Community Forums

Frank_AL · 08-28-2019, 05:02 AM

I have owned various RVs for many years but this is my first post on the Tiffin Owner's Forum since buying a 2015 Allegro 32SA back in May.

I have the ability to connect to 120v AC where I store my RV but nothing seems to be happening. I would have thought the Converter would have switched to 'Line' rather than 'INV'. I have verified with a meter that I have power on the extension cord I am using. However, when I connect through my Surge Protector (Surge Guard 34750) it never shows any indication that power is connected. I realize that may be happening because I don't have 2 separate feeds using a single 120v feed.

Any help from 'seasoned professionals' would be much appreciated!

twinboat · 08-28-2019, 05:39 AM

The correct " Store bought " dogbone adaptor will feed both lines and unless the voltage is low, it should work.

accsys · 08-28-2019, 05:45 AM

Assuming you are using a 15 amp to 30 amp adapter and then a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter, about the only things that could cause that is that the source is a GFCI outlet and they don't play nice with RVs or that you need to go into your inverter settings and set the input amperage to 5 amps so that the charger portion of the inverter doesn't use too much of your 15 amps. Good luck.

Peter M · 08-30-2019, 04:31 AM

Is your coach shore power set to 15 amps ?

Sbrownstein · 08-30-2019, 05:20 AM

Since you have measured the voltages on the cord, why not try to connect without the Surge Guard? As long as you have 110 to 120 volts between the hot and neutral on the cord and less than 4 or 5 volts between the neutral and the ground you should be OK to add the 15 to 30 and the 30 to 50 adapters. You can check them if you want.

Frank_AL · 08-31-2019, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter M

Is your coach shore power set to 15 amps ?

Peter this is something I have not checked. I have downloaded the manual for my Tripp-Lite Inverter (Model RV1250) and have been reading about the different settings. It will be a few days before can check out this particular setting. Thanks for letting me know about it!

Frank_AL · 08-31-2019, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sbrownstein

Since you have measured the voltages on the cord, why not try to connect without the Surge Guard? As long as you have 110 to 120 volts between the hot and neutral on the cord and less than 4 or 5 volts between the neutral and the ground you should be OK to add the 15 to 30 and the 30 to 50 adapters. You can check them if you want.

Scott thank you for your reply. I have in fact tried without the Surge Guard. I have checked the voltage between hot and neutral but not between neutral and ground. It will be a few days before I can check that. Thanks for letting me know about it.

BradS · 09-02-2019, 08:54 AM

The Surge Guard on my Allegro Bus is built in and it makes a "clunk" sound about 1-2 seconds after I plug in. This tells me the power is OK and has been connected to my RV. If no "clunk" then the power is not allowed through the Surge Guard to the RV.

One of the things the Surge Guard is checking for is the Neutral-ground bond usually done in the main service panel. If the wiring is not correct, no power will go to the RV. This is a common problem when an RV is plugged into a portable generator.

Frank_AL · 09-09-2019, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

The correct " Store bought " dogbone adaptor will feed both lines and unless the voltage is low, it should work.

Twinboat the store bought dogbone adapter I was using had 2 legs, 1 was for a 30 amp connection and the other for 15 amp. I had been trying to use the 15 amp leg. Today, I used a different 30 amp connector with a 15 amp adapter and that solved the problem. Apparently there was some issue with the 15 amp leg I had been trying to use.

Thank you to everyone who responded for your assistance.

As an FYI, Peter had suggested I check that the coach was set for 15 amp input. My particular inverter; Tripp-Lite RV 1250 does not have a setting for that.

twinboat · 09-10-2019, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank_AL

Twinboat the store bought dogbone adapter I was using had 2 legs, 1 was for a 30 amp connection and the other for 15 amp. I had been trying to use the 15 amp leg. Today, I used a different 30 amp connector with a 15 amp adapter and that solved the problem. Apparently there was some issue with the 15 amp leg I had been trying to use.

Thank you to everyone who responded for your assistance.

As an FYI, Peter had suggested I check that the coach was set for 15 amp input. My particular inverter; Tripp-Lite RV 1250 does not have a setting for that.

That's not a standard dogbone adaptor.

That's called a Y cable, designed to feed both legs of the 50 amp service from a power post. They don't work if the 15/20 amp outlet is GFCI protected, as you found.

A dogbone adaptor that worked for you got the name because it sort of looks like a dogbone.