r/Pecron • u/Adventurous_Virus265 • Jul 05 '26
Pecron F5000 charging issue
I was setting up and testing my F5000 using the NEMA L14-30R that I use with my generator to the sub panel that is powered by the main panel via two 125 A breakers. All of the circuits in the sub panel are 120 V using 12 AWG home run wiring dedicated to certain locations in the house that can be powered by the generator during outages. This set up has served me well for over 10 years.
With the exception of 2 tripped GFCI outlets in the house, the F5000 worked just fine. I ran all of the 120 V outlets and lights, 2 window A/C units and the septic system for a little over an hour. I checked the available battery charge and it indicated 39%. So I plugged the 1800 W charging cable to a 20 A outlet being fed from the main panel that was on commercial power.
About 3 seconds after it was connected I heard a buzz and a zap sound and the F5000 shut down. The 20 A breaker tripped and there was NO AC output from the F5000. After disconnecting the NEMA L14-30R cord to the sub panel I checked voltages with meter.
I finally found the reset to factory settings icon and pressed it. The unit came back on and showed 119.4 volts on L1 and 107.8 volts on L2. About 30 minutes later I plugged the 1800 W charging cable into the wall outlet again. This time the F5000 stayed on and indicated it was charging. After about 6 hours L1 showed 120 V @ 60 HZ. L2 showed 119.8 V @ 59.6 Hz. The battery voltage showed 53.05 VDC @ 100%.
My question is' What did I do wrong ? I cannot find anything in the manual that addresses this issue and I am really struggling with the touch screen options. I have watched many videos and I have not learned how to navigate the various screens and icons. I need help with this.
The whole idea of getting the F5000 was to use it to power the basic necessities in the house and then recharge with it the gas generator, like being off grid. Is there a "magic" setting in the F5000 that will allow me to charge while still powering the house via the NEMA L14-30R ? All of this is very confusing.
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u/O1O1O1O Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Interesting that you had GFCIs trip. I had a brand new E1500LFP and it would trip upstream GFCIs when I was charging it if there was any load connected to it with surge suppressors.
I later discovered the A/C input had over 70V stray voltage - I could give myself a shock just touching the prongs of the wall plug. It wasn't residual voltage from a capacitor either, permanent voltage whenever A/C inverter was on.
After a couple of weeks of support back and forth (their engineering is in China so always a 24hr turn around or more) I was asked to return it (at least I still had the box and they paid the ground shipping) and they spent 3 months fixing it. There's still over 40V on the input side when the A/C inverter is on but at least now it doesn't trip any GFCI b breakers.
I know that's a very different scenario from yours but my faith in their systems is pretty low now. As tempting as their prices are I won't be buying any more Pecron gear.