120V Electric question about MH systems

[Kiawah]

Depending on the condition of your batteries, and the model of your converter/configuration settings, the converter could be consuming up to 10amps (some can be more) just in charging the batteries. That would only leave 20 amps for the combination of those two breakers. If they each were drawing 12 amps, the 30amp would be the breaker tripping.

[select55]

Originally Posted by Kiawah

Depending on the condition of your batteries, and the model of your converter/configuration settings, the converter could be consuming up to 10amps (some can be more) just in charging the batteries. That would only leave 20 amps for the combination of those two breakers. If they each were drawing 12 amps, the 30amp would be the breaker tripping.

That may have some bearing on it as it has poor batterys I really never thought about the converter draw being part of the total single 30 amp breaker system
I do wish the breakers were in the panel rather than on the unit so one just resets the breaker in the MH rather than have to go outside and crawl in the storage bay to reset

[select55]

Originally Posted by J. Frank

Well if the inverter is also a converter, then the 30 amp breaker is limiting the power input of the inverter/converter to 360 watts. So if you add up all of the output circuits power, it is likely that you are drawing more power than 360 watts, and the 30 amp breaker is doing what it was designed to do. If not, the breaker could be defective. If the breaker is good, and since it appears that the breaker is built into the inverter/converter, your only recourse is to live with it, replace it, or supplement it with another one in parallel. Admittedly, not what you want to hear, but it is reality.

Thanks for the reply but Iam pretty sure its can flow through a lot lot more than 360 watts

[RKins]

Originally Posted by Kiawah

In my coach, the PS sockets are all on inverted circuits, the DS sockets are not.

[Kiawah]

Originally Posted by RKins

In most coaches, there are circuits which are fed from the main circuit breaker panel, and would ONLY have power if you were on shorepower, or the generator. Examples are A/C's, washer/dryer, fireplace, engine heater, and in my coach all of the sockets on the DS (driver side) of the coach.

Then there are other circuits, which are fed either directly from the inverter, or thru a subpanel hung off the inverter. They would have power whether you were connected to shorepower/generator, OR running off batteries. Examples are TV's/Satellite, Mwave, Refrig, and in my case a string of sockets on the PS (passenger side) of the coach.

The larger your inverter power, the more stuff they try to hang off the inverter so can run off batteries.

[nothermark]

FWIW - I did not do the design or installation - I wonder if someone re routed some of the circuits. There is a cadre of folks who want all their sockets hot from the inverter. Someone might have moved a few wires to accomplish that. I'd look at splitting up the circuits.

An ancillary to the all outlet hot folks is the biggest inverter folks. Many have little or no understanding of how much power is stored in their batteries. That often translates to some very high current loads and flat batteries/poor battery life. Everything in our mobile houses is a balancing act.

[Scottybdivin]

It's 30A @ 120V.

Does your Dynasty have a Magnum inverter. Most of them have a 2 in / 2 out capability. I'm not sure why most manufacturers don't utilize this capability. My MADP has the same issue. Micro, TV, fridge, and all receptacles on one 30A feed. All it would require is two #10 wires and a couple more breakers.

[select55]

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

It's 30A @ 120V.

Does your Dynasty have a Magnum inverter. Most of them have a 2 in / 2 out capability. I'm not sure why most manufacturers don't utilize this capability. My MADP has the same issue. Micro, TV, fridge, and all receptacles on one 30A feed. All it would require is two #10 wires and a couple more breakers.

never looked at the brand and like you said just too many things on a 30 amp system
agree it should be a two line system like mine I have two 30 amp lines off inverter but still perplexed as to why none of the 15 amp breakers in the panel tripped before the 30 amp did on the inverter

[RolandRock]

I think maybe the wiring is a throwback to when 30 amp shore power was sometimes all that was available. This way if that was the case you could run most of your stuff. One advantage of rebuilding an old coach is I get to rip all that crappy wiring out and start from scratch! Whoaah

[J. Frank]

Originally posted by J. Frank
the 30 amp breaker is limiting the power input of the inverter/converter to 360 watts

I think my math was off by a factor of 10; should have been 3600 watts. Actually, Kiawah's counting of amps is a better explanation anyway. Any time you have more watts going out than 3600, your 30 amp input breaker will trip. Sorry for the confusion.

