Motorhome electrical problem

If one leg of the main ATS is out, odds are that several other things would not be working. An easy way to find out would be to run both front & rear a/c units, either separately or one at a time. If both work, the main ATS is OK.

Gary RV Roamer said:

If one leg of the main ATS is out, odds are that several other things would not be working. An easy way to find out would be to run both front & rear a/c units, either separately or one at a time. If both work, the main ATS is OK.

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I was thinking more likely one wire burned off at the actual 50 amp SP outlet, but agree we need a little more clarification from the OP on this deal
as  one AC would be down for sure

When I'm on the shorepower both A/Cs work and when I run the generator both A/Cs work but nothing else except those 2 outlets in the bedroom.

Andy

Had much the same problem after plugging into a 50 amp pedestal in our park for the first time. Finally tracked it down to a small module just above the batteries that has a very small reset switch on it. Once reset, all the plugins worked again.  Also the reset switch in the bathroom shaver plug in may have kicked out. May be worth a try.

That points directly to the inverter internal transfer switch not working, as I said earlier.

I had one loose screw on my 50 amp inlet.. yet another of the screws RVers often have loose.

Friend had six loose scrws on his 50 amp marinco outlet  (L1, L2, Neutral, Ground and two cable clamp screws) dang thing fell off in my hand.

That RV...... still had the sticker in the window!!!!!!

Ned said:

That points directly to the inverter internal transfer switch not working, as I said earlier.

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his converter does not work? does the internal transfer switch on this inverter also controll the power supply to the converter part of this inverter?
I don't see how this would work that way?

It may, not being privy to the internals of the particular inverter/charger.  But since both A/C units work on shore power and generator, that eliminates everything up to the inverter/charger as a problem.  Since the only outlet working are not powered by the inverter, that leads to the internal transfer switch as the problem.

If you have any GFI plugs, test and reset them. Occasionally, manufacturers will use one GFI plug to protect a bunch of non-GFI outlets downstream because they are wired in series on the same circuit. The non-GFI outlets are cheaper. Your inverter may be tied in at a different spot in the circuit. In many units I've looked at, the inverter operates only the frig. Any operable lighting is 12V when you are not plugged in or have the genny going. Do you have a wiring diagram? You may be able to trace your wiring and locate the problem. Start with the last outlet with power. Turn off the AC, remove the outlet and look for loose wiring. If it's okay, go to the next one in line.

buchanan said:

his converter does not work? does the internal transfer switch on this inverter also controll the power supply to the converter part of this inverter?
I don't see how this would work that way?

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Simple, when power arrives at the I/C internal transfer switch it is fed to the charge module and also passed through to the down stream circuits.  If no power at the switch, the switch drops out and the inverter module will power the down stream outlets.  Almost any internal switch failure could appear as NO input power.

As I stated earlier, all I/C transfer switches do NOT fail in the same predictable manner.  Xantrex is notorious for failure modes that wouldn't allow pass through OR inverter voltage to proceed downstream.  This does not seems to be the case here. 

joesmainship said:

If you have any GFI plugs, test and reset them. Occasionally, manufacturers will use one GFI plug to protect a bunch of non-GFI outlets downstream because they are wired in series on the same circuit. The non-GFI outlets are cheaper. Your inverter may be tied in at a different spot in the circuit. In many units I've looked at, the inverter operates only the frig. Any operable lighting is 12V when you are not plugged in or have the genny going. Do you have a wiring diagram? You may be able to trace your wiring and locate the problem. Start with the last outlet with power. Turn off the AC, remove the outlet and look for loose wiring. If it's okay, go to the next one in line.

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no that's not the problem.Read OP problem and replys.His AC units work Fine.His outlets(except 2) operate on invertion only.If it was a GFI problem they(outlets) would not work on invertion or SP or Gen.
he is not having any 12V problems other than his converter is not working when on gen or SP

That would certainly make sense from an electrical standpoint.  You would only want the charger to powered when on shore power, so it would be logical interlock it with the transfer switch.  So if the transfer switch is locked in the inverter output only position, which seems to be the case here, then neither the charger nor the outlets would be powered on shore power, which matches the described symptoms.

Ned said:

That would certainly make sense from an electrical standpoint.  You would only want the charger to powered when on shore power, so it would be logical interlock it with the transfer switch.  So if the transfer switch is locked in the inverter output only position, which seems to be the case here, then neither the charger nor the outlets would be powered on shore power, which matches the described symptoms.

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I have to agree as that's the only thing that would make sense based on the OP descriptions of the trouble he,s experiencing

Well, I installed a new transfer switch box on the motorhome and that did not fix the problem - it didn't do anything. So now I'm back to square one and have no idea where to go from here! Any other ideas?    Andy

The transfer switch I was referring to is the one inside the inverter, not the one connected to shore power and generator.  Since your air conditioners worked on both shore power and generator, the main transfer switch was obviously working.

You said the charger module in the inverter is not working.

First step is to check for 120 volts at the LINE IN on the inverter.. Use a volt-meter and make sure the power is getting that far.

IF you have power in, and no power out, you have one of two conditions

Inverter has failed.

Inverter is turned OFF via a master switch (Some models)

Example. The Prosine 2.0 in my rig has several on/off options 

On the remote panel are 3 switches and some buttons, Forget the buttons.
One switch turns the display on and off, also sets it into basic or setup mode. (That's where the buttons come in)
One switch enables/disables the inverter  (Standby is engaged if decent shore power is present)
One switch enables/disables the charger.

ON THE UNIT ITSELF is a 3-position switch  On/Off/Remote

In the ON position, the unit will pass shore power to the loads... If the inverter is enabled and shore power is lost (Or goes out of spec) the inverter will kick in and power the loads.. If the charger is enabled and shore power is present it will charge.

In the OFF position NOTHING PASSES the ingerter, OFF = OFF!!! not even power pass through happens.

IN the REMOTE, I can plug in a remote switch and turn it off from elsewhere.... No remote, it treats REMOTE the same as ON.

If your unit has such a switch, and its been bumped... Well, at least that is a no-cost solution.


Another issue I have actually had was a poor connection in the Inverter junction box. Under full load it burned out and no power passed.

joesmainship said:

If you have any GFI plugs, test and reset them. Occasionally, manufacturers will use one GFI plug to protect a bunch of non-GFI outlets downstream because they are wired in series on the same circuit. The non-GFI outlets are cheaper. Your inverter may be tied in at a different spot in the circuit. In many units I've looked at, the inverter operates only the frig. Any operable lighting is 12V when you are not plugged in or have the genny going. Do you have a wiring diagram? You may be able to trace your wiring and locate the problem. Start with the last outlet with power. Turn off the AC, remove the outlet and look for loose wiring. If it's okay, go to the next one in line.

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The OP has power to all the outlets when the inverter is on. A tripped GFI would block power regardless of the source, so all his GFs are operating. He's not complaining about the lights, just the receptacles, plus the inverter is operating when turned on so the 12V is okay as well. As others have observed, it keeps pointing back to the inverter input. Anything else smells of red herring.