Inverter (1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave)

[Chascin]

Mine looks like this,

[BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP]

Originally Posted by Chascin

Mine looks like this,

what is that
in order to use solar panels you need a charge controler
that controls the power you are making from the panels Only
that has to be on and working mine is mounted over my Frigeorator
wair i can keep a eye on it
the controler wil control the state of the batteries such as floting them protecting them from over charge and some will not let you drain your batteries
so what controler do you have

2000 Dodge Ram 3500Dully 5.9 Cummins full on cumistomize*
2014 2608 rock wood customizing every time*
2 side kicks Zoie & Cre

[Grumpy7159]

I would check for DC input from the battery with the RV off shore power. Check it at the inverter. If the light goes out when the shore power is removed I would be suspect of where the DC power is coming from. Maybe from the RV's converter with a diode in the circuit. The diode would prevent back feed from the batteries to the converter with shore power removed. A diode may have been added for a solar installation. I could be out in the sun too long with this idea, but I would start by checking DC power in at the inverter.

[Funsize]

Good morning!
First thank you all for responses. Funny while searching for remote switch we found our generator switch, lol. We will keep looking for remote switch. We are running go power.
How do I check the transfer switch? Do I have to take cover off?
We bought our rv used from a couple in Texas. Husband was away so not shown how everything works. Trying to get this figured out before it gets too hot her in Nevada.
And yes, need the morning coffee. This girl don't function without it lol. I just worry about fridge off grid.

[NJKris]

You have a WFCO inverter. The button marked AC, used to control a GoPower inverter had you had one, does nothing to inverter in your case.

[Funsize]

I called Forest River. They told me to look everywhere for the swith. They put them in really weird places. Also they said we need 2 new, 12 V deep cycle batteies. They said they are better for our system.

[NJKris]

I agree with them except for the 12v part. A true deep cycle 12v battery is going to cost you almost 300 bucks per battery, and weigh 85lbs each, a total of 170 lbs of battery. Better off 2 6v golf cart batts hooked in series. If you need more than two, you may as well pay the extra money and get lithium iron phosphate (LifePO4).

[mgas]

I have a 2016 creek although not a champagne I imagine it is wired the same. The inverter is exclusively wired to run the fridge only. When you turn the inverter on it should power only the fridge outlet, it does not run through the transfer switch. If you plug in go 50 amp there is a built in pass through in the inverter and shore power will take over. At that point you can but dont have to switch off the inverter. As others havd said, you are lacking battery capacity for long term power from the inverter. I have 4 6 volts

The switch on mine is on the face of the inverter, I don't have a remote switch.

[Chris61]

Originally Posted by Funsize

Good morning!
First thank you all for responses. Funny while searching for remote switch we found our generator switch, lol. We will keep looking for remote switch. We are running go power.
How do I check the transfer switch? Do I have to take cover off?
We bought our rv used from a couple in Texas. Husband was away so not shown how everything works. Trying to get this figured out before it gets too hot her in Nevada.
And yes, need the morning coffee. This girl don't function without it lol. I just worry about fridge off grid.
Attachment 268971

The auto transfer will shut off inverter when hooked up to shore power. You may need to get a remote inverter switch added to remotely start inverter. I have Gopower system and I have to go into tunnel boot and manually turn on inverter, a pain in the ass. I plan to get a remote switch soon. Feedback from others would be appreciated.

I would go 12v batteries over 6v, just my preference

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Funsize

Yes we do have a auto transfer switch. Not sure what oem means. Yes, we have manually turned on the inverter. The green power light comes on then as soon as we turn off the generator no lights come on, nothing on the screen of the inverter. I was thinking we just need more batteries.

Funsize, does the auto transfer switch (ATS) feed only the refrigerator? Or does it supply other outlets, as well? If the latter is true, do not try to use those other outlets and power the refrigerator, too, unless you get more battery. Even the refrigerator's a big stretch with what you have.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by mgas

I have a 2016 creek although not a champagne I imagine it is wired the same. The inverter is exclusively wired to run the fridge only. When you turn the inverter on it should power only the fridge outlet, it does not run through the transfer switch. If you plug in go 50 amp there is a built in pass through in the inverter and shore power will take over. At that point you can but dont have to switch off the inverter. As others havd said, you are lacking battery capacity for long term power from the inverter. I have 4 6 volts

The switch on mine is on the face of the inverter, I don't have a remote switch.

Originally Posted by Chris61

The auto transfer will shut off inverter when hooked up to shore power. You may need to get a remote inverter switch added to remotely start inverter. I have Gopower system and I have to go into tunnel boot and manually turn on inverter, a pain in the ass. I plan to get a remote switch soon. Feedback from others would be appreciated.

I would go 12v batteries over 6v, just my preference

Is this an accurate summary?

There is a whole-house generator. In the absence of shore power it feeds the power panel by way of the ATS. Obviously, that happens only if the generator is running.

The inverter is a passthrough, fed by the power panel and the batteries. In the absence of AC power from the panel, whether from shore power or generator, the inverter draws on the batteries and supplies only the refrigerator.

