2006 Winnebago Outlook 30A Transfer Switch Location and Whether It Has One

[John Winger]

Hi all!
Need to replace my 120v 30A transfer switch in our 2006 Winne Outlook. Looking to find the correct/best part. Alot of options out there. Finding it is another challenge. Think it might be under the cabinetry? Thank you!!

 

[RV_Lee122]

Mine is in the 30A cord compartment

 

[Kirk]

Just trace the power cord to see where it goes, or the output cable from your generator.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's rather common for a 30A transfer switch to be mounted at the back of the circuit breaker panel. As Kirk says, follow the shore cord to see. If you can't see the rear area from top or sides, you might have to remove the breaker panel from the front to see it. You can look up the schematics for your Winnie under Owner Resources on the Winnebago site.

As for the brand to buy, you could stick with on of the big names like Progressive Dynamics or Surge Guard, but any of the others is probably ok too. There was a reliability problem with an Iota brand ATS, but that was a decade ago. Haven't heard any bad reports lately.


Here are a couple sources:

TRC 30 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch

Shop the TRC 30 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch for seamless power management in your RV. Ensure reliable performance and safety for your adventures. Buy now.

www.campingworld.com

Progressive Dynamics Auto Transfer Switch Relay System 30 Amp - S018-552111

Automatically sense generator power and prevents shoreline and generator power entering the AC distribution panel at the same time and ruining your camping experience. Features include heavy duty relays that prevent contact damage during high current transfer operation, a time delay circuit...

www.adventurerv.net

 

[CamperAL]

Hi John Winger,

Mine was in the back of my electrical panel. I have a Coachman Marada, Class A.

 

[CharlesinGA]

The easiest way to find the transfer switch would be to lookin the wiring diagrams and installation drawings for your specific model. As you don't give the model variant, I will post links to all of the 2006 Outlook wiring diagrams, you will have to pick the book for your model.

2006 Wiring Diagrams​

Winnebago

• Outlook (300)
  • WF322E
  • WF322R
  • WF324V
  • WF325F
  • WF326A
  • WF327L
  • WF329B
  • WF329K
  • WF329SB
  • WF331C
  • WF331SC
  • WF332G

After looking at all 12 variants of the Outlook, I concluded what I suspected to begin with, you DO NOT have an automatic transfer switch, unless someone has added one after it left the factory.

Edit: (added this paragraph) Now the drawing in question is the first one, titled 110 Volt Load Center/Auto Transfer Switch and it is the exact same drawing for every model listed above. However, there is NO Auto Transfer Switch in these drawings, its just a standardized title WBO uses. My '07 View has the same title for a similar drawing, and none of the Views were equipped with auto x-fer switches.

The standard way of transferring the generator to the power center is to take the shore cord and plug it into the generator outlet located in the shore cord storage compartment, and that is what the drawings show for all models.

I had a Winnebago View and this is how it transferred power. If yours is stock and not modified, I highly suggest when stowing the shore cord, to get in the habit of plugging it into the generator outlet. This way, when stopping at a roadside rest area for lunch, you simply start the generator and you have the microwave or A/C and you don't have to run outside, open the compartment door and plug it in.

Attached pic is of my View after I added a Progressive Dynamics HW30 Power management and protection box. Your compartment will look similar. I do not have a pic of the cord plugged into the generator outlet, as it was plugged into a dog bone and a lightweight extension cord in my shop at the time I took the pic.

If your generator outlet has the ground pin up instead of to the left side, you can remove the two screws holding the box cover on and open it, inspect the wiring inside, and then rotate the cover 90 degrees to put the ground pin to the left (outboard) and it will be MUCH easier to plug the shore cord in.

I had a second junction box like is shown in the drawing, however I replaced it with the HW30. The purpose of the second box was to provide a place to join the shore cord to the cable going to the power center, and the HW 30 did that.

The last image is a screen shot of the four possible configurations of the generator outlet and shore cord connection inside the shore cord compartment.

