Honda 2000 with reversed polarity

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kauppi	Honda 2000 with reversed polarity		Lead	[-]
Posts: 19 01/07/08 17:16:32	Tags : None We purchased a HONDA 2000 generator, and when we used it, our reversed polarity light went off. Has anyone else had this problem and what is the solution? Dave on Avalon 636
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svzephyr44		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 123 01/07/08 19:20:46	It sounds like you need to switch the white and black wires - you may in fact have "reversed polarity." Yes, there is no + and - in AC like there is in DC - but you need to have the "neutral" and the "hot" leads on the correct sides. Roger REBOOT USA 60493
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captjohn		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 75 01/08/08 04:57:42	"reversed polarity light went off." Well, you WANT the reversed polarity light to be OFF. This is correct. So, if the reversed polarity light was ON when you were connected to shore power, then the marina outlet is wired incorrectly! Tell the marina to fix it and stop using shore power until it is. The problem here is the SOURCE polarity.When you changed the source the problem disappeared. Do NOT change the wiring on your boat. Two wrongs do not make a right. John
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yorkrose		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 280 01/08/08 07:36:39	Kauppi, Be careful here. The reverse polarity light may not be quite what it seems. I assume that when you say the light "went off" you actually mean that it fired, i.e., illuminated. If not, and the light remained dark, then there would be no reason for the post. In any case, the reverse polarity light is connected between the neutral (white) and the ground (green) wires. The light should illuminate if the black (hot) and white wires are reversed, and that is the normal meaning of reverse polarity. In addition, however, the light can also illuminate if the polarity is correct, but the ground is poor. It can also illuminate if the ground is good and the neutral connection is poor. In other words, anything that causes a voltage difference between the white and green wires can illuminate the reverse polarity light. I recommend that you do not change any wires until you figure out what is going on. Straightforward use of an ordinary AC voltmeter should pin-point the cause. Regards, Gene Fuller Yorkshire Rose, C42 #870
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kauppi		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 19 01/08/08 08:18:37	Thank you all for responding....sorry for the confusion...the light went on and that is the problem. I have talked to other owners of the 2000 and this problem is quite common. Some owners with the problem claim they have talked to Honda and it is OK; I am still concerned. Dave on Avalon 636 on a mooring at Vero Beach FL
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captjohn		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 75 01/08/08 09:07:56	Gene-- "Straightforward use of an ordinary AC voltmeter should pin-point the cause. " Correct, if you have a meter handy and know how to use it. I recommend a simple AC polarity tester that can be purchased at Home Depot for about $5. It is a molded AC plug with 3 LED lights, 2 green and one red. Simply plug it into any AC outlet and if you don't see 2 green lights there is a problem. Different combinations of the lights indicate open grounds, open neutrals or actual reversed polarity. When vessels are sold, good surveyors check the outlets this way. AC voltages are lethal, and your "Be careful here," is an understatement. One thing Kauppi didn't mention, was how AC power was being feed to the boat from the generator. I do hope it is via a standard shore power cable plugged into the generator and the vessel's shore power outlet. I have seen people make up "cheater" cords, with two male plugs running one to a vessel outlet from the generator and feeding power to the vessel from that outlet, NOT through the AC panel and the vessel's normal circuits. This is dangerous and deadly and must never be done as lethal voltages are present on the exposed pins of the male plug. I'm sure that's not the case here, but mention it only as a safety caution to others that may be reading this thread. John
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pwinterfeld	Reverse Polarity Light GLOWS	#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 110 01/08/08 09:18:21	Hi I have the same problem and someone in prior discussions eased my mind. I have used the Honda 2000 for nearly 4 years now with the reverse polarity light glowing (trust me I checked everything) - its something about the way the electricity is generated - and I now am ignoring it. There has been no damage or problems associated with the Honda and I stopped worrying about it long ago. We use it everytime we are on the hook - its a lot quieter than the genset that came from the factory with the boat and it fills our needs. Peter C'est la Vie Hull #746
