Shore Power not working after connecting to 30amp 220

[Saner]

Hey guy, I'm one of those people who connected to a friends 30amp 220V, not a 110.

I have a 2018 Forest river class A ( the 38A). After I did this the shore power will not not work when connected to a correct plug. I've tired a 15amp plug and 30amp, both 110.

If I fire up the generator, everything works as normal. But if I plug into shore power now, nothing. I've tried the "soft reset" and the "hard reset" as listed in the owners manual for the Magnum inverter.

when I fist plugged it into the 220, the magnum control panel inside the coach said, "falult" and on the display it read High voltage. I realized what I had done and unplugged it. How ever now the shore power won't work, only the generator, and with the generate all is normal.

any help here would be much appreciated.

[Chris Pastuzyn]

Welcome from New Jersey, You may have damaged your inverter, Have you checked all of fuses?

[fonzie]

You must have an auto-transfer switch if all good with generator. So you will have to check auto-transfer switch control for burnt/damage wiring or contactor coil.

[Bama Rambler]

I'm with Fonzie, Start at the transfer switch and see if that's the problem. There could be fuses or breakers at the transfer switch that you need to replace or reset.

[Saner]

My fuses all look good.

[Saner]

I wonder if there is a fuse at the auto-transfer, if everything works with the inverter when running the generator, it should be fine, right? When I start the generator it switches over, But when I plug in shore power.... nothing.

[CHICKDOE]

the sensor in the ATS that senses shore power would have seen the 220 voltage. it may have been damaged so that it is no longer working now that you are using 120. for the 120 to pass through the ATS the shore power contactor would have to activate. is it? take the cover off the ATS, hook up to 120 volts, and see if the shore power contactor is working.

[Travler]

I also lean toward the ATS. On the units that I have had the generator is the default switch setting. So when no power the contacts are closed for the generator. When shore power is applied the ATS will pull in sending power through that set of contacts.

[Saner]

You guys are right. The Generator side you can see pulls in the contactor and connects power. On the shore power side it will not pull in the contactor when connected. You think it's fried inside? or is there an internal breaker/fuse?

[CHICKDOE]

Call the ATS manufacturer and explain what happened and what you see

[Bama Rambler]

What is the make and model of the ATS?
That will let us help you look up how it's constructed, and whether it has any protective devices in it.

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by Chris Pastuzyn

Welcome from New Jersey, You may have damaged your inverter, Have you checked all of fuses?

I'm still fairly new to this and trying to learn from other people's problems, so forgive me if I'm missing something obvious. How does the inverter fit into his description of the problem?

[Adrian Gordon]

When you say "nothing", what do you mean? Do you still have 12 volt power from your battery, or are you saying all power, 110 and 12 volt, is gone?

[dave1650]

Are you getting 120vac at the ATS? Are you using a surge protector? If no power at ATS when plugged in work your way back from there to the plug.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Adrian Gordon

I'm still fairly new to this and trying to learn from other people's problems, so forgive me if I'm missing something obvious. How does the inverter fit into his description of the problem?

He said INverter... but the question should be asked about the CONverter.


Also, it appears members seem to like the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) as the suspect in this crime. We’re awaiting further details.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Travler

I also lean toward the ATS. On the units that I have had the generator is the default switch setting. So when no power the contacts are closed for the generator. When shore power is applied the ATS will pull in sending power through that set of contacts.

Actually, those ATS's that do not switch in both directions (shore/generator) shore power is the default de-energized position but the generator has priority and will energize the contactor to the generator output when generator power is applied whether shore power is incoming or not. Don't know if the OP's is this kind of ATS.

[Saner]

So I was able to find a new ATS box. It was the same manufacture as the one I had, a little bit different but all the wires matched up. I pulled the old one out and swapped the new one in and now the shore power is working just fine. Fortunately it appears nothing else was fried inside the coach.
Thank you guys for your information, looks like I was able to fix it for a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand dollars. The New box cost $325. They were a little less expensive online but I found a local company, Thomas and Sons RV Springfield Missouri and they got me back on the road. My best option since I’m a long way from home.

[eye95]

Congratulations to fonzie in post #3. He zeroed in on the trouble in short order!

[Bama Rambler]

Thanks for coming back and letting us know what the problem was. It helps us to know so we can help others in the future.

Good job for finding it local too.

[chuckt2]

This is a late response, and I'm glad their problem was isolated to the ATS. We store our TT at an inside storage facility and keep the power hooked up to keep batteries charged etc. They were having electrical work done, and our 120 volt was crossed with 220 volts for over 24 hours. Our outcome was much different. It fried the fireplace, microwave, water heater element, refrigerator 12 volt board, inverter/converter and the 12 volt fuse panel. It was very expensive to replace everything, but when replaced everything was back to normal. Although our situation was not our fault, we have learned what can happen with 220 and are careful to check what we connect to.