Inverter Shuts Off My 50 Amp Shore Power

[ajflw]

Need help. I have a new 2012 Fleetwood Discovery 42.

I have had a problem with the inverter shutting off my shore power for no apparent reason. If I unplug the shore power for a few min and plug back in power resumes as normal. This may happen 2 or 3 times a day or I should say night I have yet to have this problem happen during the day. This problem got worst until the inverter had to be replaced (under warranty) So now I have a new inverter and the problem is happening again.

It has only been 2 day with the new inverter and every night it will shut off shore power from coming into the coach. It does not seem to matter what I have on as far as air or appliances. I have had all shore power confirmed by an electrician, and have a surge guard 34750 connected and it shows no problem with shore power when the coach disconnects the power.

I am a first time RV'r and can't believe that this has not happen to anyone else-- need help.

[RVerOnTheMove]

What leads you to believe that it is the inverter that is causing the loss of power?

[ajflw]

Just guessing. I have NO idea what it is.

[wolfe10]

I am with Bill. Your inverter is way "down-stream" from shore power coming into your RV.

In order:

CG power to outlet

CG outlet

Shore power cord

Surge protector

ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) Note-- the Surge protector could also be installed after the ATS, but most are before.

Main breaker box

Inverter

When power goes off, does power go off to everything-- A/C's for example or just outlets and things supplied by the inverter when you are not plugged in?

[vtbigdog]

If you are plugged into shore power, I did not think the inverter was inverting (meaning providing 120V to the RV). It may be charging the battery bank, but why would it need to invert when shore power is connected?

I would more likely think you are having a problem with your Surge Guard. If shore power is interrupted I would think there would be an error display on your Surge Guard or the voltage light is flashing. If you do not touch anything and wait 128 seconds for the Surge Guard to recycle, does the power come back on without unplugging the power cable? When you unplug the power cable, you are causing the Surge Guard to restart.

In the manual for the Surge Guard there is a troubleshooting section that states the following condition:

L1 and L2 are within range (102 – 132VAC) and there is no power.

　

• Call TRC Technical Support at 1-800-780-4324.

　Why not call them and see what they say?

[dickandlois]

AJFWL, This is a common wiring description for a 50 Amp coach. Power Path to coach Charger / Inverter.

Do you have the Same problem at more then one camp ground? Have you tried running the generator for an extended period of time to see if you loose power ?

This test would remove the shore power from the list if you loose power from the generator. That could mean a defective generator ground strap an / or the same for the bounding cables for the main grounding circuit in your coach.

Shore Power cable from Camp Ground to Coach J box--- Possible CG issue at the box.

Shore power cable issue--- Defective connections in a connector or bad cable.

Defective connections at / in the J box.

J Box is wired to the ATS Relay / Transfer Box-- Possible connection issue. This is the point where either the shore power or the generator connect to your power panel for AC Line voltage.

ATS is wired to the AC Breaker box--- Possible connection issue or defective ATS Relay.

Main AC Power panel-- loose or missing connection.

There are 2 Main Breakers in the box and generally 8- 110 volt appliance / circuit breakers. There is one circuit breaker to power the inverter / charger.

Inverter circuits.

Circuit # 9-- 12-2 Romex w/ ground, 15 amp Microwave.

Circuit # 10-- 12-2 Romex w/ ground, 20 amp small appliances.

As mentioned this is well down stream from the Camp Ground power outlet.

Question asked by Big Dog about the inverter running, it needs to be running to supply 12 volts to the appliance control boards and the batteries would discharge over an extended time. The question it brings up for me. are your batteries maintaining a good charge? This should not cause you to loose shore power Thought.

This is how your coach should be equipped.

• 120V/12V AC/DC Converter

• 2,000-Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter w/Remote

• 50-Amp Service

• 8.0 kW Onan® Quiet Diesel Generator

NOTE ! Neutral Loss Protection Standard. Safety Feature

Hope this helps you understand what is between your inverter and the outside power source.

Rich.

[vtbigdog]

Question asked by Big Dog about the inverter running, it needs to be running to supply 12 volts to the appliance control boards and the batteries would discharge over an extended time. The question it brings up for me. are your batteries maintaining a good charge? This should not cause you to loose shore power Thought.

Rich, what I intended to imply is that the inverter would not be supplying 120V to anything on the coach when the coach is plugged into shore power.

[wolfe10]

Correct-- both of you.

MOST, repeat MOST inverters (more correctly called inverter-charges, as most OE installations are of devices that are both inverters and chargers in one unit) are wired with 120 VAC IN from the coach 120 VAC main breaker box. When the inverter "sees" 120 VAC (from either generator or shore power), it does TWO things-- it "passes through" 120 VAC to everything "downstream of the inverter (likely through a separate inverter-powered sub-panel) AND, repeat AND the inverter also functions as a battery charger. Some charge only house battery bank, some charge both house and chassis battery banks.

Brett

[dickandlois]

Rich, what I intended to imply is that the inverter would not be supplying 120V to anything on the coach when the coach is plugged into shore power.

Copy Richard, They do use the 2 circuit breakers as feeders for 110 volts all the time when its in the bypass mode or running..

The learning curve is hard enough on a coach and being new can be very challenging.

Thanks for your feedback, it all helps and keeps me focused !!!

Rich.

P.S. are you now set up for the colder weather??

Brett - Yep, The post I made is very Model specific !!!

[Fhalasz]

I'd recommend you diagnose this by removing stuff from the system - starting with the inverter itself. You should be able to set it so the inverter does not come on automatically, using either the remote panel (assuming you have one) or the buttons on the inverter itself. Also, I'd remove the surge guard from the power chain, if you can.

As mentioned by others, you have TWO transfer switches: one that switches automatically from shore to generator as needed; one that switches a portion of the load automatically from shore/generator to inverter, usually feeding a sub-panel.

Another thing you might be asking, is under what circumstances does the power go off? Are you using heat strips that somehow are powered through the inverter (they shouldn't be)? Most RV inverters are rated for 2000 or 3000 watts - quite a lot, but not enough to power the whole coach. Hence the subpanel, which shouldn't have heaters or A/C connected to it. And if you have a plug-in heater, it shouldn't be plugged in to an inverter-supplied outlet. If nothing else, you do *not* want to be running heaters on battery power!

The more information you supply as to what exactly the symptoms are and when they occur, and exactly what your equipment is, the better your chances of getting useful answers.