You should read your owners manual or go to Xantrex web site and look up Freedom 1500 Combo Inverter/Charger.
The switch on the Inverter/charger is so you can control it with from the remote panel inside your coach. Also, when the switch is off, the manual says, " to set the Inverter in the stand-by mode". When you do that, if the main power to the coach is disrupted, the Inverter will take over as long as your batteries are charged. Some folks prefer to leave the Inverter off until they need it, when the "stand-by mode is off" and power is disrupted, your system is dead.
While in Texas this past winter, we experienced a power outage on Mustang Island Port Aransas, my Freedom 1500 was set according to the manual, in stand-by. When power went out, my TRCI Surge Guard shut down the main in coming line, the Inverter switched to Inverter and for some strange reason shorted itself out. In essence, it failed. Some where along the way, the electronically controlled transfer switch inside the Inverter decided to fail, shutting down the Inverter mode.
"Boy was it dark"
For those of you who have the Heart/Xantrex Freedom 1500 Inverter/Charger,
be fore-warned, "Winnebago does not stock this unit any longer". Xantrex is the only place to get this repaired or replaced. At this time, I'm still waiting for Xantrex Customer Service to process our Warranty Claim, as the unit has a 30 month warranty. With the help of Jim Banther, Sales manager in Elkhart, IN and Nick Klein in Customer Service in Washington, we were shipped a factory re-furbished unit with a few days. The hardest part of the ordeal was finding a qualified dealer who knew how to change the unit out. This particular unit comes with 9ft cables that have to go back to the batteries. From all indications, we had to use the unit as it was sent, which created a big question; how do we get the cables across the inside and out side and under the coach?
Come to find out after the job was done, these cables can be cut at the back of the unit and splices can be made. Had we known this in the begining it would have saved 6 hours labor.
{ The new Inverter/Chargers now have cable lugs on them, so they can be installed faster or changed out quickly.}
after the fact!
At this date, it is still unknown what caused the failure with-in the Inverter, but I can assure you this, Xantrex was looking for a way out of covering it under warranty. Had I not had my electrical system protected with the Surge Guard, it could have cost us more then $2,200 for a problem that we had no control over.
In closing, read and understand your owners manual and most importantly never connect to any shore power without a surge protection device in line.
Tomcat F15