Need electrical advice!!!

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Robertmdrew

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2021
Posts
2
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Hello all,
I could use a bit of help from some of you savvy electrical types. I have a small travel trailer ('18 Jayco Hummingbird FD) and I just finished installing 230watts of solar (in series) on the roof, which heads down to a renogy 30amp MPPT controller and then onto my 100aH Lifepo4 battery. My next project is to install the Renogy 2000Watt inverter, which I'd like to hardwire into the system so that all of the outlets in the trailer work when I want them to. The control panel is a WFCO Model WF-8735P which appears to be both the battery converter and breaker panel all in one. We plan to mostly dry camp and are never plugged into shore power, except for the 24 hours or so before we leave for a trip. I'm running into some trouble figuring out exactly how to do this. I know I can buy an automatic transfer switch and wire both the shore power plug and converter to one side and the inverter on the other, but since we're almost never plugged into shore power, it seems easier just to switch off the converter breaker when we are dry camping. The problem is - how can I hardwire the inverter into the panel? I've heard of 'backfeeding' the panel, but not sure exactly how to do that. Couldn't I just splice into any of the outlets closest to the inverter to connect my inverter hardwire into the rest of the AC system or am I thinking about this incorrectly and electricity won't flow to all the outlets if I do it this way? Any assistance is appreciated! See photos of my panel below. Thank you!
 

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The problem of not using a transfer switch (manual or automatic) is that your shore power inlet is no longer isolated no matter how you would wire the inverter to your power center. To connect to shore power you need some means of electrically isolating the inverter. So it's not just about bypassing the converter, you have to consider all possible operating scenarios and the transfer switch takes care of that.

You could connect the inverter via the shore power inlet which solves the dual AC source problem, and switch your converter off manually which covers that issue. Not the most elegant solution but you wouldn't need a transfer switch.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
The problem of not using a transfer switch (manual or automatic) is that your shore power inlet is no longer isolated no matter how you would wire the inverter to your power center. To connect to shore power you need some means of electrically isolating the inverter. So it's not just about bypassing the converter, you have to consider all possible operating scenarios and the transfer switch takes care of that.

You could connect the inverter via the shore power inlet which solves the dual AC source problem, and switch your converter off manually which covers that issue. Not the most elegant solution but you wouldn't need a transfer switch.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Thanks for the reply. I think I understand. Do you mean running the shore power plug from the inverter and just plugging it into the 30amp receptacle on the outside of the RV then switching off the converter breaker?
 
That's pretty much it. Managing the inverter location, cabling and such may not be a slam dunk but functionally it's a simple solution and no modification to stock configuration.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
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