Love your videos, Rick. I do have some criticism on this one, however. Leaving the bad fuses behind I understand, but I'd at least mark them as bad somehow especially since some techs leave new/good fuses behind. May save someone some confusion in the future. Keep up the great work though!
Add a surge protector to N1-N2 to protect the controller from utility surges in the future. Generac had said they were going to add surge protection in the circuits in the future, have not seen that yet as Evolution controllers sill suffer surge failure in T1 N1-N2, just adding a MOV in the circuit could help but I guess it's cheaper for them to pay warranty for failed controllers. Had a liquid cooled Nexus on a farm that lost controllers in lighting storms several times, added surge protection to N1-N2 and never had another failure. They work and are cheap insurance once the generator is out of warranty.
Freaking homeowners....buy this equipment....not take care of it.....then wonder why it doesn't work. 4 years without maintenance.....outstanding job Mr and Mrs homeowner.
Yes, but the sales companies do NOT really go over maintenance. They just say "Here it is, pay us for installation, see, it works." By the time the lack-o-maintenance catches up, the warranty is up, and the store won't talk to you.
I have a newer generation controller on my 11k generator. The display went out, but the generator still operates normally. Hate to have to shell out over $400 because of a faulty display. You'd think that where would be a fix for this. Thanks for the informative video and useful trouble shooting insight.
Electronic repair is not popular anymore. That’s what I wanted to do before I went into HVAC you might be able to replace just the screen but it’s hard to say if that’s what’s gonna fix it.
I liked the video. Troubleshooting is a lost art these days. I would ask that you make it a little more clear which wires or terminal you are touching when you test. I couldn't always tell from the video. I'm sure testing and holding a phone at the same time is difficult. Thanks for sharing this.
There's a reason why I don't go into great detail because like I've mentioned in multiple different spots in almost every video that I don't make these for homeowner because there's no way for me to know what their skill level is and if I forget to warn them on one thing or if they get hurt, they want to sue you for their mistake. Plus I don't have time to train somebody on how every little piece of the puzzle works inside of a generator. However, if you can figure it out on your own off of what I show, then I'm more than happy to present what I've done. (You would need to watch all my generator videos to get the full story of why I do these videos and why I'm hateful towards Generac.)
I realized that and understand completely. You said that in your video. All I was talking about was in the process of making the video just that when you did the testing, you did show clearly which terminals you were testing. The information was great. I have a T1 problem. I checked the fuses in my ATS and my T1 was blown. When I put a new fuse in the LEDS on the fuse panel lit up and subsequently went out. I tried again and got the same result. I figure I had either a short in the T1 wire or a bad Control board. I just wasn’t clear which wires or terminals you were testing. Anyway, good video and info. I’ll be testing it more today. I do know my limitations and are very careful. I self-installed the generator and ATS. I did have an electrician friend help me move the service cable and review my work. Thanks for the help. Joe
Rick, I found your series because I have been thinking about having a unit installed at my residence, with what I have been seeing with your videos, maybe having an electrician come over and install a transfer switch and plug to my service with an interlock and purchase a 10 to 15 thousand watt portable unit would be a better option.
@@HVACRSurvival Thank you Rick, with an electric start unit it would be no big deal to manually engage and disengage, the cabling would be a short run to a sheltered unit.
@@TIREDOFEVILnot sure if you made your decision yet but remember….you get what you pay for. Generac has made a deliberate choice to produce a unit that is the lowest possible cost to install and has also simplified the install process for the electrician. With that said….they oversimplified. Now, by integrating the battery charger into the controller, your cost of part replacement has gone up exponentially. So, Generac may move a few more units but in the long run, screwed the consumer by necessitating replacing a very expensive component instead of having a separate battery charger that may cost 60 bucks. Also, the consumer didn’t help at all by deciding to service their generator every 4 years! Here in the US, I would argue that regardless of political affiliation, most of us would agree that deciding to do the right thing once every four years is gonna hurt😂
I picked up a pair of those pliers…now I’ve got a problem where I loosen and retighten random fasteners for enjoyment. Never knew such an animal existed until I saw you use them.
Good call on the bad controller. Not sure why they had Romex running into the unit, which is not code. They should have put the junction box on the house and then run all THHN to the gen set. Pre Covid that control was $500+ so wondering what it is now since I retired 2 years ago.
