Of course, like many on the East Coast I lost power in the wee hours
of last Sunday morning and it was just restored late this afternoon.
(over 5 days). But, I have my trusty Honda ES6500 generator.

This is a two cylinder, water cooled unit with a starting motor wiich
is powered by a standard U1 12 volt SLA battery.

My battery was dead (over 10 years old) so I used jumper cables to get
it started. In an attempt to replace the battery I inadvertently
picked up a U1R battery. When home I realized this was a reversed
pole battery like what I have in one of my cars. So, all things being
equal, I rotated the batt 180 degrees and it mounted fine.

After hookup and turning on the key all the normal lights illuminated
and a further turn spun the starter motor and the unit started right
up. Great!!! However, within a few minutes the generator started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

So, can someone please explain what might have happened? Oh, and as
the gen was connected to my house circuits I literally burned up my
DVR box, my electronic clothes washer, a game cube power supply and my
computers' UPS and both my garage door openers..

I'd be very interested to know why this happened. And yes, the red
cable was connected to the + terminal and the black to the unmarked
terminal.

Thanks for any comments.

ps: Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

On Sep 1, 9:59*pm, bobmct wrote:
Of course, *like many on the East Coast I lost power in the wee hours
of last Sunday morning and it was just restored late this afternoon.
(over 5 days). *But, I have my trusty Honda ES6500 generator.

This is a two cylinder, water cooled unit with a starting motor wiich
is powered by a standard U1 12 volt SLA battery.

My battery was dead (over 10 years old) so I used jumper cables to get
it started. *In an attempt to replace the battery I inadvertently
picked up a U1R battery. *When home I realized this was a reversed
pole battery like what I have in one of my cars. *So, all things being
equal, I rotated the batt 180 degrees and it mounted fine.

After hookup and turning on the key all the normal lights illuminated
and a further turn spun the starter motor and the unit started right
up. *Great!!! *However, within a few minutes the generator started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

So, can someone please explain what might have happened? *Oh, and as
the gen was connected to my house circuits I literally burned up my
DVR box, my electronic clothes washer, a game cube power supply and my
computers' UPS and both my garage door openers..

I'd be very interested to know why this happened. *And yes, the red
cable was connected to the + terminal and the black to the unmarked
terminal.

Thanks for any comments.

ps: *Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

I doubt that you had the generator running backwards, so we will
assume it was running in the correct rotation. It sounds like the
voltage went really high, if it fried all those household items. Did
it not burn out the Uwave, several clocks, and other devices that are
always connected to power? When you say you used the jumpers to start
it again, what did they connect to?

On Sep 1, 10:59*pm, bobmct wrote:
Of course, *like many on the East Coast I lost power in the wee hours
of last Sunday morning and it was just restored late this afternoon.
(over 5 days). *But, I have my trusty Honda ES6500 generator.

This is a two cylinder, water cooled unit with a starting motor wiich
is powered by a standard U1 12 volt SLA battery.

My battery was dead (over 10 years old) so I used jumper cables to get
it started. *In an attempt to replace the battery I inadvertently
picked up a U1R battery. *When home I realized this was a reversed
pole battery like what I have in one of my cars. *So, all things being
equal, I rotated the batt 180 degrees and it mounted fine.

After hookup and turning on the key all the normal lights illuminated
and a further turn spun the starter motor and the unit started right
up. *Great!!! *However, within a few minutes the generator started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

So, can someone please explain what might have happened? *Oh, and as
the gen was connected to my house circuits I literally burned up my
DVR box, my electronic clothes washer, a game cube power supply and my
computers' UPS and both my garage door openers..

As you pointed out, the only difference between a U1 and
U1R battery is that the location of the positive terminal
is reversed. Assuming you got it connected correctly,
I don't see how it could have anything to do with the
generator suddenly going nuts, unless possibly the
new battery is bad? Even then, I doubt it would
cause the generator to go nuts, as I'd think the battery
is only used for starting. Did you test the new battery
with a VOM and verify that it's at correct voltage?


I would never use a generator to power expensive, non-essential
gear. I had a generator running here and limited it to fridge,
freezer, lights and radio.






