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Old 09-11-2016, 06:32 PM   #1
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Electrical question please

I'm a new bee. First season with my new Winnebago vista LX 35. Just returned from myrtle beach/fort wilderness trip and all went well.....been home for a couple of weeks and we are looking to head out to New Hampshire. /Vermont for some foliage......here's my question.....
I plugged my Winnie in to the electric outlet in the house using adapters form 50 amp plug down to regular household wall outlet (110v) because I want to run the fridge for a a day or so before we leave. When I do this.....I don't get any power to the rv I have to turn on the coach battery in order to run even the lights....the fridge runs on ac or LP Am I missing something.....I could have sworn I started the fridge before we left for myrtle beach......I chk the outlet to be sure I didn't trip any circuits and I also chk the coach for the same ....I'm confused. Please help a rookie out .... I thank you all in advance and I apologize if this is a no brainier question for you seasoned veterans out there.....
Thanks
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Old 09-11-2016, 07:00 PM   #2
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TheBelchers, double check your connects. Do you hear the transfer switch close? It takes a little time for the power monitor to come on. Once it lights up select 20Amp as you power source.
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Old 09-11-2016, 07:04 PM   #3
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The control board in for the refer is powered by the 12 volt coach system, so for the refer to function on 120 volts ac you must have the 12 volt system on also.
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Old 09-11-2016, 07:10 PM   #4
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Not real familiar with 50 amp service as ours is 30. I have seen some info on this forum however and some things come to mind. Your home service is 20 amp and if your batteries were low most of power may be going to them. Do you have a power control center? If so it may show if power is coming to coach. If it isn't the auto transfer switch may be defective. Some have had luck tapping on it. You may want to disconnect all powet and take cover off to check for loise wires. If you run generator do you get power. If not then definitely check the transfet switch.
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Old 09-11-2016, 07:10 PM   #5
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Yep, as Clay says, the control board is 12 volt, so for the fridge to work (on either 120 or LP) the 12 volt has to be on. I would expect the same to be true for the air conditioner(s), the thermostat requires 12 volt to work.
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Old 09-11-2016, 07:11 PM   #6
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Quote:
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The control board in for the refer is powered by the 12 volt coach system, so for the refer to function on 120 volts ac you must have the 12 volt system on also.
What Clay said. Turn on your 12v power
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:10 AM   #7
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Look by the stairs and verify that Coach power is on, the green light will be lite in the switch.
Also more info about your coach would help, is it the 35 B or 35 F?
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:24 AM   #8
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What Clay said. Turn on your 12v power
If he's plugged in and getting power shouldn't the converter being supplying 12v. I don't have to have my batteries on to get 12 power.
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:32 AM   #9
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good morning, thank you all for your comments and suggestions I am on my way to check out all the things suggested and will let you all know my results its a 35 f When i plug in the power, to the house, I do no hear any noise....the only way to get lights etc is to turn on the coach with and then the fridge tells me there is no ac.....the panel does light up but does not indicate 2o amp the generator does work and i do get power then should the inverter be on or off i thought i read it should be off when running on land power?
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:40 AM   #10
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If he's plugged in and getting power shouldn't the converter being supplying 12v. I don't have to have my batteries on to get 12 power.
If you have a disconnect you could "choose" to run off the converter only. You might need to look at the manual as some say the converter output can be unstable when not hooked up to a battery. It is trying to sense the battery and output a suitable voltage after all.

Still wondering why you would want the batteries disconnected from the charging source?
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Old 09-12-2016, 07:23 AM   #11
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So if I'm plugged in to the house and turn the coach battery system on, I'm not draining the batteries at that point......does the fridge then actually run off the battery or house....and would the inverter need to be on or off....or am i overthinking this :banged:
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Old 09-12-2016, 09:10 AM   #12
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Batteries will stay charged if plugged in. Assuming your inverter is factory installed is it a 1000 W? If so you may gave a converter also (110v- to 12V). Owners manual should state if it has a 3 or 4 stage charger. If batteries are charged and you are plugged in with battery switch on dc volatage should be 13.5 v if a multi staged carger. Most say ok to stay plugged in if that is case.
If not multi stage would be worth changing out as a single stage can cook the batteries. Also some inverters have chargers so converter not needed. Good to know what your coach has
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Old 09-12-2016, 09:55 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBelchers View Post
good morning, thank you all for your comments and suggestions I am on my way to check out all the things suggested and will let you all know my results its a 35 f When i plug in the power, to the house, I do no hear any noise....the only way to get lights etc is to turn on the coach with and then the fridge tells me there is no ac.....the panel does light up but does not indicate 2o amp the generator does work and i do get power then should the inverter be on or off i thought i read it should be off when running on land power?
TheBelchers

Have you verified that the "electric outlet in the house" is providing 120VAC to the cord you have plugged into it?.... and that the "extension cord" and the "adapters" you're using are supplying 120VAC to the coach?

