# Is disconnecting the electrical appliances the same as turning off the breaker?



## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

I know its a bad idea to switch off a generator while stuff is still connected, but what about if you just turn off the circuit breaker before switching off the generator?


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

That's fine, IMO. That's what I do. 

In either case, you help protect both the generator, and the devices, by avoiding the engine slowing down to a stop while still powering devices. During that slowdown, the frequency of the power is changing, and the voltage will decrease as well.

I turn off the breakers in my transfer panel. Then let the generator cool for a few minutes (if I'm finished using it, vs refueling), then shut it down. At startup, I get the generator going, then turn on transfer breakers one at a time, to bring the loads on gradually. This avoids overloading the generator with potentially multiple motors/compressors all trying to start at once.


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

I was meaning is it ok to turn off the circuit breaker on the generator rather then disconnecting the devices?

About loads on the generator,, if you have say 3 or more devices running on the generator and you turn 1 off, does a surge go through the other devices for a split second until the generator has turned down the wattage??


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

Oh, I didn't realize your generator had circuit breakers on it. Mine only have breaker-reset buttons, but I can't actively turn the generator's breakers off. I would think that would be the same. No power is coming from the generator, once you turn off its breakers.

If you're using a 220V output (I'm assuming in the US, so 110V and 220V), I assume the breaker shuts off all of the 220V output at once. 

I would expect that the generator's voltage regulation should react very quickly, so that devices B and C would see a minimal voltage spike when you turn off device A. Maybe others here have tried to measure this voltage reaction, and can weigh in. I'd imagine that you'd need an oscilloscope to be able to catch it.


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

Mine has 1 circuit breaker that turns on/off the power to all sockets on the generator. Its quite handy as I can plug some stuff into the generator before I start it and then turn on the breaker once the generator has been running for 20secs or so.

I am in the United Kingdom so the voltage should be 230, the specs say 220 for the generator, but the actual voltage I get from the generator is 223

I have tried flicking off and on a kettle with a tv going, but the tv carried on working fine and I couldnt detect much over voltage/wattage on the "plugin power monitor", if any.

Just to say I really appreciate you answering all my questions RedOctobyr


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Speedy2019, you're really overthinking this... As long as your total loads are within the total running/startup wattages of your generator, just add and subtract individual items as needed. The governor should manage it.

At startup, you gradually add items to the load after warming up the generator. When shutting down, remove individual items and then let the generator run for a few minutes, then shut off the fuel supply and let it run out.

The circuit breaker on the generator is for if you screw up and attempt to draw too much current. It's not for managing shutdown.

From the Böhmer manual:

Starting the engine
1. Make sure that the AC circuit breaker is in the OFF position. The generator may be hard to start if a load is connected.
2. Turn the fuel valve to the ON position.
3. Turn the choke lever to the CLOSE position.
4. Turn the engine switch to the ON position.
5. Pull the starter grip until compression is felt, then pull briskly (NOTICE: Do not allow the starter grip to snap back. Return is slowly by hand.), or use electric starter.
6. Turn the choke lever to the OPEN position as the engine warms up.​ Stopping the engine
To stop the engine in an emergency: Move the engine switch to the OFF position.
In normal use:
1. Turn the AC circuit breaker to the OFF position.
2. Move the engine switch to the OFF position.
3. Turn the fuel valve to the OFF position.​


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## Zane8400 (Feb 19, 2019)

The answers given i believe answered your question. To add further to your question, just stopping your generator while its under load could potentially be harmful to the engine, so i would recommend, like stated before, opening your breaker before shutting the engine off. Also wouldn't hurt to allow the engine to run a little bit without load to cool the engine off before shutdown.


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

I just throw the transfer switch when starting and stopping the load on my generator. It is the easiest way to get it done and has never been a problem doing so.

Before I had a transfer switch, I manually connected and disconnected the several extension cords I was using to get power into the house. I made sure there was no load on the extension cords to prevent arcing when connecting and disconnecting them from the generator.


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

I have been using the generator's breaker to turn off all electrical devices before turning off the engine for over 2years now, and I havent had a problem..... I haven't tried connecting a lot of items to the generator before turning the breaker on though, but Im guessing that should work ok also, just aslong as the maximum load isn't reached?


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

you are better off adding the loads a bit at a time...
at least if they are equal to over 1/2 the gen run rating....
if they are at 1/4 of the rated run power total you are good to go all at once.


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## FlyFisher (Jun 30, 2018)

Robert Clark said:


> Locating your breaker box or circuit breaker can help protect RV’s electrical system from many issues. This breaker panel will be within most RVs’ interior and mounted onto a wall close to their floor. You might even find it inside one of your RV’s external storage bays.


This thread is from Frb 2019 (2.5 years old or so). I'm sure the original poster got the information they needed, and it wasn't directly an RV-related thread (no mention of RV use until you brought it up). So I am curious where you are coming from with your post and reactivating the thread? Just curious, that's all.


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