The inverter may or may not require a switch to be turned on. If it does, I suggest leaving it on or risk losing the contents of the refrigerator. It will draw from the battery only if there's no shore power and the generator isn't running.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by chriscowles

Is this an accurate summary?

There is a whole-house generator. In the absence of shore power it feeds the power panel by way of the ATS. Obviously, that happens only if the generator is running.

The inverter is a passthrough, fed by the power panel and the batteries. In the absence of AC power from the panel, whether from shore power or generator, the inverter draws on the batteries and supplies only the refrigerator.

The inverter may or may not require a switch to be turned on. If it does, I suggest leaving it on or risk losing the contents of the refrigerator. It will draw from the battery only if there's no shore power and the generator isn't running.

I agree, the transfer switch has nothing to do with the inverter. The transfer switch just controls which ac power is being distributed to the power main in RV.

On that inverter have you pressed the red on/off button on its front panel? If you have a remote button for that switch located inside that switch needs to be in a particular position and it says what it is on the sticker by the red switch.

[dalford]

I made this short video on my inverter in my Cedar Creek. I’m sure your is pretty much the same… just seems that your inverter is not on.

https://youtu.be/pf7NhvBu3U0

[mgas]

Regarding your summary -

Your inverter changes 12v to 120vac therefore only runs off of batteries and is never fed from the a.c. side. If you are not running the fridge off of batteries your inverter does not need to be on. If you are concerned about losing power from shore or generator you could leave your inverter switch on and it would pick up the power from the batteries should the others fail.

The transfer switch determines whether your generator or shore power is feeding your power panel and will default to shore power if both are hooked up and running.

If you had enough battery capacity you could wire a larger inverter in to run the whole unit, less air conditioner, off of batteries but that is not how they come from the factory and is a whole different conversation.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by mgas

Regarding your summary -

Your inverter changes 12v to 120vac therefore only runs off of batteries and is never fed from the a.c. side. If you are not running the fridge off of batteries your inverter does not need to be on. If you are concerned about losing power from shore or generator you could leave your inverter switch on and it would pick up the power from the batteries should the others fail.

I'm not the OP. My summary was to describe what the OP has in her trailer. It is correct and some of your statements are not.

The WFCO inverter in question is a pass-through inverter, IS connected to the AC side, and has an internal ATS. In the presence of AC power (whether supplied by a shore connection or a generator), the ATS prevents use of DC from the battery and passes the AC on to the outlets to which it is wired; in the absence of shore/generator power it will invert DC from the battery to supply AC to the circuit(s) to which it is connected, IF the inverter switch is turned on.

The OP's refrigerator is a residential model and does not have a DC compressor. It runs ONLY on AC, therefore the inverter is essential if AC is not available from either shore power or a generator.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by mgas

Regarding your summary -

Your inverter changes 12v to 120vac therefore only runs off of batteries and is never fed from the a.c. side. If you are not running the fridge off of batteries your inverter does not need to be on. If you are concerned about losing power from shore or generator you could leave your inverter switch on and it would pick up the power from the batteries should the others fail.

The transfer switch determines whether your generator or shore power is feeding your power panel and will default to shore power if both are hooked up and running.

If you had enough battery capacity you could wire a larger inverter in to run the whole unit, less air conditioner, off of batteries but that is not how they come from the factory and is a whole different conversation.

See my video in post 33….shows how the WFCO inverter is wired. Chris is exactly right in its operation.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

We should minimize abbreviations with new forum members, even common ones such as this.

OEM has been an acronym in the automotive industry for decades. It's not just an internet shortcut like some others we use.

Also just because someone is new here doesn't necessarily mean they are new to forums in general. Many acronyms I leaned elsewhere years ago.

If someone doesn't understand something they are free to ask.

[Freebird2020]

I have the same 2017 38EL. A few things on that unit.

The WFCO Inverter has a bug. Sometimes it will not turn on by pushing the button whether the RV is plugged into AC power or not. To reset it, Find the black wire that runs to the batteries. Disconnect it for about 5 minutes. Reconnect the black wire and push the red on/off button to see if it comes on. This assumes your battery is fully charged. Mine wouldn't turn on and this fixed my problem.

Check the lights on the front of the inverter. It will tell you the status.
Yellow-Running on Batteries
Green-Running on AC Power
Red-Inverter Failure

The GoPower Solar Charge Controller has an Inverter On/Off button but it is not wired to the inverter. There is not a remote switch connected to the Inverter. You can check the back of the inverter to verify but mine isn't connected to anything. The remote switch should be connected to the RJ-11 connector.

I leave my inverter on all the time. We full time. It is either powered from shore power, my on-board generator, or batteries that are charged from solar and the truck connection when we are traveling.

BTW, I am still running on the original 12V Interstate Deep Cycle Batteries. 2 in Parallel. Purchased March 2017.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Freebird2020

... The WFCO Inverter has a bug. Sometimes it will not turn on by pushing the button whether the RV is plugged into AC power or not. ...

Oh, Joy!

[Freebird2020]

Not so bad. Only happened once to me in 5 years and I have been full timing almost 3 years. Easy fix.