# Honda EU3000is will not run LG refrigerator



## Sparkyman2003 (Oct 3, 2020)

Hello all, 
I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems running a linear compressor refrigerator with an inverter generator? My 5 year old LG fridge refuses to run on Gen, but loves utility power. At first i thought i had too much load on the Gen (running basic household items like TV, computer, lights) so i tried just connecting the fridge, nothing else and it still refuses. The nameplate on the fridge is 2.9A (313watts) @ 120VAC, so a 3KW gen should be way more than enough juice. Ok, so broke out the fluke with min/max recording and voltage is pretty stable 122V-124V and frequency 59.98hz. When you first plug in the fridge, the compressor appears to start and line voltage during compressor start only dips to 122V). After about 20-30 seconds, the compressor turns off and will not attempt to re-start. Tried a completely different circuit , same results. Did a little research and i'm starting to think the fridge electronics don't like the incoming sine wave and/or harmonics and refuses to run. Plug it into utility and she's happy. If anyone has thoughts about this and maybe how to get it to work it sure would be nice to know. Thanks!


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

we are missing some thing here...
what is the current during the starts and run on the fridge?
what is the exact model of the lg fridge?
the tag should be on the inside of the door.

is this a larger side by side unit??
some of those have a heat tape for the defrost.
just a heads up
.
I use the over under fridge as they are way less power demand.
my fridge is 7 amps in-rush, and 1.2 amps run.
the large chest freezer is 6 amps in-rush and 1.1 amps run

my appliance guy let me bring in meters to check the fridge and freezer units.
after the first one failed at 20 amps in-rush he was out with a note pad taking notes of the testing.
we even went for rotor lock tests.

it was a cool 4 hours of testing!!
he now marks his fridge units with exact specs for those on gen power and solar.

you could have a bad fridge or just a bad fridge design for running on a gen.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

Odd. A Honda inverter gen is honestly your best bet for running appliances with sensitive power requirements. 

Do you know someone with another inverter generator to compare with?


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## Sparkyman2003 (Oct 3, 2020)

Hi guys, as soon as the refrigerator starts on gen it pulls about 3amps (it's on a dedicated 20a circuit). Then after about 20 seconds the compressor turns off and fridge draws next to nothing. The lights inside work and the front panel lights work, everything seems normal, but the compressor just doesn't like this gen power. It is a larger side by side model LFXS29766S. After looking at the nameplate again it's actually 115VAC ~ 60hz ~ 2.9A. I would think the gen voltage of 124V would not be out of spec. I might need to get an oscilloscope and compare the gen sign wave to utility. Or, perhaps install an isolation transformer, as a last resort i could put the fridge on a small UPS but that's just more headache. By the way i just bought this gen and it only has 4 hours on it. Thanks for the replies let me know if anything else comes to mind.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Here's a thread that discusses a similar issue with a Samsung fridge: 5000 watt Coleman wont run Samsung Fridge


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

yup a killawatt meter will help see the real power demand
click here for the generator repair tools page
i am still suspecting an issue with the fridge...
i would reach out to LG customer service center on this.


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## Jerry the Ferret (May 13, 2020)

Sparkyman2003 said:


> Hello all,
> I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems running a linear compressor refrigerator with an inverter generator? My 5 year old LG fridge refuses to run on Gen, but loves utility power. At first i thought i had too much load on the Gen (running basic household items like TV, computer, lights) so i tried just connecting the fridge, nothing else and it still refuses. The nameplate on the fridge is 2.9A (313watts) @ 120VAC, so a 3KW gen should be way more than enough juice. Ok, so broke out the fluke with min/max recording and voltage is pretty stable 122V-124V and frequency 59.98hz. When you first plug in the fridge, the compressor appears to start and line voltage during compressor start only dips to 122V). After about 20-30 seconds, the compressor turns off and will not attempt to re-start. Tried a completely different circuit , same results. Did a little research and i'm starting to think the fridge electronics don't like the incoming sine wave and/or harmonics and refuses to run. Plug it into utility and she's happy. If anyone has thoughts about this and maybe how to get it to work it sure would be nice to know. Thanks!


I have a similar problem with a EU300is. I replaced a ceiling fan with a new Hunter fan. The 20 year old fan still worked fine but the wife didn't like the looks. It also worked well with the Honda generator. The new Hunter fan will not function with the Honda generator. I also have a 240Volt Ridgid generator that I run when we need water. The new fan runs great on that generator. Hunter could not explain why this happens.


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## Sparkyman2003 (Oct 3, 2020)

iowagold said:


> yup a killawatt meter will help see the real power demand
> click here for the generator repair tools page
> i am still suspecting an issue with the fridge...
> i would reach out to LG customer service center on this.


I installed an Emporia energy monitor which will give me all the info on my smart phone in 1 sec intervals. I still question the accuracy of it and the inexpensive kill-o-watt to accurately measure watts. It's more than likely measuring VA. After further research I found an article that explains even inverter generators have some sinewave distortion, but nothing compared to a standard AVR generator. Still not 100% sure what's happening, but i''m thinking a line conditioner, isolation transformer, or something along those lines might be all that needed to resolve this issue. On a positive note, i'd rather the fridge have intelligent power sensing and not run, rather than run and burn out a board or the compressor.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

Sparkyman2003 said:


> I installed an Emporia energy monitor which will give me all the info on my smart phone in 1 sec intervals. I still question the accuracy of it and the inexpensive kill-o-watt to accurately measure watts. It's more than likely measuring VA. After further research I found an article that explains even inverter generators have some sinewave distortion, but nothing compared to a standard AVR generator. Still not 100% sure what's happening, but i''m thinking a line conditioner, isolation transformer, or something along those lines might be all that needed to resolve this issue. On a positive note, i'd rather the fridge have intelligent power sensing and not run, rather than run and burn out a board or the compressor.


power conditioner is a great idea.
let us know if it works!
there could be a rare spur in the wave form with a bad inverter unit.
a spectrum unit would show that.
we use them here in the lab when we test units before final ship out for working with cell towers.

but a bad step spur could set the fridge in a tail spin..

get a good power conditioner..
name brand, and think the units they use for live performance in bands.

or replace the fridge with a basic fridge.
i use a basic over under fridge.
all that smart stuff can be trouble down the line...
and the over under units take way less power to run.


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