Charles

 

[CharlesinGA]

In my trailer, which has an Onan 2500LP underneath it, the original setup was the same thing a receptacle jammed into a tiny shore cord compartment. You were stuck plugging the shore cord into the generator receptacle by feel. I eliminated the shore cord compartment and the hardwired shore cord, installed a power inlet on the outside of the trailer and installed a 30 amp transfer switch. Best Converter talked me into one he had that made DC current to operate the relays, "to eliminate the hum of the relays". Later I realized that you would never hear the hum of the relays with the generator running just beneath your feet. Thats the transfer switch on the floor with the cover off of it. The shore cord compartment was mounted on the wall just to the left of the water heater (white Styrofoam insulation)

Charles

 

[John Winger]

Mine is in the 30A cord compartment

Mine is in the 30A cord compartment

 

[John Winger]

Hey Everybody! Man, blown away with all the responses. Thanks for taking the time. We've been out on the road last week in the RV with the family so sorry for the late replies. Just got my new switch in so digging into it this weekend. Went with the PowerMax PMTS-30 30A. I'll put all these tips/responses/info together and see how it goes! Thanks once again to everyone.

 

[John Winger]

The easiest way to find the transfer switch would be to lookin the wiring diagrams and installation drawings for your specific model. As you don't give the model variant, I will post links to all of the 2006 Outlook wiring diagrams, you will have to pick the book for your model.

2006 Wiring Diagrams​

Winnebago

• Outlook (300)
  • WF322E
  • WF322R
  • WF324V
  • WF325F
  • WF326A
  • WF327L
  • WF329B
  • WF329K
  • WF329SB
  • WF331C
  • WF331SC
  • WF332G

After looking at all 12 variants of the Outlook, I concluded what I suspected to begin with, you DO NOT have an automatic transfer switch, unless someone has added one after it left the factory.

Edit: (added this paragraph) Now the drawing in question is the first one, titled 110 Volt Load Center/Auto Transfer Switch and it is the exact same drawing for every model listed above. However, there is NO Auto Transfer Switch in these drawings, its just a standardized title WBO uses. My '07 View has the same title for a similar drawing, and none of the Views were equipped with auto x-fer switches.

The standard way of transferring the generator to the power center is to take the shore cord and plug it into the generator outlet located in the shore cord storage compartment, and that is what the drawings show for all models.

I had a Winnebago View and this is how it transferred power. If yours is stock and not modified, I highly suggest when stowing the shore cord, to get in the habit of plugging it into the generator outlet. This way, when stopping at a roadside rest area for lunch, you simply start the generator and you have the microwave or A/C and you don't have to run outside, open the compartment door and plug it in.

Attached pic is of my View after I added a Progressive Dynamics HW30 Power management and protection box. Your compartment will look similar. I do not have a pic of the cord plugged into the generator outlet, as it was plugged into a dog bone and a lightweight extension cord in my shop at the time I took the pic.

If your generator outlet has the ground pin up instead of to the left side, you can remove the two screws holding the box cover on and open it, inspect the wiring inside, and then rotate the cover 90 degrees to put the ground pin to the left (outboard) and it will be MUCH easier to plug the shore cord in.

I had a second junction box like is shown in the drawing, however I replaced it with the HW30. The purpose of the second box was to provide a place to join the shore cord to the cable going to the power center, and the HW 30 did that.

The last image is a screen shot of the four possible configurations of the generator outlet and shore cord connection inside the shore cord compartment.

Charles

Ok. So our '06 Outlook definitely has the Generator outlet in the cord box. But not hard to get to at all. Are you suggesting that just by plugging in the shore cord into the Generator outlet could solve the AC power issue? Might not be a transfer switch? @ Charles in GA. That switch looks great. I think that will be an approach to seriously consider. I'll start with tracking down the switch from the power cable as suggested here. Thanks again.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Ok. So our '06 Outlook definitely has the Generator outlet in the cord box. But not hard to get to at all. Are you suggesting that just by plugging in the shore cord into the Generator outlet could solve the AC power issue? Might not be a transfer switch? @ Charles in GA. That switch looks great. I think that will be an approach to seriously consider. I'll start with tracking down the switch from the power cable as suggested here. Thanks again.

Absolutely. As built by Winnebago, your MH DID NOT have a auto transfer switch. The plug and receptacle are basically a MANUAL transfer switch.

