# Possible Ac Problem/kipor 3000ti



## Besh (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm trying to diagnose why my new Kipor KGE3000ti overloads when the ac compressor attempts to turn on. I have a 26rs 2006,w/a standard Carrier 13500. I am new to travel trailers, but cant imagine that the generator isn't powerful enough. I haven't been able to "plug it in" to test the unit. The compressor seems to try to kick on for about 2-4 seconds then the generator overloads, it seem that the fan stops whenthe compressor attempts to turn on. Any thoughts?


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

First off...

action *Welcome to Outbackers, Besh!* action

CamperAndy is the Kipor expert around here, and I'm sure he will speak up soon, but my first question is what else might have been running at the same time the A/C was trying to start? That unit should indeed be more than capable of running the A/C.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Besh (Jul 25, 2006)

PDX_Doug said:


> First off...
> 
> action *Welcome to Outbackers, Besh!* action
> 
> ...


Nothing, everything else turned off. It has been rather hot as of late but, I still think it should work. Thanks for the warm welcome.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Break the generator in for a few hours with a resistive load like a space heater and halogen work lights. Once you have used a tank of fuel, change the oil.

Now while it is running its break in cycle, modify your AC to put a 3 second delay between the fan coming on and the compressor starting.

What altitude are you at? Every 1000 foot knocks off 4% of the generator capability.

Last but not least check to make sure the trailer loads are minimized.

Force the fridge to gas only the AC coil can take 350 watts
Make sure the water heater AC element is off, save over a 1000 watts
Make sure the batteries are charged or at least make sure the converter has cycled off its high current charge mode, saving 450 watts


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## Besh (Jul 25, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> Break the generator in for a few hours with a resistive load like a space heater and halogen work lights. Once you have used a tank of fuel, change the oil.
> 
> Now while it is running its break in cycle, modify your AC to put a 3 second delay between the fan coming on and the compressor starting.
> 
> ...


OK. I'll give it a try. I'm in Fresno. maybe 270 feet, I've tryed with everything off, Fridge included, but the generator has only 1-2 hours of use. Thanks.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi Besh action 
Welcome to Outbackers action 
Good luck with the generator, hope you solve the problem quickly!
Keep us posted,
Dawn sunny


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Welcome Besh to the Outback family
Andy has gave you some great info there









Don


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## Scrib (Jun 28, 2005)

Welcome aboard! I can help you next week - I have a July 31 ship date on a 3000ti. My gut-assumption is that the converter's battery charger was stealing all your Amps.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

CamperAndy said:


> Break the generator in for a few hours with a resistive load like a space heater and halogen work lights. Once you have used a tank of fuel, change the oil.
> 
> Now while it is running its break in cycle, modify your AC to put a 3 second delay between the fan coming on and the compressor starting.
> 
> ...


Did I tell you, huh? This guy is good!
Thanks once again, Andy!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I agree that something was probably sucking power while you tried to run the A/C, but is there any way to tell what mode the WFCO converter is in? My old converter was a Progressive Dynamics that had the "Charge Wizard" with a flashing led that would tell you what it was doing. I can't find any led's on this one.....???

Also, if the generator is running in "econo" mode or whatever Kipor calls it (Honda calls it eco-throttle), it might not throttle up in time to provide the start-up amps needed for the A/C compressor. Try turning that off and have the generator run at full throttle when you turn on the A/C.


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## Doxie-Doglover (Apr 19, 2006)

Welcome to your new home and family!







there is so much knowledge on this site and you'll get the help you need with anything.


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Would disconnecting the battery help? This would prevent the converter from trying to charge the battery.


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## outback21 (Jun 17, 2006)

I can't believe this!! I just ordered one of this Kipor generators and the next post I read is about a problem!!! I hope its just a fluke...


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Seem like you have some good advice from Andy...so I'll just *WELCOME *you to the site.


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## Besh (Jul 25, 2006)

Insomniak said:


> I agree that something was probably sucking power while you tried to run the A/C, but is there any way to tell what mode the WFCO converter is in? My old converter was a Progressive Dynamics that had the "Charge Wizard" with a flashing led that would tell you what it was doing. I can't find any led's on this one.....???
> 
> Also, if the generator is running in "econo" mode or whatever Kipor calls it (Honda calls it eco-throttle), it might not throttle up in time to provide the start-up amps needed for the A/C compressor. Try turning that off and have the generator run at full throttle when you turn on the A/C.


I had the "smart throttle" off, but I'm breakin' er in now, and I hope it does the job. I didn't even consider the battery charge issue,. . . is it an issue? How can I be sure the battery ISN'T charging?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Besh said:


> I agree that something was probably sucking power while you tried to run the A/C, but is there any way to tell what mode the WFCO converter is in? My old converter was a Progressive Dynamics that had the "Charge Wizard" with a flashing led that would tell you what it was doing. I can't find any led's on this one.....???
> 
> Also, if the generator is running in "econo" mode or whatever Kipor calls it (Honda calls it eco-throttle), it might not throttle up in time to provide the start-up amps needed for the A/C compressor. Try turning that off and have the generator run at full throttle when you turn on the A/C.


I had the "smart throttle" off, but I'm breakin' er in now, and I hope it does the job. I didn't even consider the battery charge issue,. . . is it an issue? How can I be sure the battery ISN'T charging?
[/quote]
.

You can isolate the battery charge circuit 2 ways.

1 - Open the breaker to the converter.
2 - Install a battery disconnect and open it.

Option 1 is the better of the 2 as once the AC is operating you can turn the converter on.

Or you can run the generator for about 15 minutes connected to the trailer before turning on the AC, unless the batteries are really dead this should be enough to switch charge modes. There is no external indicators to tell you what charge mode the WFCO is in but you can monitor the DC voltage and if it is over 14 vdc then it is in a high current draw mode, also you will normally hear the cooling fan cycle up when it is in high current mode.

One other note the ambient temperature can really affect performance so if it is really hot you do need to really make sure that only the AC is being powered when it starts. Once running the generator can handle all the other loads except the electric element on the water heater and some times the microwave.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I am running a kipor kge3500ti which has yet to be used in my new outback , but some tips will be, shut off the smart throttle before trying to start the ac, make sure everything else is off, and give it a go. The only thing i will say is that , i bought my Kipor from a friend who had a trailer with a Carrier a/c unit, and that a/c fried the inverted on the generator. Supposedly the carrier unit does draw more than a dometic unit, but i have not been able to test it. My new outback is set up with the dometic a/c, and it has been a little chilly to need it.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I think you should be okay if you turn off the other items that were mentioned such as the fridge and the battery charger. I've run mine two Honda Eu2000 generators running in parallel and once it's up and running it sits at about 1,400 watts. Occasionally on startup I have to turn off the eco-throttle to have the generators fully spun up to handle the startup load. I think the Carrier has a fairly high startup current compared to some other 13,500 btu AC units.


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

Ok - we have the same generator and were having problems as well... here is what we did:

1. Check the fridge to make sure it is on gas only.

2. Make sure it is not on eco-throttle

3. Get the right plug.

Doing thest three fixed our problem. The battery charging does not seem to effect the generator at all. It does take some effort to get it moving, so make sure the generator is nice and warm before you start. Once it gets going it works just fine. Granted, we live in Oregon - our AC gets used like twice a year.


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