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I have a 5000 watt Coleman generator but it won't run a common 1/2 HP household water pump ? Pump works fine on house hydro and generator will power electric drill but plug pump into generator and nothing happens... wtf ? What am I missing ? I was wanting to use this set up to irrigate my garden from the farm pond.
Thanks in advance !
Perhaps pump is wired for 220 V, as opposed to 110 V?
Does it trip the breaker or just do nothing? Does the engine load up?
Hi ! Pump is wired for 120 volt. Breaker does not trip off and generator motor briefly speeds up and pump tries to pump but then it stops . If I plug pump into house outlet it runs fine. Silly part of this is the first time I hooked up this system everything worked ok but the next day it wouldn't and that's why I'm baffled . I read online that the generator needed to be flashed to put back a magnetic field in the actual windings of unit. I did this using the AC drill with cordless drill method. Generator runs the drill with no problem.
You ran drill backwards ?
Yes ! Cordless drill ran AC drill that was plugged into generator in off mode to excite the magnetic field.
Neighbour down the road has a gas powered one inch water transfer pump he got at Princess Auto for 200 bucks.... maybe a shopping trip is in the near future ?
The generator likely doesn't have the guts to start the motor especially under load (in the water) I've seen it happen trying to run a small compressor with a generator, if you let the pressure out it would start fine but wouldn't restart unless you drain the tank.
A 5000 watt generator shouldn’t have an issue starting a 1/2hp pump ?
not enough amps to run it.
Plug a small light like a desk lamp in to the generator and then try to start the pump..with the light still plugged in and turned on..
Perhaps your impeller may be swelled and is too tight in the impeller housing. This is likely the case if you have used it to pump fuel or solvents in the past.
Look at the AMP rating on the pump motor and start up draw for it. Then compare max starting amps for the Geny. Our AC unit on trailer is rated for 20Amps and my 3K (4K surge) geny starts it fine.
Hi guys ! Thanks for the comments and hints. Not sure what the light bulb trick will do but will try it. 5000 watt geny will surge to 6000 watts so it should be able to power a normal 120 volt household water pump otherwise as a back up power supply to house it is useless. So in the meantime I broke down and purchased that 1 inch gas powered water transfer pump from Princess Auto (200 bucks) plus check valve and other fittings(40 bucks). It does the job but just so. At least I may see veggies this year.
Your 5000W generator should generate about 41A @ 120V..........peaking to 50A @ 120V. Your typical 120V resi outlet has a 15A breaker rated for 1800W.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
I would look at the output of the generator......make sure it is in sync (voltage and current).
The light is an electrical load with no phase. The pump motor if it is not turning( as in not starting) is seen as an open circuit so there is no load.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
If you have ever been to a construction site and someone is using a small generator. You may have seen a light or radio plugged into the generator. With out the the light to place a light load on the generator you can't run the power tool.
Oh ? Kind of like a pilot light to kick on the big flame ? Will give it a try ! Thanks !
Had the same problem at the cottage running a nail gun and compressor .realized latter that the electrical cord 60 ft was to long and moved the genny closer to the tool, fixed the problem for me. But I do not know your set up.
I'm certainly no electrician, but it has something to do with "exciting" or "flashing" the generator. if you google it, you'll see some good info on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
Spot on there. It's never a problem with a wall plug because the grid always have a load..Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
That's my feeling on the problem. Voltage drop across a very long, lightweight extentsion cord, would certainly increase the draw on the load. In Don's case a 100 foot top quality extenstion cord, would have done the trick. I'm talking booster cable type extension cord. Try to draw current through 12 or 14 guage wire (over distance) and what happens? Voltage drops and Amps increase.Quote:
Originally Posted by severn don
Did you get it working?
Borrowed a gas powered 0ne inch water transfer pump. Worked pretty good ! Maybe I will buy one from Princess Auto ?
The generator does run a power tool so at least it's not kaputz ; as for the old water pump .... ?