MEp-803A 3-wire connection to house not working and need power asap!

[LmtvPR]

Hey Guys, I have an 803A 10kw and im without power in Puerto Rico and finally trying to get it set up with no luck. I have a 3 wire dryer 50 style plug wired to my breaker box. I have 1-white going to hot leg of breaker, 1-black going to other hot leg on breaker and Green going to sound. I have the wires at generator as follows: white- L3, black L1 and Green on neutral. please tell me what I'm missing as I seem to have 120v but not 220v. I also used my multi-meter and only see 120v off L3? this is my first time doing this and I have spent hours trying to figure it out with no luck.
thanks

 

[Light in the Dark]

So before you do anything else, the machine should be OFF when adjusting voltage settings. Can we see how your AM/VM switch is set on the machine, can you take a photo? With the machine OFF, flip the gauge panel down and look inside behind them... the phase (and voltage) selection switch is in there. Verify that this is set correctly.

It sounds like your machine is set to produce 120V only (on L3). Shut the set down, take a look, and make sure the machine is set correctly.

Edit: I have a shot of a machine here on my phone. See how this switch is set? Thats for 240V operation.

 

[Light in the Dark]

So do you have a Neutral, or a Ground? These sets absolutely need to be grounded. And Green is Ground, which is why I ask. How are you powering out of the outlet, back to your home?

You need to be careful... these machines are not toys, and can kill if proper wiring methodology is not followed. If you are not running a ground back to your home hookup, you need to drive a ground rod near the machine and hook to it.

 

[Dieselmeister]

Your drier needs 120 and 240 if it is an electric drier (gas only needs 120 volts). You should have four wires on your electric drier. 2 hot wires, 1 neutral wire, and one ground wire (on some driers, they run the ground externally, with a separate wire). The 2 hot wires are 240, for the heater in the drier. The neutral and one of the hot wires provide 120 for the motor and the controls/timer. The ground is so you don't get "dried" if something inside the dried shorts to the enclosure.

You should have the same on the generator. 2 hot wires with the 240, and a neutral to get the 120. The ground should be exactly that, the ground only.
L1 to neutral - 120 volts, L3 to Neutral - 120 volts, L1 to L3 240 volts.

Is your ground to neutral jumper in the generator installed or out?

Like LitD stated, these machines can kill. Make sure that the ground does not inadvertently get connected to a hot terminal, and make sure your generator is grounded.

 

[G744]

Is L0 (zero) neutral?

If so, that is where you need to hook the white wire.

You need another wire (4 total), black or red, to carry the power safely.

What you want won't fly with just 3 wires.

DG

 

[Daybreak]

Folks, he is using a old old school dryer plug. a neutral and 2 hots. He is back feeding a service panel. No, officially this should not be done.

You would be better off attaching 4 wires to the service panel, dual-pole 50amp breaker. (ground, neutral, 120 hot, 120 hot)

It is kinda scary that you are asking a question like this now, when a lot of things can go terribly wrong.

 

[G744]

Indeed.

DG

 

[Light in the Dark]

Yes I know he is backfeeding, but he calls out Green at the box to 'sound' (assuming typo to be ground), but at the genset Green is Neutral... either way potential for a terrible day is high.

 

[Guyfang]

No one has asked if he has a manual switch over to keep from back feeding and the power comes on. Or that he doesn't kill a lineman someplace working on the Transmission system. I think he needs some adult supervision, before he kills someone or himself.

Also, do not forget Neutral bonding.

Dude, hire someone who knows what he is doing.

 

[WWRD99]

No one has asked if he has a manual switch over to keep from back feeding and the power comes on. Or that he doesn't kill a lineman someplace working on the Transmission system. I think he needs some adult supervision, before he kills someone or himself.

Also, do not forget Neutral bonding.

Dude, hire someone who knows what he is doing.

He's in Puerto Rico...I don't think he cares...the power grid is down all the time...he shouldn't be doing what he's tryin but when you're in need of power desperately you do it...I'd bet he has the 3 prong dryer plug, the older version...I hope he can at least take the meter off or whatever to isolate the house off the grid...backfeeding is risky at the least.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Light in the Dark]

No one has asked if he has a manual switch over to keep from back feeding and the power comes on. Or that he doesn't kill a lineman someplace working on the Transmission system. I think he needs some adult supervision, before he kills someone or himself.

Also, do not forget Neutral bonding.

Dude, hire someone who knows what he is doing.

 

[WOLF DOG]

He's in Puerto Rico...I don't think he cares...the power grid is down all the time...he shouldn't be doing what he's tryin but when you're in need of power desperately you do it...I'd bet he has the 3 prong dryer plug, the older version...I hope he can at least take the meter off or whatever to isolate the house off the grid...backfeeding is risky at the least.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

All he needs to do is make sure the "Main" breaker to his service is off, that will insure no back feed to the grid.

 

[Guyfang]

Hope and pray.

 

[loosegravel]

Hope and pray.

It's said "no news is good news." But in this case? Like you said...hope and pray that he's got it figured out.

 

[Chainbreaker]

It's said "no news is good news." But in this case? Like you said...hope and pray that he's got it figured out.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Odd that he hasn't returned back here to update status, one way or another, after his initial post.

 

[Mullaney]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Odd that he hasn't returned back here to update status, one way or another, after his initial post.

.
Apparently there was an island wide power outage on Sunday 4/10 in (on?) Puerto Rico. Supposedly they are beginning to restore power. No real details on what happened. I would imagine that Internet Access is or would be really limited there too.

Hopefully all is well and in a few days we will get a report on what happened.

 

[kloppk]

From what I've read one of the power stations on the island had a fire. When that happened it had a ripple effect and the entire grid went down across the island. They were able to get most of the power restored but some parts are still out.
I've been in touch with a fellow S.S. member there. He has internet where he is.

 

[Ray70]

Wow, PR has had a rough few years with storms and massive grid and repeated station damages, now fire!