Generator No Load Voltage?

[Panzerman]

I have a PowerBack Generator. 11 hp Industrial Briggs Stratton on it. Haven't used it in awhile. I fired it up today and I thought I would check the voltage. I am getting around 113 volts at each receptle. I plugged some lights in it, they look good and when I run several items it seems to keep up fine. It's a 6000 watt generator. Don't they idle adjust for loads?

 

[UncleDave]

Thats a constant RPM (prob 3600) genny. It will throttle up or down to maintain 3600 but wont spin any lower than that. You are thinking of an inverter generator that varies RPM under load and can idle down to a whisper under low load - thats not what you have. UD

 

[Panzerman]

No. I got a Honda Whacker 6200 generator and it definitely changes rpms when you increase loads or subtract loads. I really haven't used this Powerback as much. I took it camping once and ran my trailer with it but that was years ago. I can tell you the exhaust gets cherry red from heat which freaked me out do I changed the exhaust. It now sports a Polaris 500 Sportsman muffler and runs quieter and cooler.

 

[eljefino]

They adjust for loads, but run the full 3600 RPM. You'll hear it throttle up when you turn on a hair dryer. Hey, try it! No-load voltage on a cheap meter is open to interpretation. I bet if you used a different DVOM you'd get 117 volts. If, however, you could get the cycles-per-second that would be a great piece of data to have to see if it's running the spec 60 Hz. I had the red exhaust from my old mean 8hp Briggs generator from 1977.

 

[kc8adu]

i set them to maintain as close to 60hz as possible under load. dont worry about voltage. it will be close enough.

 

[JHZR2]

They better not change from 3600 or the frequency will not be 60Hz. Inverter generators make a synthetic waveform so don't have this issue. If equipped with an automatic voltage regulator, it should boost voltage under load.

 

[Rand]

Those generators with idle control drop the rpms with no_load. As soon as you put a load on it snaps to 3600rpm to provide 60hz power. in your case you want to look at hertz while idling. which would tell you rpm when multiplied by 60.

 

[user52165]

Handy thing to have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009MDBU/ref...la-306572288073

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: kc8adu

i set them to maintain as close to 60hz as possible under load. dont worry about voltage. it will be close enough.

Might want to rethink that. Knew someone with a Honda non inverter genny that kept wrecking whatever he had plugged in. Portable 600 or 650 job. Great engines in those, but.............Said it "seems to run fast". It did. I tested it at 180+ volts. Had those stupid frequency lites Honda used to use and they indicated OK. Tested about 62Hz.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: kc8adu

i set them to maintain as close to 60hz as possible under load. dont worry about voltage. it will be close enough.

EXACTLY.... get a Kill-A-Watt and adjust the governor spring when under load.

 

[kc8adu]

if it is not an inverter type if it is at 3600rpm it WILL be on target voltage wise. something else is up on that one. if it sounds high it is. a friend let something hit his in the truck and bent the throttle linkage. ran way fast and blew mov's in everything he plugged it into. easy fix for the generator and the damaged stuff. once fixed and set right it ran 4 weeks without incident. this was after ike. the open design of this one leaves the linkage vulnerable. it is literally a engine and alt on a tube frame/handle.

Originally Posted By: user52165

Might want to rethink that. Knew someone with a Honda non inverter genny that kept wrecking whatever he had plugged in. Portable 600 or 650 job. Great engines in those, but.............Said it "seems to run fast". It did. I tested it at 180+ volts. Had those stupid frequency lites Honda used to use and they indicated OK. Tested about 62Hz.