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Generator will not start today
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Georges,
If the only source of charging the generator battery is the generator alternator, why not consider installing a battery tender that will use the 120v output of the invertors?
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I agree with Chuck on the battery tender, but don’t use a Guest, for some reason they don’t like inverters. I tried it and had to take it off the inverter circuit and only use non-inverter 120.
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George , Battery Tenders are made right here in DeLand , can buy direct cheap let me know if you need one they make several look on thier web site, the one that is about 4x4x6 is a great one , i use one on my gate back up battery, one on the HD, one one the Old blue H1, they are great but i dont need one on my bus generator and you should not need one . Check for a draw
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My Royale came with a battery tender installed by Royale. Seems like the best set up.
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David,
In your draw test, does it matter if I use the + or -?
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No if current is flowing it will light the bulb
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Use the negative,to play around with, it will be less dramatic in the case of a woups.
JIM
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Yes, that was my intention…just in case!
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Which brings up another thought/question………….is it safe to start the generator while hooked up to 50 amp shorepower, or is it necessary to disconnect shorepower first, then fire up the generator?
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All electrical power sources are separated in our coaches. Back in the old days converters provided a manual selector switch so you could choose from shore, generator or inverter power.
Today with automatic transfer switches the power source is selected automatically, generally defaulting to the source with the greatest power. With no shore or generator power the transfer switch allows inverter output to be the power source. Shore power causes the transfer switch to make that the coach power source and usually when the generator is running its output is typically the source selected by the transfer switch.
It should not matter whether the bus is running or not either. The converters have made the coaches “goof” proof.
Switching from inverter to shore or generator power should require a little care however, even though the systems will tolerate abuse. It is good practice to minimize or eliminate loads when switching power sources. For example if you are running all AC units and have other loads it is suggested those loads get turned off prior to switching sources, then turned on once the new source is established. That practice minimizes the arcing across the contacts in the transfer switch.
The same is true with our various battery charging sources. We can have multiple methods of charging batteries working all at once with no ill effects. With the coach running the engine driven alternator is charging batteries and with the generator or shore power connceted at the same time we also have inverters acting as chargers. All charging sources have voltage regulators to limit the voltage so no damage occurs.
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Georges,
The automatic transfer relay in almost all cases, if not all cases favors generator power over commercial power. So, when you start the generator the transfer switch, again most, if not all, will go through a time out process. The generator will be allowed to come up to speed before the transfer relay switches to generator power. This will occur automatically. I’m not a big fan of allowing for automatic power switching, if I have the opportunity to allow for a soft power up. If I’m controlling the power switch from one source of power to another I like to shut down all high load systems, deenergize the main AC breaker, bring on the new source of power and restart high current systems. This prevents a near instanteous high load on the generator or inverter and eliminates the power hit that some appliances will be subjected to with a power transfer.
A bit on the automatic transfer switch. This device almost always, if not always, selects between 2 power sources (commercial and generator). It is hard coded for which power source has priority over the other, typically the generator takes priority. It does not have any intelligence to determine which power source may be the best or maore capable. The most it knows is whether the voltage is in an acceptable range. Transfer switches typical have a delay circuit only on the generator power input. This delay is solely to allow the generator to come up to speed. It’s a fixed timer, so it’s not monitoring the generator power except to know it’s in the proper voltage range. The automatic transfer switch is not in the inverter’s output voltage path.
The inverter has it’s own transfer relay with its sole function to make sure 110VAC comes out of the inverter. It will also pick commercial/generator power over DC inverted power unless you force inverted power on. Many of the inverter relays are near hitless, meaning those appliances powered from the inverter may not detect a change in power source when the inverter’s relay toggles between inverted and commercial/generator power. So, my practice here is similiar to my practice with teh automatic transfer switch. If I can turn off inverter supported loads before switching between inverter and commercial/generator power I will.
BTW, if you just want to start the generator to see if it will run and don’t want it to power the coach simply turn off the AC circuit breakers (2 breakers ganged together as one) on the generator. BTW, if you want to exercise the generator, it needs to be under load.
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Thank you everyone for your always clear and concise explanations. Now I can explain this same thing to some of the RV ers I meet that have no clue as to what they are talking about!
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Georges,
While the information Gil and I provided is accurate with respect to most Prevost conversions it is not necessarily universally correct.
It is 100% accurate to state that you cannot have 2 or more unique sources of 120/240 volt power getting into the coach because of phase issues, but without knowing how a specific coach is set up we really don’t know if provisions were made by the every coach manufacturer to automatically transfer loads to the source with the greatest output or if some owner intervention is required. We also know as a coach ages some owners opt to get “creative” and they make modifications that are illogical and unsafe or have the potential to be unsafe.
I do think you will be safe to state it is OK to have multiple power sources connected or operating on conversions done by known and respected converters such as Royale, Marathon, Liberty, CC, etc. as long as they are unmodified.
If the people you are explaining this to have a conventional RV or an older, possibly owner modified RV, Prevost or otherwise I would be reluctant to make a blanket statement without qualifying it. I have seen some really dumb and dangerous modifications.
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I think I will just keep this to myself .
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And since I still can’t post a new thread I will ask the following?
Is there a way to reset the DDEC fault codes?
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