Need help getting Xantrex XW 6048 hybrid inverters to qualify generator input on AC2

[torghmatlh]

I am new to this forum. Have read several helpful articles here on this forum but none of them have brought resolution to my generator qualification problem so I thought I would post here to get help.

my system: two Xantrex XW hybrid Inverters grid tied to NVEnergy Power Company with sell enabled when solar panels provide more energy than I need. Firmware 1.07.00 BN 3
two Xantrex MPPT60 chargers connected to 24 solar panels
battery bank of AGM batteries wired to provide 48 volts DC to the above inverters.

Last year at this time, Sierra Pathetic (power company's old name) left us without grid power for 8 consecutive days. No heat, no water, except for a declining few hours of power from solar and a bit of battery backup. Sky was mostly cloudy so not much re-charge available.

This year I am trying to connect an inverter generator to the pair of XW Inverters so I can run the pellet stove to heat the house and occasionally flush the toilet. We are on a well so occasional water pump load. Generator is Ai-Power GXS7100iRD that I bought from Costco. It is switch set to provide 240 Volts at 30 Amps. I connect it through a 30 Amp 4 conductor extension cord to a 30 Amp breaker to the AC2 inputs on both XW inverters.

When the generator is running, the breaker switched on, the AC2 indicator lights flash green on both XW inverters but don't qualify the power (never turn solid green).

Any help from forum members that have had experience with qualifying generator input on AC2 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Bill Marble (torghmatlh)

[Ampster]

The simplest workaround I have seen with generators that have dirty power output is to connect the generator to a 240 Charger that can accept the dirty power from the generator.

[chrisski]

Another workaround that has helped is starting the generator power lower amperage and working up.

I have an outback and if I did this, I may need to say the generator is much less KW than it actually is. I don't see a setting to "Charge at XX amps" just a setting to increase this.

[torghmatlh]

I solved it! My Xantrex 6048 hybrid inverter charger will not qualify two AC power inputs at the same time. I think that this is a safety feature by design so that the unit cannot backflow to the grid to potentially harm power company linemen.

I was trying to qualify generator power on AC2 while AC1 was actively connected to the grid. Once I disabled grid power to AC1, the generator input to AC2 quickly qualified.

Since the generator was new, and I had been primed to believe that it was providing dirty power, it made sense to me when measuring AC2 at the Xantrex inverter that the power frequency was unstable bouncing from 40 Hz to 120 Hz. That unstable frequency would cause power from the generator at AC2 to be disqualified. But sometime during my investigation, I happened to measure power from the generator at the input side of the circuit breaker while the breaker was off (not connected to the 6048 inverter) and found that the power from the generator was stable at 245.3 volts, 60 Hz. So the generator power frequency only became unstable when connected to the 6048 inverter. With that in mind I cut grid power at AC1 and AC2 qualified generator power quickly.

Just wanted to let others know that the Xantrex 6048 inverter will provide symptoms of dirty generator power on AC2 if AC1 is actively connected to the grid.