Batteries & Inverter

[KennyGolub]

Ignoring that there is a solar panel on the 39RKFB, will the batteries charge when plugged into 120v if the inverter is turned off?

Thanks.

[Capacitor]

Yes, the CONverter will charge them.

[KennyGolub]

Originally Posted by Capacitor

Yes, the CONverter will charge them.

Thank you for the reply.

What I'm actually trying to find out is if the converter is OFF, and 120v is supplied to the RV, do the batteries still get charged (again, ignoring the solar panel) ?

Ken

.

[Capacitor]

No, converter needs to be on.

[nayther]

OP,
your opening question said "Inverter" that is what changes 12v to 120v so you can run stuff when off the grid.


CONverter changes 120 v to 12v to charge your batteries when connected to shore power or a generator.


Solar panels are a totally separate system, they feed into the charge controller, which then controls the charge to the batteries, it only knows if the sun is shining and if the batteries need charging, not if the converter is working or not.


Does that answer your question?

[KennyGolub]

Originally Posted by nayther

OP,
your opening question said "Inverter" that is what changes 12v to 120v so you can run stuff when off the grid.


CONverter changes 120 v to 12v to charge your batteries when connected to shore power or a generator.


Solar panels are a totally separate system, they feed into the charge controller, which then controls the charge to the batteries, it only knows if the sun is shining and if the batteries need charging, not if the converter is working or not.


Does that answer your question?

Kind of .....
I know the terminology and what the solar does. There is an on/off button for the inverter that is turned on when travelling to supply power to the residential refrigerator. I've seen a couple videos for the 39RKFB from dealers (which is why I doubt what they're saying...don't trust dealers) that say it should be turned off when plugged into 120v. On my class A's, the inverter is always on and charge the house and chassis batteries.
I'm just trying to find out if there is a charger somewhere on the RKFB (or any Riverstone, I suppose) that charge the batteries when plugged in to 120v and if it's cloudy or night time, and the inverter is turned off.

.

[nayther]

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

Kind of .....
I know the terminology and what the solar does. There is an on/off button for the inverter that is turned on when travelling to supply power to the residential refrigerator. I've seen a couple videos for the 39RKFB from dealers (which is why I doubt what they're saying...don't trust dealers) that say it should be turned off when plugged into 120v. On my class A's, the inverter is always on and charge the house and chassis batteries.
I'm just trying to find out if there is a charger somewhere on the RKFB (or any Riverstone, I suppose) that charge the batteries when plugged in to 120v and if it's cloudy or night time, and the inverter is turned off.

.

your Class A may have had a combination Inverter/Charger. I doubt very much you have that in your Riverstone. There should be a converter near the power distribution center (breaker/fuse box) and it should be powered by a separate breaker. See if there is a breaker labeled "Conv." or similar. THAT needs to stay on when on shore power to charge the batteries. And the salesman was correct, turn OFF the INVERTER when on shore power.

[MichaelA]

Can leave inverter ON all the time. If 120v is present, it simply passes through.

[darrellr]

Plus, if you leave it on while plugged in, you will be able to continue to run your residential fridge during a power outage if needed, and anything else powered by the inverter. Note a residential fridge may have limited runtime on batteries depending on how much battery you have.

[KennyGolub]

Originally Posted by darrellr

Plus, if you leave it on while plugged in, you will be able to continue to run your residential fridge during a power outage if needed, and anything else powered by the inverter. Note a residential fridge may have limited runtime on batteries depending on how much battery you have.

Yes, we turn it on if we are going to be out for a while. I only turn it off if we are with the RV or going to return shortly.

Thanks

[rafisch]

On the 39RKFB the converter is located in the belly behind the two slide access doors, mounted up on the top. Once you open the doors look up and you will see it.

[itat]

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

Ignoring that there is a solar panel on the 39RKFB, will the batteries charge when plugged into 120v if the inverter is turned off?

Thanks.

You are getting conflicting and confusing responses.

To answer your question you need to know how your Riverstone is wired. Your Class A motorhome probably had an automatic transfer switch (ATS) that sensed whether shore power was connected. If it was connected then it would pass the shore power through to the power distribution center. If there was no shore power it would use the inverter to feed 120 VAC to the power distribution center but the converter would not receive power from the inverter.

The Riverstone is among FR’s highest end brands. Does your Riverstone have an ATS?

If there’s no transfer switch you have to manage it manually. How you do that again depends on how it’s wired.

If the factory-installed inverter is wired to feed the main in the power distribution center then it will power every circuit including the converter. In that case you need to manually turn off the converter breaker.

If the inverter only powers certain circuits like the residential refrigerator and possibly one or two dedicated outlets then you don’t need to turn off the converter’s breaker.

When you’re using the inverter, the only thing charging the batteries should be your solar charge controller.