This is confirmed by the wiring diagrams and drawings I linked to. You gotta get way up the model line before they started spending the money for transfer switches.

Roll your cord up, and plug it into the generator outlet, start it up, and you should have power. If not, there is a hard to see circuit breaker in the generator itself that could be tripped, but rather rare.

Thats the whole idea, no transfer switch to fail, stow the cord neatly like in the pic I posted and then plug into the genny. Ready for whenever you need it. Thats what I did with my '07 View, which had the exact same setup.

My trailer was done this way, but the storage compartment was about one cubic foot in size for a 25 ft cord and then you could not get your arm into the compartment to plug into the genny outlet, so that is why I finally went to a removable shore cord and auto transfer switch. I never even thought of doing that with the motor home, compartment was large and I kept the cord and dogbones in there along with a rag to wipe off the cord as I coiled it up.

The Power Max switch is a good one, that is what I have, you can see it in the pics, but you got a days work ahead of you removing stuff, remounting stuff, connecting stuff, etc. I made a new piece of plywood to mount the HW30 EMS on and the genny outlet and installed 10-32 threaded T nuts in the right places to mount everything, and sanded and varnished it. Nothing half A$$ about it for me.

Send the transfer switch back!

Charles

 

[CharlesinGA]

I'll add to this a little. In your owners manual (which you should have in the black pouch, which you should have received from the previous owners) section 6, page 4, it says the following..........................

To use the 110-volt generator, plug the power cord into the generator receptacle within the utility compartment before starting the generator.
On page 6-5 it has the following picture

Let us know the exact model of Outlook you have and I'll run you a list of links for the wiring diagrams, plumbing drawings, etc, for you to download and save. Winnebago adds value to their motor coaches by publishing, free of charge all of this information, however, some day they could decide to remove it from public access, so you need a copy of it saved with your manuals on a thumb drive.

Charles

 

[Kirk]

Are you suggesting that just by plugging in the shore cord into the Generator outlet could solve the AC power issue?

That used to be quite common and is still done in some cases. I had a class A that was like that and the best part of it is that you never have to dig for the plug. When put the cord away, just plug the end into the outlet and it will be there when you need it and the generator will be available when you need it. It also means that you have one less part to fail at some time in the future because there is no need for the automatic transfer switch (ATS).

You should never bring the generator online when there are any heavy loads operating, like the air conditioner, microwave, electric heaters, or other high power demanding appliances with heating elements. Doing that is hard on the ATS, the generator and the appliances themselves, especially anything with an electric motor. When you have no ATS but the receptacle to plug the cord into, you can never make the mistake of transferring to the generator under load.

 

[John From Detroit]

Ok. So our '06 Outlook definitely has the Generator outlet in the cord box. But not hard to get to at all. Are you suggesting that just by plugging in the shore cord into the Generator outlet could solve the AC power issue? Might not be a transfer switch?

Yes if there is a generator outlet in there then that is what I call a "Poor man's transfer switch"

Also when it comes to high quality transfer switches
It's #1 on the 'least likely to fail" list

And one more big PLUS
Though the output be it a 30 or 50 amp outlet is liely 120v Single phase (USe a volt meter to confirm on a 50 amp (4 slot) outlet side to side set meter to 250 or higher range if settable)

Well... How i powered my house during power fail (I had a proper inlet and transfer system installed.
And make a nice **LONG** extention cord to reach the beast)

 

[bigbAZ]

Yes if there is a generator outlet in there then that is what I call a "Poor man's transfer switch"

Also when it comes to high quality transfer switches
It's #1 on the 'least likely to fail" list

And one more big PLUS
Though the output be it a 30 or 50 amp outlet is liely 120v Single phase (USe a volt meter to confirm on a 50 amp (4 slot) outlet side to side set meter to 250 or higher range if settable)

Well... How i powered my house during power fail (I had a proper inlet and transfer system installed.
And make a nice **LONG** extention cord to reach the beast)

I also have a poor man's transfer switch and I made up an emergency cord for the house in case of a power failure. Have not yet needed it though.

 

[John From Detroit]

I also have a poor man's transfer switch and I made up an emergency cord for the house in case of a power failure. Have not yet needed it though.

I did. worked well.