Community Forums

CoreyinWP · 05-03-2013, 09:08 PM

Makes sense,,,and we are boondocking but even just a circut tester wont work,,,,we don't have the toaster or the coffee maker plugged in right now,,,so it shouldnt be that,,,it is in the kitchen forward. the lav area outlets are working

Davdeb1 · 05-03-2013, 09:12 PM

If they don't work then chances are they aren't connected to the inverter(s). You should have a sub-panel that the inverter powers.

bruceisla · 05-03-2013, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davdeb1

If they don't work then chances are they aren't connected to the inverter(s). You should have a sub-panel that the inverter powers.

As Dave says (although I have an HR and not Entegra) .... not ALL of my outlets are connected to the inverter. In my case, the reefer and 2 floor outlets in the bedroom are NOT powered from the inverter.

Us3Here · 05-04-2013, 03:36 AM

On my Aspire, the two outlets closest to the dinette, on the driver's side, does not provide power on the inverter. That is they way the factory hooked it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoreyinWP

At least I think it is an inverter question. Is there a way to change which outlets work when driving with no generator? Want to be able to have coffeemaker work! Saw that the outlets by the dinette work but not the ones by the kitchen.

Cruzer · 05-04-2013, 07:21 AM

My bet is that you need to relocate some circuit breakers to the inverter sub-panel portion of the breaker panel.

The only time you have power is when the generator is running or the shore power is active. Both of these power sources connect to your automatic transfer panel in the basement, which then sends the power to the main circuit breakers in your panel. From there individual breakers send the power out to any non-inverter fed circuits.

There are also some breakers that send AC power to the inverter(s). The inverter has a transfer switch within that passes that AC power through to the inverter's AC outputs whenever incoming power, which is provided by shore power or generator set, is present. The inverter's output then goes to a set of incoming circuit breakers on the panel, which distribute that power to the output breakers and then on to the various circuits.

Whenever shore power or generator power is present the inverter basically acts as if it isn't even there. It's just a switch that passes power on through. However, the incoming AC power is also used to operate the inverter's battery charger mode so that your coach batteries get recharged. Ever outlet in your coach should be live whenever shore power or generator power is present.

By the way, the generator is AC only. It does not output any DC power. But its AC output does operate the inverter's battery charging mode as stated above so that your batteries will get charged.

When there is no shore power or generator power, the inverter will enter the invert mode. This is when the circuitry inside the inverter takes 12 volt battery power and creates AC power, which is sent to the inverter's outputs and then on to the braker panels. Actually, the inverter doesn't "create" anything. It "inverts". A basic 12 volt converter used on non-inverter equipped RVs "converts" 120 VAC into 12 VDC to operate 12 volt accessories and charge the batteries. An Inverter is just the opposite because it "inverts" 12 VDC to 120 VAC.

The inverter does have self-protection circuitry built into itself but there's no reason why you couldn't run a crock pot, Nesco roaster, coffee maker, toaster, microwave oven, etc. With dual inverters and proper distribution of the branch circuits you should be able to operate close to 5,000 watts of total load. That's a lot of stuff.

If any of the circuit breakers were tripped that circuit would be dead all the time, even when under shore power or during generator set operation, so that's not an issue in your situation. The same holds true for GFCI outlets. If they were tripped those receptacles would also be dead all the time.

I'm not familiar enough with the Entegra breaker panel layout because I'm still stuck in a Tiffin, so I can't tell you which circuits need to be relocated. However on our previous coach I did have the same situation as yours and I relocated some breakers to make them all work. And that was with only a single 2000 watt inverter.

In older years many of the manufacturers split their outlets between the inverter and non-inverter breakers. That was important back then because many coaches only had a single 2000 watt inverter. If you wanted to run a toaster, microwave oven, and 1,000 watt portable electric heater you would blow the inverter's incoming power breaker, which was only 30 amps. This would even happen when on shore power because the traqnsfewr switfch inside the inverter was only rated for 30 amps. By keeping some circuits off the inverter you could utilize both legs of your 50 amp service. But with today's larger, and in some cases dual, inverters that's just not an issue. As long as you keep heavy amperage loads like air conditioners, washer-driers, engine block heaters and electric AquaHot elements off the inverter circuits you can run anything you need.

CoreyinWP · 05-04-2013, 08:05 AM

that answers the questions! Thanks so much. Is that something a newbie can learn to do pretty easily or best left to people who know what they are doing?

Cruzer · 05-04-2013, 08:51 AM

If you are familiar with basic breaker panels it's easy enough to do. But if not, let someone else do it. You're dealing with 120 volt current so there's a certain amount of safety involved when working with it. Plus, you may have to switch the neutral wires as well as the hot phase. You'll also want to think about what you will all be running and balanace the load between the two hot phases. The work itself isn't hard at all but if you don't have the knowledge about how to set up a breaker panel I'd let an expert do it.

MRUSA14 · 05-04-2013, 01:47 PM

It would be sooo much easier to understand and deal with if we had wiring diagrams. My 10-year-old Beaver came with a wealth of information, including 110V and 12V schematics showing everything in the coach and how it was wired. It also came with a detailed equipment list showing the brand, model number and serial number of every TV, radio, appliance and equipment item in the coach.

Sure could use all that info on my Entegra.

Marcosdad · 05-04-2013, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

It would be sooo much easier to understand and deal with if we had wiring diagrams. My 10-year-old Beaver came with a wealth of information, including 110V and 12V schematics showing everything in the coach and how it was wired. It also came with a detailed equipment list showing the brand, model number and serial number of every TV, radio, appliance and equipment item in the coach.

Sure could use all that info on my Entegra.

Here here (or is it hear hear)?

DSL417 · 05-04-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

It would be sooo much easier to understand and deal with if we had wiring diagrams. My 10-year-old Beaver came with a wealth of information, including 110V and 12V schematics showing everything in the coach and how it was wired. It also came with a detailed equipment list showing the brand, model number and serial number of every TV, radio, appliance and equipment item in the coach.

Sure could use all that info on my Entegra.

Think that's coming soon, but not my call.

DSL417 · 05-05-2013, 02:02 PM

Corey,

Checked just too make sure today on the way to Charlotte. I have electricity on the road, through the inverter; turned the toaster on and it operates.