I'd be very interested to know why this happened. *And yes, the red
cable was connected to the + terminal and the black to the unmarked
terminal.

Thanks for any comments.

ps: *Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

"bobmct" wrote

ps: Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

It was tough. Not only did we lose power for two minutes, we had flickers
that caused the satellite boxes to re-boot a few times. Very inconvenient.

Seriously, we did well on my street. Half the town was out and 25% still
is. I am in the lucky half. The only wind damage was a tree branch in my
driveway. Some towns around me were 100% out.

On Sep 1, 10:59*pm, bobmct wrote:
Of course, *like many on the East Coast I lost power in the wee hours
of last Sunday morning and it was just restored late this afternoon.
(over 5 days). *But, I have my trusty Honda ES6500 generator.

This is a two cylinder, water cooled unit with a starting motor wiich
is powered by a standard U1 12 volt SLA battery.

My battery was dead (over 10 years old) so I used jumper cables to get
it started. *In an attempt to replace the battery I inadvertently
picked up a U1R battery. *When home I realized this was a reversed
pole battery like what I have in one of my cars. *So, all things being
equal, I rotated the batt 180 degrees and it mounted fine.

After hookup and turning on the key all the normal lights illuminated
and a further turn spun the starter motor and the unit started right
up. *Great!!! *However, within a few minutes the generator started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

So, can someone please explain what might have happened? *Oh, and as
the gen was connected to my house circuits I literally burned up my
DVR box, my electronic clothes washer, a game cube power supply and my
computers' UPS and both my garage door openers..

I'd be very interested to know why this happened. *And yes, the red
cable was connected to the + terminal and the black to the unmarked
terminal.

Thanks for any comments.

ps: *Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

I don't see that there can be a connection.

I let mine run a few minutes before I throw on the load. Sounds like
maybe your governor was hung up. Do you know is it mechanical or
electronic?

Here in Raleigh we pretty much were right on the edge. We had a lot
of wind and some rain. Had brief power outages. Same annoyance as
Ed, satellite boxes take 5 minutes to start back up. Then the power
would cut off for 5 seconds and they would start over.

On Sep 2, 5:57*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"bobmct" wrote



ps: *Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

It was tough. *Not only did we lose power for two minutes, we had flickers
that caused the satellite boxes to re-boot a few times. *Very inconvenient.

Seriously, we did well on my street. *Half the town was out and 25% still
is. *I am in the lucky half. *The only wind damage was a tree branch in my
driveway. *Some towns around me were 100% out.

put the new battery back and check the voltage out with a meter.

sounds like your generator may have a govenor problem, might be a good
idea to get it serviced

Most small engines have a governor, or speed controller. The
load increases, or lightens. So, the engine needs a way to
open or close the throttle. From what you describe, (and the
voltage spikes), your governor is not working properly.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"bobmct" wrote in message
...

up. Great!!! However, within a few minutes the generator
started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the
old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

Thanks for any comments.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in
:


"bobmct" wrote

ps: Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

It was tough. Not only did we lose power for two minutes, we had
flickers that caused the satellite boxes to re-boot a few times. Very
inconvenient.

I thought I saw Cantore soing a spot on "Widespread reports of downed
leaves".


Seriously, we did well on my street. Half the town was out and 25%
still is. I am in the lucky half. The only wind damage was a tree
branch in my driveway. Some towns around me were 100% out.

"bob haller" wrote
sounds like your generator may have a govenor problem, might be a good
idea to get it serviced

If the generator over-speeds, does the voltage increase? Is there any
electrical regulator? I'm thinking a generator/alternator on a car still
supplies the same voltage from about idle to full rpm. Would a home
generator have the same setup?

On Fri, 2 Sep 2011 05:05:28 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Sep 2, 5:57Â*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"bobmct" wrote



ps: Â*Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?

It was tough. Â*Not only did we lose power for two minutes, we had flickers
that caused the satellite boxes to re-boot a few times. Â*Very inconvenient.

