2020 View - help understanding charging!

Mauka · 12-17-2021, 08:23 AM

Just picked up a 2020 View V from a private party and I need help understanding how the charging system works. Coming from travel trailer without inverter or solar.

1 - Battery disconnect switch in stairwell. Must be "on" or the house batteries will not be charged when connected to shore power. Itʻs on.

2 - Xantrex "Freedom" panel above refrigerator. Does the push switch "turn off" the inverter? While the button appears in or out - the microwave, stove, and TVs remain on either way.

3 - Zamp Solar ZS-30A. Charging status LED is red but View is parked under a roof and not much sun reaches the panels.

What is happening is the storage facility AC outlet GFCI weʻre using is tripping after we leave and the batteries are running down. Seems ok while we are there.

My understanding of best practice is to hook up to shore power, leave battery disconnect switch "on", turn inverter off. This will allow batteries to charge and all high power draw items are disconnected.

Thank you - Alan

DavidM · 12-17-2021, 09:30 AM

See answers in bold below:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mauka

Just picked up a 2020 View V from a private party and I need help understanding how the charging system works. Coming from travel trailer without inverter or solar.

1 - Battery disconnect switch in stairwell. Must be "on" or the house batteries will not be charged when connected to shore power. Itʻs on.

2 - Xantrex "Freedom" panel above refrigerator. Does the push switch "turn off" the inverter? While the button appears in or out - the microwave, stove, and TVs remain on either way. The Freedom has an internal transfer switch. When shore power is available, whether the Freedom is on or off, it passes through shore power and all connected appliances are on. If shore power is unavailable and if the inverter switch is on, it provides power to the outlets by inverting battery DC power. If the switch is off the outlets should be dead.

3 - Zamp Solar ZS-30A. Charging status LED is red but View is parked under a roof and not much sun reaches the panels. Even a little sunlight should be enough for the panels to keep the batteries up as long as the use/store switch is off and the panels are wired directly to the batteries, ie not affected by the use/store switch.

What is happening is the storage facility AC outlet GFCI weʻre using is tripping after we leave and the batteries are running down. Seems ok while we are there. You probably have a fault on one of your AC circuits that is tripping the AC outlet's GFCI. It is hard to find and you probably need a good electrician to help you fix it. Marine electricians if you are near water and can find one, understand this problem well.

My understanding of best practice is to hook up to shore power, leave battery disconnect switch "on", turn inverter off. This will allow batteries to charge and all high power draw items are disconnected. Yes, but the GFCI tripping makes that unworkable. Try using the solar panels with the use/store switch off.

Thank you - Alan

sajohnson · 01-02-2022, 04:28 PM

David's advice is excellent.

Another option would be to replace the GFCI outlet with a standard one.

30A RV outlets are not GFCI.

A potential drawback is that the GFCI outlet might be required or wanted for another application.

Is there an existing standard outlet you can use with an extension cord?

Dennis4809 · 01-02-2022, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajohnson

David's advice is excellent.

Another option would be to replace the GFCI outlet with a standard one.

30A RV outlets are not GFCI.

A potential drawback is that the GFCI outlet might be required or wanted for another application.

Is there an existing standard outlet you can use with an extension cord?

Most likely a 15 amp outlet that’s required to be a GFCI

sajohnson · 01-02-2022, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis4809

Most likely a 15 amp outlet that’s required to be a GFCI

That could be, especially if it's new construction. In some cases, people install a GFCI where there was not one originally.

If the GFCI is required, it's best to leave it alone and perhaps run an extension cord to a regular outlet.

Morich · 01-02-2022, 08:06 PM

The 15 amp power outlets which are meant to be use for outside power equipment are required to be GFCI in most cases. The thinking on GFCI is to protect where things are most likely to become a hazard. Inside it is where you can reach water which often makes you well grounded and outside it is power equipment like hedge clippers where you tend to cut the cord or have wet feet that makes the hazard higher. Likely the storage folks would not want to do away with the GFCI.
I have not dealt with it but I "think" the problem is due to the RV grounding being different than the GFCI ground and that looks like a difference in potential to the two systems and it shuts down.

Possible to try for a solution by running a good ground from the RV to the same ground as the storage unit? Does the adapter used to get down to what I would assume is a 15 amp, actually pass groung from the RV to the plug? Not using a small adapter which has a ground lug but it is not being connected to the ground at the outlet?
There is also the chance that the GFCI is weak from so many times being tripped! There may have been twenty people over the years and it has been tripped way too many times?