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Generator Problem Sorted!

We think we have an answer to why the shore power light was blinking when we connected the boat to the Honda generator! One of the blog readers, Jim, happens to be an electrician and wrote some very helpful comments and emails. Also, Ron, who was next to us at the Marina at Emerald Bay, came into our anchorage this morning. We were so happy to see him. We had talked with Ron about Honda generators while we were at the marina. He let us borrow his to try it out. (Either the error light did not blink when we used his or we didn't notice it blinking.) As he buzzed by us this morning on his way in we said hello and then George said he had a generator question. Later on Ron and a friend came by. The Honda generator normally sends current through both the hot and neutral legs. Ron said he thought the error light was due to the boat detecting current coming through on the neutral leg. He first checked the wiring on the generator to see if the current was split between the hot and n
eutral legs (it was). Next, he used a volt meter to check the current between the ground and neutral side, then the ground and hot side. There were 63 volts on each. Next, he checked the hot and neutral together and they were 125 volts and stable. Finally, he connected the generator to the shore power and used the volt meter to check a through hull to make sure the boat is properly grounded (it was). So, we are good to go to charge up the batteries. Just to be sure, George is sending an email to the manufacturer of the inverter/charger, Victron, to confirm that the error light is not a reason for concern.

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