RV Generator Putting Out Too Much Voltage
You need your RV generator to work properly, and put out the right amount of voltage; not too much and not too little. While low voltage may be more noticeable, high voltage can also cause serious problems, including a fire. You may smell wires burning or your lights may blow out. Any type of voltage output problem with your generator should be addressed.
First, you’ll need to test your power output from the generator with a voltmeter. It should be 120-volts. If the voltage reading exceeds that, it could be caused by one or a combination of these problems:
- The Voltage Regulator is faulty and needs to be replaced
- The generator frequency is not set correctly. If the RPMs are set too high it will cause overvoltage
- The Voltage Adjustment Potentiometer needs to be adjusted. This is located on the Voltage Regulator.
- There are issues with the Stator windings. This can either be with the stator excitation windings or the stator power windings.
However, the most common problem will either be a bad voltage regulator or the RPMs are set too high. Those are the issues to look at first, and fortunately, those are the two easiest issues to fix.
The voltage potentiometer
The first thing to do is to check the voltage potentiometer and adjust it if necessary. This is an adjustable electronic part that varies the voltage output, located on the voltage regulator.
RPMs
If that doesn’t fix the high-voltage problem, next check to see if the RPMs are too high, affecting the frequency output. The frequency output should be 61.5 Hz. The RPMs can be dialed up or down.
Wiring
If your generator is still producing high voltage, make sure all of the control and sensing wire connections going from the voltage regulator to the stator windings are good. Likewise, the stator windings might be worn out and need rewinding.
The voltage regulator
The next thing to try would be replacing the voltage regulator. Get one that is compatible with your particular generator.
If you can’t troubleshoot the problem, it’s time to call in a technician who knows about servicing your make and model of generator. A properly working RV generator is very important; a generator that is not putting out the proper voltage can damage both your electric appliances and electronic devices. While professional service can be expensive, a faulty generator can wind up costing you more, if it causes damage to either your RV or your electronics.
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