Inverter won't auto switch...

[cadman_ks]

Just got our new 2021 37MDQS home, and there are a couple of things that I don't understand.

We stayed in the unit on our way home from the dealer, at two different RV parks, and both times we were on 50A service.

During those stays, the inverter showed running on AC.

Now, at home, I had to plug into a regular 20A outlet with a dog bone, and now the inverter will not run on AC, shows running on battery. Checked to make sure that the unit has power, and it does, as I tested an outlet, and it was live.

What am I missing???

[GHen]

Others will be able to explain this better, but the “inverter” always runs from the batteries.

“Converters” will run on both the battery or AC if available, well not exactly, but let’s get more info first.

Can you give us the model of the installed inverter, or converter so we can help?

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by GHen

Others will be able to explain this better, but the “inverter” always runs from the batteries.

“Converters” will run on both the battery or AC if available, well not exactly, but let’s get more info first.

Can you give us the model of the installed inverter, or converter so we can help?

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I understand how the inverter / converter part works, and the difference between the two.

I know that we have a Xantrex, and I believe it is a Freedom X 1000, or at least that's what it looks like from the pics.

The information in the packet indicates that when you are on shore power, power automatically switches to 110V, and it did that when we were plugged into a 50A source. Now that I'm plugged into a regular old 110V cord, it isn't doing that. We had a Montana previously, and it was auto-switching anytime we were plugged into any type of AC source, whether 20A, 30A, or 50A.

This is a quote from the owners manual:

The built-in transfer switch automatically transfers between inverter power and shorepower from recreational facilities such as boat docks or campsites to ensurepower is always available.

This is how I would expect it to act, but it is not acting that way when plugged into a 20A 110V standard outlet...

[ARoamer]

Possibly......this?

50A is actually 2- 120vac circuits, when you use an adapter you loose one of those circuits, and possibly your inverter does not see power in that circuit and is powered on. Guessing your power converter is powered on tho?

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by ARoamer

Possibly......this?

50A is actually 2- 120vac circuits, when you use an adapter you loose one of those circuits, and possibly your inverter does not see power in that circuit and is powered on. Guessing your power converter is powered on tho?

After my last post, I started thinking about that too, and currently, I'm using an adapter (the only one that I have that has a 20A plug on it) that has a 20A and 30A leg on it (totally worthless, but that's another thread). I should test that thing out, and see if it is only feeding one side.

To your point, I do not believe that my converter is powered on at the moment either, which would make sense with what you're saying.

At any rate, I do need to do some more checking to see if my adapter is the issue.

What I don't understand though, is that the panel on the inverter indicates that I have 119V and 60HZ flowing thru it, on one of the screens. UNLESS, I'm not reading that screen correctly, which is a possibility as well.

Thanks for the idea!!

[georam1]

While you are in there messing around with your inverter, take off the panel where the AC wire supplies power to the inverter and make sure that Jayco put the wires in correctly. This is what happens if they don't.

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by georam1

While you are in there messing around with your inverter, take off the panel where the AC wire supplies power to the inverter and make sure that Jayco put the wires in correctly. This is what happens if they don't.Attachment 77510

OUCH!! I wasn't planning on checking out anything on the inverter side! Maybe I will now!!

Thanks for the heads up!

[Parrott]

Originally Posted by ARoamer

Possibly......this?

50A is actually 2- 120vac circuits, when you use an adapter you loose one of those circuits, and possibly your inverter does not see power in that circuit and is powered on. Guessing your power converter is powered on tho?

I have a Precept with 50 amps. I’m plugged into a 30 amp in the yard with the adapter. I would think the 30 amp would be the same as a 20 amp. I get power to both legs. I can run either ac but not both.

[ARoamer]

On my pinnacle anything other than 50A, the bedroom AC and a few outlets will not work. 50A has 4 conductors (with ground), 30A or less has 3 conductors (with ground), one leg has no power.

[TxLoser]

Originally Posted by ARoamer

On my pinnacle anything other than 50A, the bedroom AC and a few outlets will not work. 50A has 4 conductors (with ground), 30A or less has 3 conductors (with ground), one leg has no power.

That’s interesting. I’ve got an Eagle and 50/30/20, it’ll run everything. Let me rephrase… it’ll run everything within limits of the math.

As to the inverter, I’ve got the same inverter as the OP. I Think it’s the 1200 though. His probably is as well. When anything is plugged in, it shows a bypass on the little remote screen inside.

[cadman_ks]

Thanks for everyone's help and ideas.

As many of you have stated, I would have thought that the 20A adapter would be the same as a 30A adapter. Alas, however, it is not, because I'm using one of those 30A/20A into 50A adapters, and apparently, when you're on the 20A side, it only powers one leg of the panel.

At lunch, I found an adapter that I had to get from 30A to 20A, and used the 30A side of the adapter, and it works just as I would have thought that it does, and it auto switches to 110V power.

I just really need to punt this adapter, and start over. I think that I will give it to the person that buys my old Montana, and they will think that I'm being generous. No, it will be good riddance!!