BTW, I only turn my inverter ON when I need 120VAC power and the coach is not getting 120VAC from a shore power connection, (whether 20A, 30A or 50A), or from the generator.

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Old 09-12-2016, 08:34 PM   #14
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OK leave the Inverter OFF, make sure the switch by the stairs is ON, both of them, the Chassis and House. Without the House switch ON you will NOT get any power to the coach.
does your MH have a Surge Protector? Look in the Electric Bay to see if it does, it will have lights on it to tell you the status of the incoming power.
Check the EMS to see if you show 20 amp power? If not then you are not getting power thru the ABT switch, make sure all the circuit breakers are on by the door. Verify your extension cord is good and the dongles/dog bones are good. They do fail and leave you upset. If they are, check to see if the ABT is actually working, pull the cover and measure power on the incoming legs. Remember this is HOT so please be careful.
If all checks out and your fridge still doesn't work off AC then your fridge has problem or it's breaker is tripped.
Good luck and keep us informed.
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Old 09-12-2016, 10:13 PM   #15
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We have 30 amp service on our rig so don't know the ins and outs of the 50 amp setup. I do know that 50 amp consists of ground, neutral, and two 120 volt hot legs totaling 240 volts.

Maybe a silly question but,

If the OP has adapted down to a 120v, 20a receptacle,,, would that provide 120v to only one leg? If so, would part of the motorhome (frig maybe) be on the dead leg?
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Old 09-12-2016, 10:30 PM   #16
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Quote:
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...
Maybe a silly question but,

If the OP has adapted down to a 120v, 20a receptacle,,, would that provide 120v to only one leg? If so, would part of the motorhome (frig maybe) be on the dead leg?
The 50-amp to 30-amp adapter should should internally connect the single 30-amp leg coming in to both legs of the 50-amp plug, so everything should get power.
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Old 09-13-2016, 05:44 AM   #17
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I you have a micro wave see if the clock is flashing. I it is you have 110 power.
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Old 09-13-2016, 08:11 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperGewl View Post
OK leave the Inverter OFF, make sure the switch by the stairs is ON, both of them, the Chassis and House. Without the House switch ON you will NOT get any power to the coach.
does your MH have a Surge Protector? Look in the Electric Bay to see if it does, it will have lights on it to tell you the status of the incoming power.
Check the EMS to see if you show 20 amp power? If not then you are not getting power thru the ABT switch, make sure all the circuit breakers are on by the door. Verify your extension cord is good and the dongles/dog bones are good. They do fail and leave you upset. If they are, check to see if the ABT is actually working, pull the cover and measure power on the incoming legs. Remember this is HOT so please be careful.
If all checks out and your fridge still doesn't work off AC then your fridge has problem or it's breaker is tripped.
Good luck and keep us informed.
SuperGewl
What is a ABT, (or a ABT switch)??
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:00 AM   #19
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I'm guessing SuperGewl meant to say ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) rather than ABT.
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:27 AM   #20
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Belchers-as you can tell power issues are of interest to us all. So yes please keep us informed as to what you find. The inverter (DC to AC power conversion) should have a display panel that shows if power is being drawn from the batteries when it has been turned on. Lights, fans, control boards for refer and hot water, water pump, steps, jacks, slides all run on 12v dc. Steps, jacks and slides are powered off the chassis battery in quite a few coaches. The rest fromf the house or coach batteries-you should have 2. So if the house batteries are disconnected by the switch then no lights, etc.

The 110 systems-microwave, outlets, electric side of hot water heater and refer need shore power, generator or inverter power to run. My guess is with a 1000w inverter the micro, refrigerator and hot water heater are not wired into the system. Some outlets and the TV, dvr, satellite receiver would be.

As had been mentioned the ATS(auto transfer switch) has a delay when power from a source-shore or generator is applied-around 30 seconds I believe- before connecting. At that time, as someone said, the easiest way to see is the microwave clock. If you get power from the generator through the switch then I would think it is functioning and should work with shore power also-maybe someone knows more about that than I do.
Might be a loose wire in the switch on the shore power connection since the generator side works.
Does your EMS (electrical management system) show amperage when the generator is running? If so then it would seem that power is not getting to the coach from the house. You mentioned that you have checked those breakers so problem could be in the cord as mentioned. If you have an amp meter (handy tool to have on board) you could check the power at the end that plugs into the coach to be sure.

I am not a wiz kid on things electrical so if I have said anything in error hopefully someone with more knowledge will let us know-I would like to learn also. Good luck and keep us informed
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