generator/food trailer

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Joe Rocker

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Hi everyone
I have a food trailer, when I plug the cord into my home's electrical system everything works. I have a Honda generator that can power the food trailer. When I plug the cord into the generator to use the generator to power up the trailer, everything powered up. At that point, I went to turn a switch on in the trailer that controls a receptacle, and the generator trips and shuts down. I can run everything in that trailer but whenever I turn that one switch in the on position, the generator shuts off. I can have everything off in the trailer, use the generator and it shuts down when I flip that one switch in the trailer. Again, all is good when plugged into my homes electrical system, even when I turn on that switch. I am stuck, any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Joe
 
Joe Rocker said:
Hi everyone
I have a food trailer, when I plug the cord into my home's electrical system everything works. I have a Honda generator that can power the food trailer. When I plug the cord into the generator to use the generator to power up the trailer, everything powered up. At that point, I went to turn a switch on in the trailer that controls a receptacle, and the generator trips and shuts down. I can run everything in that trailer but whenever I turn that one switch in the on position, the generator shuts off. I can have everything off in the trailer, use the generator and it shuts down when I flip that one switch in the trailer. Again, all is good when plugged into my homes electrical system, even when I turn on that switch. I am stuck, any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Joe
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I will make a guess at the problem and the only thing I can think of right off.

I'm thinking that the receptacle at the house that you plug into is not GFCI protected and the outlet on the generator is.

See if that may be the problem and get back with us with more information.
 
generator/food trailer

little more information, the receptacle I am plugging the cord into on my generator is a 30 amp. However, the same thing was happening when I plugged the cord into the 120v receptacles on the generator.
 
Joe Rocker said:
little more information, the receptacle I am plugging the cord into on my generator is a 30 amp. However, the same thing was happening when I plugged the cord into the 120v receptacles on the generator.
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That 30 amp receptacle, is that 120V or 240V?

Is this trailer set up for 120V or 240V ? Does it have it's own power distribution panel?

When you plug into power at your house what is the receptacle type and voltage?
 
growler said:
That 30 amp receptacle, is that 120V or 240V?

Is this trailer set up for 120V or 240V ? Does it have it's own power distribution panel?

When you plug into power at your house what is the receptacle type and voltage?
Click to expand...

Ok, 30amp receptacle 120/240v, trailer does have a panel. When I plug the cord to my home's electrical system it is a 120 volt receptacle. Again, what is confusing to me is I can have the switch in the off position, and use the generator to power the entire trailer but as soon as I turn on that switch, the generator trips. Cord is plugged into house receptacle everything in entire trailer works. If there was some type of short, wouldn't the same thing happen when I plug the cord into my home's electrical system?
 
Joe Rocker said:
Ok, 30amp receptacle 120/240v, trailer does have a panel. When I plug the cord to my home's electrical system it is a 120 volt receptacle. Again, what is confusing to me is I can have the switch in the off position, and use the generator to power the entire trailer but as soon as I turn on that switch, the generator trips. Cord is plugged into house receptacle everything in entire trailer works. If there was some type of short, wouldn't the same thing happen when I plug the cord into my home's electrical system?
Click to expand...

What does that switch provide power to? You may have some equipment that has a high inrush current (a motor, for example) and the draw is just long enough to cause the generator to go into a low voltage condition and trip off.
 
Is the generator physically mounted to the trailer? If so, there could be some current flow through the trailer structure that does not occur when using house current. You can try separating the generator from the trailer and see if things change. It is almost certainly an over-current situation on equipment start-up, or a current-carrying conductor is touching something it ought not be touching.
 
Joe Rocker said:
little more information, the receptacle I am plugging the cord into on my generator is a 30 amp. However, the same thing was happening when I plugged the cord into the 120v receptacles on the generator.
Click to expand...

Joe Rocker said:
Ok, 30amp receptacle 120/240v, trailer does have a panel. When I plug the cord to my home's electrical system it is a 120 volt receptacle. Again, what is confusing to me is I can have the switch in the off position, and use the generator to power the entire trailer but as soon as I turn on that switch, the generator trips. Cord is plugged into house receptacle everything in entire trailer works. If there was some type of short, wouldn't the same thing happen when I plug the cord into my home's electrical system?
Click to expand...


Are you only useing one leg of that 120/240V receptacle 30 amp to try and power the trailer?

I don't see how you can power it with 120V and have everything work and then power up the same panel with 120/240V and have everything work when a switch is off. Either that distribution panel is set up for 120v or 240V. Check and see if the panel is set up for 120V or 240V.

Put an ammeter on that circuit and have the switch turned on and see how much current draw there is.
 
Quote Originally Posted by Joe Rocker View Post
Ok, 30amp receptacle 120/240v, trailer does have a panel

When you plug the trailer into you home's 120 volt system, does it also feed into the trailer's panel?

Sounds like "maybe" the 240v is the key. Perhaps the trailer's panel is just set up for 120v as mentioned before.

A picture of the trailer's panel would help.
 
briggs and stratton are my problem?

briggs and stratton are my problem?

First off, let me thank everyone who gave their input. I really appreciate the help I am receiving. Before I went to work, I plugged my food trailer into an older portable generator I had, I flipped on that switch that only controls a receptacle and everything worked! So, I did some research on the other type of generator I want to use, and its a briggs and stratton. The neutral and ground are bonded and what I am wondering is if that is my problem? If I remove the jumper and create a floating neutral, will that solve the problem? I was going to try that tomorrow morning but I wanted to get some thoughts first.
 
Joe Rocker said:
First off, let me thank everyone who gave their input. I really appreciate the help I am receiving. Before I went to work, I plugged my food trailer into an older portable generator I had, I flipped on that switch that only controls a receptacle and everything worked! So, I did some research on the other type of generator I want to use, and its a briggs and stratton. The neutral and ground are bonded and what I am wondering is if that is my problem? If I remove the jumper and create a floating neutral, will that solve the problem? I was going to try that tomorrow morning but I wanted to get some thoughts first.
Click to expand...

Is the panel in your food trailer bonded? And if the neutral and ground are bonded in the generator and your receptacles are GFI that is the problem. Remove that bond. not the one in your generator.
I think I said that right......
 
qcroanoke said:
... Remove that bond. not the one in your generator. I think I said that right......
Click to expand...
It's essential that the white wire should be bonded to the ground (trailer frame) in exactly one place. No more, no less.
When running on the generator, it doesn't matter whether that bond is in the generator or the panel.
When plugged into the house, the trailer becomes a remote panelboard, in which the white & ground must remain separate.
(this may require installing a four-wire receptacle on the house and a four-wire inlet & cord on the trailer)

So ... keep the white-ground connection in the generator, add it to any other generator(s) you might use, and eliminate it from the panel in the trailer.
(and eliminate any other white-ground connections wherever you find them)
 
Is generator engine shutting down or are you just tripping a breaker or GFCI and then losing output power while engine continues to run?
 
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