mA level of most ground fault circuit interrupters) to minimize the shock hazard. Since the leakage current is below the threshold of GFCI protection, the GFCI protection (either external or built into the EVSE) will not activate.

A solid bond makes the circuit equivalent to plugging in to a non-GFCI receptacle in the house. Therefore, there is no personnel protection unless GFCI devices are used (either external or built into the EVSE). I recommend the resistor connection for most applications since it does not depend upon GFCI tripping to prevent shock hazard (that is why most portable generators are floating).
 
Thanks
I will try resistor.method

Does this affect anything.else on the generator like will the furnace still work with this? I assume yes
 
binks said:
I made a plug adapter and it worked

I used 2 100k resistors
There is some risk if you connect resistors to both line and neutral. Did you connect both resistors in parallel between neutral (white or silver terminal) and ground (green terminal)? If so, then it is fine and the net resistance is 50k ohms. I recommend that no resistor be connected to the line terminal (yellow or brass terminal) because that could cause an unsafe condition if the neutral to ground resistor comes loose (due to vibration) or fails.
 
binks said:
I made a plug adapter and it worked

I used 2 100k resistors

I would change the title of your post to avoid a bad outcome from using a non-inverter generator.
 
Yes, it should be charging from a non inverter generator. Charing (or charring) is not good when electricity is involved. By the way, most portable generators (inverter or conventional) have floating neutral so a neutral to ground reference (such as the plug adapter I described earlier) is needed.
 
GerryAZ said:
binks said:
I made a plug adapter and it worked

I used 2 100k resistors
There is some risk if you connect resistors to both line and neutral. Did you connect both resistors in parallel between neutral (white or silver terminal) and ground (green terminal)? If so, then it is fine and the net resistance is 50k ohms. I recommend that no resistor be connected to the line terminal (yellow or brass terminal) because that could cause an unsafe condition if the neutral to ground resistor comes loose (due to vibration) or fails.

100k from each terminal to ground

Should I just do both together to 1 line?

They are not in parallel
Z25TpMd.jpg
 
I strongly recommend a single connection from neutral (white or silver terminal) to ground (green terminal) with no connection to the line (brass or yellow) terminal. Either 50k ohms (two 100k resistors in parallel) or 100k ohms (one resistor) connected between neutral and ground is fine. If you use two resistors (one to line and one to neutral) you could have a safety issue if the resistor connected to neutral becomes disconnected or fails. In that case, the neutral terminal of the generator is elevated to 120 volts with respect to ground so it would be like plugging something into a receptacle that is wired backwards.
 
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