IF YOU HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING ONE OF THESE ADAPATERS, DO NOT!!!

[ARoamer]

Originally Posted by TxLoser

That’s interesting. I’ve got an Eagle and 50/30/20, it’ll run everything. Let me rephrase… it’ll run everything within limits of the math.

That's interesting also! I'm going to have to check the 30A to 50A adapter the dealer threw in to see if I'm actually getting power to both legs. As stated, second AC and a few outlets do not work when using that adapter.

[cadman_ks]

I used a 50A to 20A adapter on our Montana, and it powered everything within the limits of 20A's...

[klassic]

Cadman, I think you’re missing the point of that adapter. I have one and use it when ever I can.
Instead of just leaving yourself with 30amp total when there is no 50a hookup, you can hook up the 30amp plug AND the 20amp plug (if you have both on the post) giving you 30amps AND an extra 20a to the trailer.
So if you have 2 ac units you will be able to still run them both because they are on different legs of your power panel. One leg will be getting 30a and the other leg will get 20a.
Now you can take it a step further, if you have a power post that has 2 30a recepticals and there is no one using the other 30a receptical, then you can use a 30 to 20 adapter and plug in your 20amp plug and you’ll have 30a on both legs of your panel.
Let’s go a step farther than that too… if you’re stuck at a park with only 20a service (I have been a few times) then you use both 20a recepticals on the post along with a 20 to 30a adapter and now you will have 20a to both legs of your power panel and you could still run both ac units.
Keep in mind these tricks don’t work if the 20a recepticals are ground fault.

So you statement about not buying this adapter isn’t right. They are very useful.

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by klassic

...
Keep in mind these tricks don’t work if the 20a recepticals are ground fault.

So you statement about not buying this adapter isn’t right. They are very useful.

So, we can agree one thing at least, they ONLY work on pedestals that do NOT have ground faults on the 20A side. I personally have never seen a pedestal that doesn't have a GFCI on the 20A. That's because all outside 20A receps are required to be GFCI by code. I'm not for sure that I would hook up to a box that didn't have a GFCI on the 20A. That tells me instantly that the park is not to code.

I'll be happy to pass along this adapter to the next guy, but I personally don't have any use for it, and stand by my statement that they aren't very useful for the way that we want to camp. YMMV.

[hammer55]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

So, we can agree one thing at least, they ONLY work on pedestals that do NOT have ground faults on the 20A side. I personally have never seen a pedestal that doesn't have a GFCI on the 20A. That's because all outside 20A receps are required to be GFCI by code. I'm not for sure that I would hook up to a box that didn't have a GFCI on the 20A. That tells me instantly that the park is not to code.

I'll be happy to pass along this adapter to the next guy, but I personally don't have any use for it, and stand by my statement that they aren't very useful for the way that we want to camp. YMMV.

it is considered a rv service, putting everything in your rv on a gfi is not going to help you, rv need a direct source, if they only have a twenty amp, your rv already has it's own gfi,,

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by hammer55

it is considered a rv service, putting everything in your rv on a gfi is not going to help you, rv need a direct source, if they only have a twenty amp, your rv already has it's own gfi,,

I'm not an electrician, so I don't totally know the code, but EVERY pedestal that I have ever seen has GFCI's in the 20A circuit. And, if there is a GFCI on the 20A side, you cannot use the plug that I was attempting to use. It will trip the GFCI every time.

My point was, I'm not for sure that I want to use a pedestal that does NOT have a GFCI in the 20A side, because that indicates to me that there may be other code violations that could be going on inside the box.

At the end of the day, this is the main reason that we have a surge protector, that has faulted out when things are not quite right in the box.

YMMV...

[hammer55]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

I'm not an electrician, so I don't totally know the code, but EVERY pedestal that I have ever seen has GFCI's in the 20A circuit. And, if there is a GFCI on the 20A side, you cannot use the plug that I was attempting to use. It will trip the GFCI every time.

My point was, I'm not for sure that I want to use a pedestal that does NOT have a GFCI in the 20A side, because that indicates to me that there may be other code violations that could be going on inside the box.

At the end of the day, this is the main reason that we have a surge protector, that has faulted out when things are not quite right in the box.

YMMV...

well if your using a motor on a gfi, more times than not it is going to trip, do what you will, I am a electrician, and I never had gfi's in my house until I sold the house,, for my use I did not want them interrupting my stuff I was using,, ever

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by hammer55

well if your using a motor on a gfi, more times than not it is going to trip, do what you will, I am a electrician, and I never had gfi's in my house until I sold the house,, for my use I did not want them interrupting my stuff I was using,, ever

I don't have them in my house either, for that very reason! Neither did my in-laws when we wired their house, but we had to install them before they sold it, to be compliant.

BUT, when I roll up to an RV pedestal, I want the pedestal to be to code, and if it is, you CANNOT use that 20A/30A double pigtail adapter. Because of that, I still contend that the 20A/30A pigtail adapter is all but useless...