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dbkennedy1		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 40 01/08/08 13:39:19	I have been looking in to getting a 2000 myself. From talking with the dealer here in Washington DC, Washington Marina, he suggested that I would want as short a lead from the generator to the A/C plug as possible. All you Electrical Engineers out there might be able to tell if this would address a voltage drop that would cause the reverse polarity light to go "on. David Kennedy Wave Dancer II Hull 303, Mark I, 3 Cabin
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CaptNorm42	Honda Reverse Polarity	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 622 01/08/08 16:17:33 Moderator	I have a Honda 1000, basically same beast. My feeling is the Honda is not at fault. I expect Honda tests that very thoroughly, to avoid any legal issues. My other feeling is the boat is wired correctly, since it appears the reverse polarity light is not lit at the dock. It's either the cable or corrosion. I also have one of those Home Depot polarity testers, everyone needs one. If you look at their nomenclature closely, you will see there are a few situations that cause "reverse polarity". It's not only that the hot & neutral wires are crossed. Wish I had mine here, but, if you get a voltage between 2 wires that you should not get a voltage, that constitutes reverse polarity. I don't remember the details, but I think if get volts between ground & neutral, have RP. I think also if have no voltage between hot and neutral, but have some between hot & ground, have RP. My reverse polarity sometimes comes on. The way I use it is having a 50' (dedicated just for the generator) 3-conductor extension cord with a 30-amp female on the female end (put it on myself). I run the generator at the bow, plug into boat's power inlet. This cable doesn't get used all the time, so I think sometimes there is a small amount of corrosion in the twist-lock connector. I have found if I twist the twist-lock several times clockwise then counterclockwise, corrosion goes away & next time I start the generator, RP light does not come on. I have also found spraying (and waiting for it to dry) a light penetrating oil (wd 40 would work in a pinch) prevents RP. Question for Dave, how are you connecting the Honda to the boat? Same cable you use for shore power, or another new cable? ~~~~_/)~~~~ Norm Perron, Hull #600/2 cabin, Aphrodisiac, Marina del Rey, CA
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pdrimmer		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 163 01/09/08 06:17:43	I have had similar experiences as Norm. When the reverse polarity light comes on, I shut everything down, and carefully wipe moisture, salt, etc, from the plugs on the shore and boat ends. Solves the problem every time. DO NOT CHANGE ANY WIRES. I run my Honda 2000 on the starboard transom box securely fastened with some heavy shock cords. I use a 20 to 30 amp converter, about 12" long. Works great. This is most convenient as I store the generator in the port lazarette and the use the engine hoist to lift the generator out of the lazarette into the transom box.
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kauppi	Thanks for the reponses	#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 19 01/09/08 06:43:59	Norm I use a heavy duty cord I purchased from Home Depot (the best they sell), and a pig tail on the end that goes on the boat. We are in Vero Beach with many cruisers and live-aboards; many have Honda 2000s, some have no RP problem, others do, but ignore it like Peter on C'est La Vie. As a non electrician this seems quite weird. Thanks to you Norm and all responders Dave on Avalon 636
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pwinterfeld	Honda	#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 110 01/11/08 07:56:32	After reading all the discussions - I went to Home Depot and bought a 5 foot section of their heaviest wire (yellow) and bought the connectors at West Marine (HD was out of stock) Assembled them, double checked the polarity, and plugged the whole thing together (into Docksite receptacles so it would go through the proper conduits), started the generator and guess what??????????? The reverse polarity light glowed just as before. Now I am out $45 bucks with same result as I had with the shorepower cord. So I am going to ignore it as usual. Peter C'est la Vie Hull #746
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Fred		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 4 08/14/08 17:58:43	I had a different problem with the Honda 2000. My Heart EMS1800 inverter/charger wouldn't turn on. Tried a Coleman Generator... same thing. Metered the output of both generators and found that they don't have a neutral and a hot. Both legs put out approx. 60VAC 180 degrees out of phase. That's how they make 120 VAC. Spoke to a friend with a Beneteau 39 who has the Honda and told me to make up a plug with an internal wire from what should be the neutral leg to ground. This give it a reference point. That plug goes in one socket of the recepticle and the shore power wire goes in the other recepticle. Workin' fine ever since. And never a reverse polarity light.
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