Stock Converter?

[DaveW]

Since I brought my TT home and put it in storage I have not been able to get power to the AC outlets. I called the dealer and asked if I had to be on shore power for the outlets to work. The dealer told me that the TT has a converter and that the outlets will run off of the batteries. The outlets worked at the dealer but they had it connected to shore power.

The GFCI outlet will not test and/or reset. The buttons do not "click" when I press either one. Which to me means it is not receiving power, or it is faulty.

I tried looking for a converter but I can't find it. I don't know if I have one or not. But there is a breaker in the fuse box labeled for a converter. Yes, I already tried turning them all off and back on. I read that the converter would be located behind the fuse box and I could access it by removing the drawer above, but I don't see anything there.

I am about to just make an appointment to visit the Winnebago service center for them to look at it. But I don't want to drive 150 miles if it's not necessary.

Should I have power to the outlets from the battery without the TT being connected to shore power?

OOPS! I just noticed that the fuse box IS the converter... But why don't I have power?

Fuse Box:


Behind Fuse Box:

[BobC]

I think we have a terminology issue and I suspect that whoever you spoke with at the dealer doesn't know what they're talking about.

1. A "converter" or more accurately, a "converter/charger" is a device that runs only while on shore power. It "converts" 120V AC to 12V DC to power your 12V systems and charge your battery. This is what the breaker is for.

2. An "inverter" is different, in fact it's the opposite. It's a device that "inverts" your 12V DC battery power to 120V AC in order to power your 120V outlets (or a subset of them) while you're away from battery power.

3. With the exception of a small inverter wired to power the TV, inverters are usually a fairly expensive option and are stock items only in high end RVs. With the exception of a small one, for your TV, it's unlikely that you have one. If you do, it should be detailed in the options listed in your paperwork.

4. If you have the small unit for your TV, check your user manual. It's typically located in a cabinet near your TV and probably has an integral on/off button. I'm thinking you may not even have one of these since there's a current thread by a Micro Mini owner who's in the process of adding one.

If you need more help, let us know.

[DaveW]

That's what I was thinking. I figured that the dealer didn't know what they were talking about. I even told them I thought it had to be on shore power for the outlets to work and they insisted that they would run off of the batteries. I asked if a converter was the same as an inverter and they told me it was... I'm a newbie in this area so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

The TV plugs into an outlet as well, and will not turn on either. I tested all of the outlets and none of them work. But the GFCI acts as if it doesn't have any power either. So if the GFCI isn't working then none of the other outlets will work anyway.

I have a generator on order so I'll be able to test this out in short order.

I intend to get an inverter anyway. But if I didn't need it then I wouldn't get it.

Thanks!

[BobC]

This is why we generally say not to trust anything a dealer may tell you and to not use them for service except for warranty work.

It sounds like you have a good grasp on things.

Unless you want a small inverter to use for your TV, your generator is your best bet. Running anything else off an inverter is a power hog and run down your batteries very quickly. Remember that Watts = Voltage x Amps. This means that a 1000W microwave will draw 1000W/120V = 8.33A on shore power but 1000W/12V = 83.33A on 12V via a converter, not counting the additional amps lost due to the inverter's inefficiency. A typical RV battery is 100 Amp Hours (Ah). Drawing it below 20Ah will damage the battery and many advise not going below 50Ah on a regular basis. That means that 15 min of microwave time will consume 0.25 Hr x 83.3A = 20.8Ah, or 41.6% of a 100Ah RV battery's available 50 Ah. A hair dryer is even worse.

I prefer to run generator for ten or fifteen minutes to run my microwave. In decades of sailboating and RVing, I've never felt the need for a large inverter.

I forgot the link to the fellow Micro Minnie owner who's adding a small inverter for his TV. Here it is:

https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...er-363692.html

If you do get a large inverter, you'll need to beef up your battery bank and will possibly risk overloading your tongue weight.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by DaveW

That's what I was thinking. I figured that the dealer didn't know what they were talking about. I even told them I thought it had to be on shore power for the outlets to work and they insisted that they would run off of the batteries. I asked if a converter was the same as an inverter and they told me it was... I'm a newbie in this area so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

The TV plugs into an outlet as well, and will not turn on either. I tested all of the outlets and none of them work. But the GFCI acts as if it doesn't have any power either. So if the GFCI isn't working then none of the other outlets will work anyway.

I have a generator on order so I'll be able to test this out in short order.

I intend to get an inverter anyway. But if I didn't need it then I wouldn't get it.

Thanks!

It’s a circular problem, but if the GCFI’s are tripped, you won’t have power at the outlet, and without power TO the outlet, you can’t reset them.

Even in our class A RV, only a select few outlets (TV’s and refrigerator) works off of the inverter—using the power from the batteries.

I’m willing to bet once you hook up to shoreline power you’ll be able to reset the GFCI outlets and you’ll have power again…

[MadMaxWinny]

Bob C is spot on (as usual). Many add an inverter for powered outlets off-grid. The secret to happiness is to first determine which outlets/appliances you want to run. I've installed many large inverters on boats and off-grid cabins, but you have to isolate the really big loads (hot water, heat, AC, etc). On the motorhome, I just did a small 800w unit near the batteries (important!), and then ran 16/3 AWG forward to a power strip (TV/Bluray/Soundbar), and aft to my desk (Computer & misc). I run the genset in the morning for the microwave, coffee maker and shower water.