Seriously, we did well on my street. Â*Half the town was out and 25% still
is. Â*I am in the lucky half. Â*The only wind damage was a tree branch in my
driveway. Â*Some towns around me were 100% out.

put the new battery back and check the voltage out with a meter.

sounds like your generator may have a govenor problem, might be a good
idea to get it serviced
I would agree. The main generator does not know if the battery is
even there - only the motor knows - and in many cases it doesn't even
know if it is there after the engine is started. Only a generator with
an electronic governor may need the battery for the generator to
function properly - other than possible battery ignition.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"bob haller" wrote
sounds like your generator may have a govenor problem, might be a good
idea to get it serviced

If the generator over-speeds, does the voltage increase? Is there any
electrical regulator? I'm thinking a generator/alternator on a car still
supplies the same voltage from about idle to full rpm. Would a home
generator have the same setup?

It depends on the generator. There are 2 main types. The simple ones run
at 3600 rpm. This gives the 60 HZ and nominal 120/240 volts. Any faster or
slower speed will change the voltage and frequency. Faster= higher voltage
and frequency. Some diesels will run at 1800 rpm. Simple governors try to
hold this speed constant.

There are some inverter type generators that the speed changes due to the
load, but the inverter electronic circuits hold the voltage/frequency
constant. They usually cost more for the same power, but use less gas under
light loads.


The inverter type can change the speed depending on the load. The inverter
is used to hold the voltage/frequency constant. They use less fuel when
lightly loaded. As the speed is slower under light loads, they may last
longer.

On Fri, 2 Sep 2011 19:38:54 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"bob haller" wrote
sounds like your generator may have a govenor problem, might be a good
idea to get it serviced

If the generator over-speeds, does the voltage increase? Is there any
electrical regulator? I'm thinking a generator/alternator on a car still
supplies the same voltage from about idle to full rpm. Would a home
generator have the same setup?
Totally different animal unless it's an inverter generator. Speed
influences the output frequency of an AC generator

On 9/1/2011 10:59 PM, bobmct wrote:
Of course, like many on the East Coast I lost power in the wee hours
of last Sunday morning and it was just restored late this afternoon.
(over 5 days). But, I have my trusty Honda ES6500 generator.

This is a two cylinder, water cooled unit with a starting motor wiich
is powered by a standard U1 12 volt SLA battery.

My battery was dead (over 10 years old) so I used jumper cables to get
it started. In an attempt to replace the battery I inadvertently
picked up a U1R battery. When home I realized this was a reversed
pole battery like what I have in one of my cars. So, all things being
equal, I rotated the batt 180 degrees and it mounted fine.

After hookup and turning on the key all the normal lights illuminated
and a further turn spun the starter motor and the unit started right
up. Great!!! However, within a few minutes the generator started
surging and making stange noises so I shut it down.

As nothing else had changed, I replaced the batt with the old one,
used the jumpers to start the gen and then it ran smoothly.

So, can someone please explain what might have happened? Oh, and as
the gen was connected to my house circuits I literally burned up my
DVR box, my electronic clothes washer, a game cube power supply and my
computers' UPS and both my garage door openers..

I'd be very interested to know why this happened. And yes, the red
cable was connected to the + terminal and the black to the unmarked
terminal.

Thanks for any comments.

ps: Ed P in Putnam - how did you fare in the storm?
Also on the Eastcoast, power went off for 20 minutes but came back on at
100V, lights flashing, sump pump not running at all, luckily I'd
disconnected all sensitive gear like computers, home theater etc. My gen
is not powerful enough for all the house, just the essentials. How are
you powering all your house, with a incoming mains disconnect? If not
you could easily fry any repair guy working on your incoming supply.
JC

On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:23:38 -0400, Archon
wrote:

How are you powering all your house, with a incoming mains disconnect? If not
you could easily fry any repair guy working on your incoming supply.
JC

Transfer switch which cuts the main service but feeds MOST of the
outlets and pumps, furnace, etc. Years ago a similar situation fried
my two door operators (overhead door Phantoms) which cost hundreds to
replace. After that I installed surge suppressors at the plug for
them. This time I hope all it did was blow the internal fuses. I
checked and they are 3A/250V and blown.
Today I installed a new U1 batt and it started and ran just fine.