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Old 07-12-2018, 07:46 PM   #1
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Hooking up to power

I am a new owner of a '15 Forest River 351 MH. I haven't taken my inaugural trip. I'm concerned about my initial plug in to power. I was told that this MH is equipped so that I don't have to shut down the generator for the transition from generator to 110 power. Does that sound correct? What should I look for and how can I make sure.
Concerned & new in Tequesta.
PA
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Old 07-12-2018, 07:56 PM   #2
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You can do it but why? just turn off the generator, install your EMS ( you do have on right) check it and turn on the power.
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Old 07-12-2018, 08:04 PM   #3
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I don't care what anybody says....turn the generator off before plugging into power.

Don't tempt fate.
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Old 07-12-2018, 08:08 PM   #4
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Ditto on turning off generator before connecting to shore power, why take chances with expensive gear.
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Old 07-12-2018, 08:11 PM   #5
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I always turn the generator off before connecting shore power. I connect my Progressive EMS make sure the power is safe, then connect the power cord. I do the reverse when leaving.
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Old 07-12-2018, 10:43 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacySun View Post
I am a new owner of a '15 Forest River 351 MH. I haven't taken my inaugural trip. I'm concerned about my initial plug in to power. I was told that this MH is equipped so that I don't have to shut down the generator for the transition from generator to 110 power. Does that sound correct? What should I look for and how can I make sure.
Concerned & new in Tequesta.
PA

Welcome to the forum!

Stay with us and play after this question gets answered...

Seems like I am severely out voted on this one. I usually leave mine on when connecting since Kelly is usually working and I am trying to leave everything running for her.
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Old 07-12-2018, 10:47 PM   #7
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I turn off the gen as well as turning off the shore power outlet before plugging the MH in.
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Old 07-12-2018, 11:10 PM   #8
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Remember to turn off air conditioners and any other load on the generator, wait a couple of minutes then turn off the generator. Now you're ready to plug into shore power.
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Old 07-12-2018, 11:11 PM   #9
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I agree with gen off/plug after. In reverse I turn off all AC/Fridge etc.. using the Gen, let the gen cool off a min or two before powering it off. Then plug in wait to hear the surge/ems click over, then turn on AC/Fridge again. As mentioned, dealing with expensive gear it's good to have a solid checklist and method to repeat each time so as to avoid any sort of damage.
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Old 07-12-2018, 11:18 PM   #10
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Hooking up to power

Add me to the list of folks that turn everything (every important thing, ie. AC, fridge, TV’s anything that consumes over a couple hundred watts) in the coach off before shutting down the generator and plugging in. As other have stated, I always turn the breaker on the pedestal off before plugging in my EMS. Most of the time its already off.

When we get ready to disembark We always turn all the major power users off before turning off the pedestal breaker and disconnecting the EMS. If we need to run The AC going down the road we start the generator and turn on the AC.
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Old 07-13-2018, 05:03 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacySun View Post
I am a new owner of a '15 Forest River 351 MH. I haven't taken my inaugural trip. I'm concerned about my initial plug in to power. I was told that this MH is equipped so that I don't have to shut down the generator for the transition from generator to 110 power. Does that sound correct? What should I look for and how can I make sure.
Concerned & new in Tequesta.
PA
Thank You All very much. I appreciate all of your input.
PA
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Old 07-13-2018, 06:33 AM   #12
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If your generator is running, the power to the RV is going to come from the generator, even after you plug in to shore power. The auto transfer switch gives the generator priority.
Only after the generator is shut off, will it transfer back to shore power.

I typically shut down the AC before switching but have just switched and the RV didn't melt down. The AC has delays to prevent restarting until the head pressure drops.
The 30 or 50 amp transfer switch relay is huge, in comparison to the tiny relay, that starts my AC thousands of times.
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Old 07-13-2018, 06:58 AM   #13
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This is the process I use, i.e. pulling into a park and setting up for the night.

If I've been running the genny, I turn everything off and let the genny run for a few minutes to cool down before shutting it off.

I verify the pedestal breaker is OFF before plugging in. Plug in, then turn the pedestal breaker ON. I verify we have shore power then turn loads on as needed.
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Old 07-13-2018, 07:12 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacySun View Post
I am a new owner of a '15 Forest River 351 MH. I haven't taken my inaugural trip. I'm concerned about my initial plug in to power. I was told that this MH is equipped so that I don't have to shut down the generator for the transition from generator to 110 power. Does that sound correct? What should I look for and how can I make sure.
Concerned & new in Tequesta.
PA
MacySun,

Keep in mind, your transfer switch is designed to transfer power when everything is on and running. So if on shore power, it's designed to switch over to genny without turning everything off, and visa versa.

With that being said, when you do that, it creates a sudden surge (spike, whatever you want to call it) of power going through the transfer switch for a instant. That surge is what most here are trying to avoid.

It's really up to you if you want to subject that switch to that power spike. Many RVers do allow the transfer switch to do it's job with no issues at all without shedding any power.
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