Power Transfer Switch

[Brett R]

Hello - I am having electrical issues with my 2004 Brave. Must have been plugged in to a bad power. I used a surge protector, but still had an issue. Currently, the generator is the only power source to power the RV. When I plug in on the 30 amp fixed cord it does not power anything. I can run both AC units on the generator. Could it be the ATS 5070 Auto Line/Generator Switch?

[AZAspect]

Brett,

It could be. I had a transfer switch go on my Aspect 30J and I could still power up from the generator. Once I opened up the electrical compartment where the switch was, I could smell the burned wires. Taking the cover off confirmed it. You might try that to see if there is anything obvious from your inspection.

Your situation brings up a good point though. If you only have a surge protector and not a total protection unit, this can still happen. You might check to see the warranty on your surge protector as many manufacturers will cover repairs if their unit failed.

Al

[BobC]

You should hear a "clunk" inside the switch after plugging into power as the relays switch to shore power. If not, something's definitely awry. Here's a link to a good write-up on your transfer switch and how to repair some issues:

ATS5070 Generator Automatic Transfer Switch

There are less expensive options as well.

Mine went bad in my 2002 Suncruiser and I decided to just replace it since it was pretty old anyway. I used this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just make sure you label all your wires before disconnecting and take photos as well.

Here are two things to try first:

1. With shore power unplugged and generator off, carefully loosen and re-tighten each connection in the transfer switch. Sometimes this will get things working again.

2. Make sure your shore power cord is OK and that power is actually getting to your transfer switch. You can do this with a multimeter while plugged into shore power by carefully measuring the voltage between the black and white shore power wires where they connect to your transfer switch. You should see something between 110V to 120V or so. Make sure your multimeter is set to read AC voltage.

[Brett R]

Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

[BobC]

I forgot to mention looking for burned insulation, melted wires, melted plastic on the relays or other such indications.

[Brett R]

Thank you for the information.

[NeilV]

Is the surge protector letting power get through to the transfer switch? If the surge protector took a hit then it may need to be sent out for repair before it will let power get through again as the suppression devices in many of them are sacrificial leaving you with no power after an event.

After verifying that the Surge Protector is not part of the problem follow the route of the power from the cord using your test meter or light and you will see pretty clearly where there are no longer any readings.

The factory transfer switch that came with the Brave defaults to shore power and has a 10 second delay before it switches to accept power from the generator. If your getting that delay and switchover that's a good sign however if it instantly powers when the generator starts without the delay that is a sign that the time delay is not working or that the contactors in the transfer switch are fused or stuck to the generator side of the switch.

Personally I have both a surge protector and a AutoFormer for low voltage correction. Over the years I found that low voltage that won't trip most protection systems still does long term damage to your transfer switch and AC compressor motors start capacitors and devices however a Voltage Correction Transformer has prevented those issues in my coach for many years now.