Love the video but the camera angles need a lot of work. Can’t see what you’re doing, can’t see where you’re placing the meter ends. 🤷🏻♂️ Thank you for the video!
Thank you again for the great video / information. It's always cool to predict what you are gonna say makes me feel like I know a lil something lol 😂 stay safe brothaaa
I have a Generac 8k home generator. The control panel was replaced eight years ago and has worked great. Yesterday I turned it on and there was no display in the led screen. Although the three (red, green and blue) lights come but the buttons below them have no effect nor does the main OK button. Hence, the unit will not crank or start. I think the controller has failed. Batteries are fully charged. Any ideas?
Man that sucks that the controller bit the dust. Those things can get crazy expensive but it's what you get when you have a backup generator and spend thousands upon thousands of dollars installing one.
Do you toss the old controller? Looks like the display still works on it. Ive changed the display board on 2 so far. Its work but not that bad to do. The lcd displays on the older ones are obsolete now like that one. New Haven Display made them for generac.
I have basically that same model and have a blank screen. I put in a new battery and it went dead about 12 hours of running and the generator shut off. Do you think my control panel is bad or the charging unit? I changed out the 3, 5 amp fuses as well.
Couldn't find a 10mm wrench, I take it? Those suckers run away FAST. I guess that's why Harbor Freight now sells a 10mm _only_ socket set. (deep, wobble, etc)
🤣 I seen the skit where the guy kept losing them before he even got to his truck. Then Kept going back into harbor freight and getting more, then they weren't even in the package when he went to check out.
@@HVACRSurvival - Is that why you were using pliers (Better than channel locks/grooved joint pliers, but not a wrench) rather than a wrench? Someone stole them out of your truck to replace the ones missing from their HF tool set? :)
@@HVACRSurvival - Personal preference, I guess. I use a box wrench on battery connectors. Only annoying part was when they used two sizes of nuts to distinguish positive and negative. Suggestion - grab a nitrile or latex glove and bag the connectors with them. It's not foolproof, but casual hits won't cause a short.
I couldn't find the little small one on Amazon. I bought that 4 years ago. I know that brand that I picked is a good brand and it's made in America plus it looks like the tip is pointed so it should get a hold of the fuse the same way my little one does. I know the larger and medium size ones do not get into that fuse holder very well.
@@HVACRSurvival I’ve had a phone interview to be a technician for a new Generac Superstore in my area. Your videos are very helpful, since I’ve only worked on my own stuff. Thanks
You might be right but I don't remember if the time was correct or not to begin with plus it looks like that was number 49 and I can't remember if 1 is the most recent or it 49 is the most recent.
@@HVACRSurvival it’s a nexus controller, the charger is inside of it and I’m getting 120vac in the white wire 194 if I’m not mistaken. So I’m thinking I should replace the controller right?
@@orlindiaz8650 I honestly don't have all the wiring memorized anymore. I'd have to try to find it and look it up, if you're wrong you're out 500 to 600 plus dollars for control module. So for that kind of money I would just pay somebody to come look at it that way you're not buying a module and then if it's not it you're screwed or if you damage a module you're screwed. When it becomes costly it could becomes time to call somebody to take on that responsibility is my feeling.
@@tbelding A lot of people do not realize that there are a lot of services that use the Standard 24 Hr clock. Not just the Military... I was an Air Force brat from 1960 to 74 and to this day still use the 24 Hr Clock. I even have a 24 Hr Analog dial Watch. I've been a Licensed Amature Radio Op since 89 and anything Ham related use the 24 Hr Clock, Mainly UTC time. Even My Kitchen Stove has the Clock set to 24 Hr LOL...
@@m9ovich785 - When you're talking across multiple time zones, especially when you're not actually _talking_, GMT/UTC makes sense. I'm an IT consultant, and all emails are done in +- from GMT (which is now UTC, for some gawdawful stupid politically correct reason, I'm sure, and is backwards anyway- it should be UCT) However, for normal people, they understand that "I'll be there at 3" doesn't mean 3 AM. We are a diurnal people - 8 AM to 8 PM :)
Well the only reason why I mentioned this is because people set the clock to exercise at 3:00 and it ends up being 3:00 in the morning, if the people do not cycle the clock further than 12:00 they'll never know that it's in 24 hour time. I mention these things because I see people screw this stuff up. So I guess it's funny 🤭ha ha