[jerichorick]

Just an observation about some of the replies. I think the 30A breaker is on the AC output side of the inverter only. The DC charger is protected by the shore breaker. I don't recall at the moment where the DC to the batteries is protected.

Rick Y

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

Just an observation about some of the replies. I think the 30A breaker is on the AC output side of the inverter only. The DC charger is protected by the shore breaker. I don't recall at the moment where the DC to the batteries is protected.

Rick Y

Mine has a 30A breaker in the main panel, that powers the inverter/charger and the pass-through power. Then another 30A main breaker in the sub panel, after the inverter/charger. This is in addition to the built-in breaker on the Magnum.

I think maybe the wiring is a throwback to when 30 amp shore power was sometimes all that was available. This way if that was the case you could run most of your stuff. One advantage of rebuilding an old coach is I get to rip all that crappy wiring out and start from scratch! Whoaah

The 30A adapter would combine both legs on the coach to the single leg on shore power. You would still have power on both legs, but just a total of 30A.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

Mine has a 30A breaker in the main panel, that powers the inverter/charger and the pass-through power. Then another 30A main breaker in the sub panel, after the inverter/charger. This is in addition to the built-in breaker on the Magnum.

The 30A adapter would combine both legs on the coach to the single leg on shore power. You would still have power on both legs, but just a total of 30A.

Thank you for refreshing my memory. This is getting deeper than the OP started with but might shed some light on the AC power systems.

The pedestal comes in two flavors: 30A (Hot, Neutral, Ground) and 50A (L1 'Hot', L2 'Hot, Neutral, Ground).

A 30A RV has a 3 wire service cord. A 50A RV has a 4 wire service cord.

The service panels are set up accordingly. (Many RV's, but not all, have a transfer switch, automatic or manual. This is located between the service cord entrance and the RV service panel. A topic for another time.)

30A and 50A service panels distribute the available AC to the appliances and outlets as is done in your stick & brick, through circuit breakers. In the case of the RV, appliances include A/C, microwave, washer/dryer, water heater, dishwasher, engine heater, inverter, etc. Outlets are also provided for the coffee maker, phone charger, hairdrier... you get the picture.

The real crunch between 30A and 50A services is the amount of power supplied to the RV. A 30A service is simply that. Everything in your rig is limited to sharing 30A's. What ever the inverter is pulling to charge the batteries is deducted for the available power to run the microwave and coffee maker combination for instance. If your rig is not designed and equipped with a Energy Management System that sheds excess loads, the main breaker on your service panel or the pedestal breaker will trip when overloaded as is possable in this case.

On a 50A RV you actually have 2x50A's of service available. That is, 100A of available power. The RV service panel still distributes the power through circuit breakers, just as in the 30A service. Your inverter AC power is still fed from your RV service panel and shares its load draw with whatever else is on that half of the service panel. With 50A available the inverter is easily managed, as you can guess.

A little more on the service panel. It is divided into two sections; Main panel and Sub panel. The Main is where the pedestal power is distributed. The Sub is where the inverter power is distributed.

Now the inverter. How does this animal work? This is not as difficult to understand as it would first appear.

The inverter receives 120V from the Main. When it is satisfied that this voltage is good it passes it through its internal Automatic Transfer Switch. The inverter is now feeding pedestal power to the branch circuits wired to the Sub panel. When the pedestal power is interrupted the inverter ATS drops to the internal AC provided power of the inverter. This is when the inverter goes from being a battery charger to being a manufacturer of 120V AC by converting the 12VDC from the batteries. Once qualified AC is applied to the inverter it switches back to being a battery charger and a bridge for the pedestal power source.

There. I think I did it. I hope this is dissertation has covered the basics of or RV power system. Adding the transfer switch to this I think would have been TMI for the novice.

Just a sub note here. Most of us have been caught by the GFCI tripping trap. I suggest that you find ALL of your GFCI's. When you loose power on a circuit and you don't realize that a GFCI is tripped it can turn into a greying of your hair moment. (Too late for me.)

Happy trails,
Rick Y