Honda EB5000 - 4500 Watt Portable Industrial Generator

I bought this product for home backup power. I had my electrician install a transfer switch, and much to the surprise of both of us, when we plugged it in, the generator's GFI popped immediately, without any load. Turns out that because this is categorized as "industrial" the neutral and ground are bonded inside the generator to meet OSHA standards for a job site.

The problem is that this bond apparently causes a small current loop when connected to the transfer switch plug, which immediately pops the GFI.

Tell your electrician to read Honda Service Bulletin #20 on how to correct this by removing the little jumper between neutral and ground in the generator and it will work fine. The only person that this seemed to be obvious to was the obnoxious Honda Service Technician that I spoke with on the phone.

I bought this product for home backup power. I had my electrician install a transfer switch, and much to the surprise of both of us, when we plugged it in, the generator's GFI popped immediately, without any load. Turns out that because this is categorized as "industrial" the neutral and ground are bonded inside the generator to meet OSHA standards for a job site.

The problem is that this bond apparently causes a small current loop when connected to the transfer switch plug, which immediately pops the GFI.

Tell your electrician to read Honda Service Bulletin #20 on how to ... more