Converter switch?

[Rndygit]

When should this be turned off..if ever? I'd been having all kinda problems until someone flipped the switch on..then wow most problems solved. I was wondering why it was turned of in the first place. When should it be switched off....if ever?

Thanks

Bob

 

[Wizard46]

All the units I've ever owned, not one had a switch to turn off the converter. All had a battery disconnect switch that I would turn off when in storage to keep the converter from overcharging the batteries.

 

[John From Detroit]

Wizard:  There was no circuit breaker marked "CONV" in the distribution panel? 

That said, I do know that on a lot of rigs, epically 30 amp rigs, due to limits on how many circuits they are allowed to put in that panel, Often the converter is daisy chained on the same loop as something else, Gen-outlets, or the Fridge or some such.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In many rigs the converter is integrated with the load center (breaker panel) and has no breaker of its own. And where the converter is separate, it may or may not have a dedicated breaker. There is no particular reason to make it a dedicated circuit (since most draw only about  6 amps), so the breaker that serves it may not have "CONV" on its tiny label.

Larger inverter/chargers may draw as much as 30A, so they typically have a dedicated circuit with its own breaker.

 

[Rndygit]

Maybe I'm calling it the wrong name but it' a switch ( similar to a light switch ) next to the breaker panel that's under the fridge. Maybe the previous owner added it for some reason but everything seems to be working now it's turned on. Is there any reason why it should be turned off?

Bob

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Generally no, but if you have one of the old Magnetec 63xx converters, it can overcharge the batteries if it runs for several days non-stop. Perhaps the previous owner left the RV plugged in 24/7 in a seasonal campground and wanted a convenient way to stop the converter from charging all the time.  Maybe he shut it off overnight or some such.

If you just plug in when you reach a campground and stay  for a few days or a week, there is no need to be concerned about excessive charging with those old converters. And with newer ones, they won't overcharge anyway.

 

[Lou Schneider]

I put a converter shut-off switch on my rig, because I added an inexpensive stand-alone inverter and simply plug the shore power cord into it via an adapter.

Turning off the switch allows me to break the battery -> inverter -> converter -> battery loop that exists if the converter is fed by the inverter's output.

I also sometimes turn off the converter if I'm in trying to listen to a distant AM or shortwave radio station - the converter generates noise on the AM and shortwave bands when it's operating.

But Gary's right - normally you don't need to turn off the converter.