Inverter and Westinghouse fridge

[Mtns2C]

I just picked up my Salem 27DBK and I have some questions regarding the installed inverter and 120 volt only Westinghouse fridge. The dealer told me the inverter will power only the fridge when hooked up to tow vehicle. I haven't checked to see if it powers and of the receptacles. My question is do I need to do anything in particular when plugging into shore power? Does the inverter need to be powered off before plugging into shore power or does the distribution panel auto transfer the fridge load to shore power when it's plugged in? If it helps I have a WFCO 8900 series distribution center and the inverter is a 1000 watt WFCO 5100. Also is the house battery charged by the tow vehicle when it's plugged in and by the ac shore power when it's plugged in? I'm still a little confused about the inner workings of the ac/dc electrical system. Thanks and sorry for the barrage of questions.

[CRS]

I have a 337 bar that does have the invertor for the residential refrigerator....This is my routine....Once the 5th wheel is plugged into the truck...I turn on the invertor that powers the fridge... Then once I am at my destination...I plug into the 50 amp service & then turn off my invertor....I have read numerous discussions about whether the invertor drains the truck batteries... I have never experienced that issue & the fridge & food has always been nice & cold ..I have never tried any other recepticle to see if there is power..My routine is trying to minimize any power interruptions....

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[CHICKDOE]

believe the dealer, but expand it a bit. I suspect he should omit the phrase when connected to the tow vehicle. you can run the inverter and refrigerator when not connected to shore power or tow vehicle. this will use the batteries only and depending on lots of things, it will run down the batteries. while I do not know your trailer model ours has an inverter that is set up to only power the refrigerator. there will be a small transfer switch involved that transfers 110 vac power to the refrigerator from either the 110vac shore power (when it is present) or from the inverter. this is not the same transfer switch that may be installed for a generator. some inverters actually have this function built into it. other have a small external transfer switch that the refrigerator power cord would be plugged into. we turn on the inverter while still connected to shore power as part of our departure procedure. then we unplug from shore power and I tcheck the refrigerator to see if it's lights are working (getting 110 from the inverter / batteries). then we hook up and go. there a million posts about whether the batteries will charge while connected to the tow vehicle. the consensus is they will some charge from the tow vehicle but not a bulk charge to recharge depleted batteries. but if you just disconnected from shore power they should be fully charged when you leave so you really don't have to charge them. we do this all the time and we have been able to run the refrigerator full time while it is being towed. when we get to our destination and get connected to shore power we then turn the inverter off. hope this helps. it will be second nature to you after a trip or so.

[Mtns2C]

Thanks CRS and CHICKDOE. That Info is helpful. This will give me a good starting point when I get it plugged in and operating.

[Sterlingsilver]

If your connections to the tow vehicle are correct, your trailer and it's batteries should receive all the power needed to keep the batteries up while on the road. When I stop for the night my batteries are always fully charged. My inverter only powers the fridge via the one outlet behind the fridge. I did upgrade to a 2000 watt inverter which has extra outlets I can use with an extension cord.

[Jonol]

This is the Diagram of a Automatic switching from Hause power to inverter.

[Mtns2C]

Thanks. So is the auto switch relay internal to the inverter? If so I assume you would not need to power off the fridge when going from house battery 12vdc /120vac - to - 120 vac shore power as it is auto transferring to ac shore power when it "sees" it.

[Jonol]

NO it is not part of the inverter or the converter.
You have to buy at a local Radio Shack the Relay DPDT 120 Volts AC and make the connections following the diagram.

[CHICKDOE]

there are different makers of inverters. some have the transfer switch built into the inverter and others sell a small separate transfer switch that you hook up to the inverter output and 110 vac shore power. either will work. not sure what you have and it really doesn't matter other than just knowing where everything is located. look around the battery compartment. our inverter is mounted on the roof of the battery compartment. the separate transfer switch is located behind the refrigerator where the refrigerator power cord can into it. from what you have posted you have one and the refrigerator power cord will be plugged into the output from the transfer switch. and we do not turn the refrigerator off when we switch from shore power to inverter. our refrigerator has some lights on the door. I just have a habit of checking to see that they are on whenever we disconnect shore power and hook up to move. I can see the refrigerator door from the outside so it is easy to see if all is good just before you leave.

[Sailor Bill]

On the 327RE Hemisphere it has a WFCO WF-1000 Series, 1000 watt Pure Sine Wave power inverter and everything works automatic. When shore power is connected it bypasses the inverter and as soon as shore power is cut off it switches to 12v . The TV will charge the battery (s) as you are going down the road. If the TV is connected and the motor is not running it will drain the TV battery.
Manuals are available online at wfcoelectronics.com | wfcoelectronics.com