Isata 3 generator on, can’t get microwave to turn on

[GardenMom]

Clearly we missed the instructions on how to do this. How do we get power to the microwaves, or outlets, with the generator turned on? Doing some dry camping and I need to use it.

[slimetime]

Does it turn on with shore power? Ours always takes a minute for the transfer switch to engage.

[NearDenver]

Same thing happened to me when I first brought rv home
In my case, there was a switch in the generator compartment that had to be switched on.

[CHICKDOE]

not at all familiar with your unit so the following are just ideas.
does the microwave work when plugged into shore power? if no, check the breaker for it in the 110 distribution panel or perhaps microwave has a problem.
are you getting any 110 volt power from the generator when disconnected from shore power? many generators have a circuit breaker on them (generally in the front) that may have tripped. if it did the generator will run but not output any power. plug a radio or light into a 110 outlet and see if it is getting generator power.
there must some way to get generator power into the rv.
many generators come with an automatic transfer switch that switches to generator power and disconnects from shore power (you don't want both at the same time). there may be a problem with it. other units require the user to disconnect the shore power cord and plug it into the generator. if yours is like this have you done that?


the first thing i'd look at is the circuit breaker on the generator. it is super easy to reset it if it has tripped.

[BillyBass]

do you have power in the other outlets.If not you might have kick a gfi outlet . Mind is in the bathroom

[BillyBass]

My generator has and on off switch for the outlets make sure its on.Also make sure its big anuff or you will burn something up

[GardenMom]

Sorry. We’ve had no internet access until today. Yes, microwave, wall plugs, TVs all work with shore power. I hadn’t realized this was the first time we were boondocking and needed the generator.

[GardenMom]

We’ll check the generator for a switch. Back when I was working, I wrote some training manuals and user guides. I have to say, the Dynamax user manual isn’t very helpful. I’m the kind of person needs step by step clear instructions. And DH says manuals? I don’t need a manual! I can do this. Lol. So many times I have to ask if he read the instructions.

[GardenMom]

After a lot of checking with a volt meter, husband found power from generator in to transfer switch and nothing out. No power to inverter. Looks like we need a new transfer switch.

[CHICKDOE]

is it still under warranty? you should be able to get dealer to correct the problem. but also, if husband knows how to use a multimeter he might want to take the cover off the transfer switch and look at how the power cables are connected to the terminals, it is not uncommon for a cable to have come loose. it might be as simple as just reconnecting a loose power cable in the transfer switch. do this with all power (shore and generator) off.

[Ldhansenjr]

That is exactly what was wrong with my new isata 3. The cables were loose in the transfer switch.

[GardenMom]

Thank you! My husband checked and yes, wires were loose. He tightened connections but was sure the switch was wired wrong. The neutral wire from the generator was clamped on the insulation instead of the copper. And the 2 orange wires, one from the external shore power and one to the panel were reversed. The wires were correctly labeled, just hooked up wrong.
Very thankful husband is so handy. All is working properly now. Saved us a long trip to a dealer for repairs.

[CHICKDOE]

i'm glad it got resolved. it I understand properly the wire from the shore power and out to the distribution panel were reversed. you would never catch this, even during a PDI, as it would still conduct current when connected to shore power. but you would never get the switch to transfer to generator power. and clamped to the plastic insulation! what bothers me a bit is that these two workmanship (quality) problems will never get sent up to forest river and as a result they will make no effort to verify proper connections in the future. we all learn how to trace circuits and water lines as it is important to us to get the problem resolved. how do we get the manufacturer to do it right in the first place? this is a rhetorical question, I don't know the answer. I do believe the manufacturer would possibly take some corrective action, perhaps even train the installer, if they were aware. at least if 40 years of manufacturing experience we did respond to customer feedback. maybe the rv business just doesn't have to as there does not appear to be a downside to them.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by CHICKDOE

what bothers me a bit is that these two workmanship (quality) problems will never get sent up to forest river and as a result they will make no effort to verify proper connections in the future.

how do we get the manufacturer to do it right in the first place? this is a rhetorical question, I don't know the answer. I do believe the manufacturer would possibly take some corrective action, perhaps even train the installer, if they were aware. at least if 40 years of manufacturing experience we did respond to customer feedback. maybe the rv business just doesn't have to as there does not appear to be a downside to them.

Um, I beg to differ. I already printed off the corrective action that was taken and gave a copy to my production manager.

It always amuses me when everyone assumes that this doesn't cost us money. That we don't train, or we ignore these things because it is cheaper to turn a blind eye. This is ONE case where a customer was handy and was able to track down the cause, but 99% of the time, we're paying dealers hundreds if not thousands of dollars to troubleshoot these things and in many cases multiple times if the root cause is not found. I can't speak for everyone...but it is SO much cheaper for me to do it right the first time.

And all we can do is ask them to be better tomorrow.

[CHICKDOE]

mr clemens, I fully 100% agree with you. it is much, much cheaper to get it right the first time. and I believe that you have a quality system in place that responds to customer feedback about issues encountered. my point was that there are a lot of rv owners out here that have a couple of screw drivers and wrenches and will take it upon themselves to track down and fix an issue. this could be for a variety of reasons such as out of warranty, to difficult to schedule work with a dealer, or whatever. when these types of issues and owner performed repairs are performed, I doubt that you know about them. nor do the car manufacturers know when similar repairs are performed on their products. yes I believe that you would take actions to address repeatedly occurring issues if you knew about them. I guess you could use dealer initiated warranty claims as a sample and extrapolate that to try to get the total magnitude of repairs being made. and I fully understand the balance you must find between cost of manufacturing and warranty costs. but let's be honest. there are many defects that make it all the way to the end user that could probably have been avoided. I appreciate that you monitor the forum and are very responsive. I hope that we the users and owners can provide you the information you need to analyze the real world issues encountered so that adjustments may be incorporated into your manufacturing process to make your products even greater.

[High Desert]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Um, I beg to differ. I already printed off the corrective action that was taken and gave a copy to my production manager.

It always amuses me when everyone assumes that this doesn't cost us money. That we don't train, or we ignore these things because it is cheaper to turn a blind eye. This is ONE case where a customer was handy and was able to track down the cause, but 99% of the time, we're paying dealers hundreds if not thousands of dollars to troubleshoot these things and in many cases multiple times if the root cause is not found. I can't speak for everyone...but it is SO much cheaper for me to do it right the first time.

And all we can do is ask them to be better tomorrow.

For what it's worth, my 2017 FR Sunseeker MBS had a similar issue with the LP Genset. Turn the genset on, no power to outlets over the sink, as we wanted to use a toaster. Found the GFCI, adjacent to the bathroom sink (Model 2400R) was tripping. Finally got an appt. with dealer for repair and wiring was wrong on GFCI switch, plus (GFCI) was also replaced. Fairly obvious the 110 receptacles were not checked under genset power at the factory or at PDI for delivery to me. Just an observation.