GFI issues

[daveb]

Did you go to the link I provided? Most of the info you're asking about is there.

The converter is tied into the AC system only. It keeps the 12vDC system from taking power out of the house battery when plugged into shore power.
There is a battery separator that closes when it see the alternator voltage (usually around 14V) and that charges the battery when the engine runs.
When the engine is not running, the separator monitors the voltage and when it see's either battery reach a a voltage around 12.8, the separator opens up. That way you only use the power off the house system for the rear lights and accessories in the conversion part of the van. The DC outlets at the dash and dome lights run off the starting battery just like the headlights and stereo. When boon docking try not to use power off the starting batteries for obvious reasons. The radio switch in the rear will force the radio to run off the house system in most cases so you can listen to music Some of the power used by the stereo such as the clock and pre-sets still comes off the starting battery but its minimal.

Your converter should have a 3 stage charger built into it. You should charge up the house batteries after a trip to top the system off from shore power. It should also keep the starting system up if SMB configured it like they normally do. Try not to let your house battery drop below 50% which is around 12.2 volts. When you use something with a heavy load it's common to see the battery meter show lower than 12v. The resting voltage is what counts and after the heavy load is off, the battery meter will float back up to the resting voltage.

If you want to only run your microwave while boon docking, SMB should be able to wire a smaller inverter in to run it plus add an additional outlet for something else. But maybe they would be willing to swap out the converter for a good inverter. Give em a call.

[Kzinti2]

"I'm lost..."

Electrical is probably the most confusing part of the SMB conversion. Reading through your posts in this thread, it sounds like your electrical system is like mine with a intelli-power 9100 converter (110v to 12v only) and no solar or generator. This makes things simpler but less capable (e.g. no built-in 12v to 110v capability).

When my SMB is plugged into shore power, the IP 9100 converts the 110v to 12v to charge the house battery(s) which is its only purpose. Also, all of the 110v outlets are live, including the one that the IP 9100 is plugged into. When I unplug from shore power, I loose my 110v outlets. When I drive down the road, the van alternator charges the van starting battery. SMB equips all conversions with a battery separator if a house battery is installed, usually a Sure Power 1315. A picture can be found here: http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewto ... 099#p35099 Mine is located next to my other electrical under my gaucho.

The separator ties the two battery systems (van and house) together in a semi-smart fashion. When I am plugged into shore power, once the house battery is charged up to 13.2v or so, the separtor switch latches so the excess charging capability charges the van start battery. Similarly, when driving and the van start battery is 13.2v, the separator feeds power to charge the house battery. If I want to use 110v for small items (laptop or camera battery charger), I have a small 100 watt inverter (12v to 110v) that I plug into a house 12v outlet.

A small microwave would require a large inverter (1500W-2000W) which would need to be hardwired into the electrical system. If you also have a refrigerator, a house battery monitor would be a good idea so you know how much power is left in the house battery. If it falls below 50%, the battery will die quickly and need to be replaced. Xantrex LinkLite or LinkPro are well thought of http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/p ... nitor.aspx

A "tiny" 5000 btu room air conditioner would require about 1500 watts while running, This would be about 13.6 amps for 110v or 125 amps for 12 volts (volts*amps=watts). This would kill my 100 amp-hour house battery in about a half hour. This large power consumtion is why AC requires shore power or a good-sized generator.

Hope this helps.

[jage]

Originally Posted by Scalf77

An Inverter will take DC power from your battery and change it to AC power that will then power your microwave and other AC outlets.

With an Inverter your outlets are also powered "directly" by shore power when on it, however you can program some Inverters to take load using the house batteries... meaning if you are tripping the 15A shore power breaker in a campground by microwaving popcorn with the AC cranked, you can set the Inverter to compensate and it will provide anything over 15A with the house batteries.

For how much inverter you need:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4359&hilit=toaster

And if you're going shore power all the time you might not need an inverter at all.

[louie]

I need to figure out what the cost is to get an inverter installed to run things off the batteries when boondocked or if it might make more economical sense to just get a generator.

thanks again for the electrical information. i think it's beginning to make some sense to me now.

L

[Bellpilot]

Originally Posted by kd4goc

Looking for some help with a GFI issue….

Every time we plug into a GFI outlet for shore power, we trip the GFI. (not the van’s GFI, but the power source).

We’ve made sure that it is not the power cord by trying another cord. It is not the power source because other campers can plug in without tripping the GFI. And it happens when plugging into any GFI (up to 5 diff.)

No issues with tripping breakers, only GFIs.

Found the solution. You can't have the AC neutral input connected on the same buss bar as AC neutral output on the inverter. My house GFI does not trip anymore when I plug in for shore power.

[Wildaboutwilderness]

I was having the same problem with the shore power gfci tripping. Tripplite tech support was no help. I tried the switch the inverter on and then pug in and then switch it back off method described in this post. It works! But why and how? I am an electrician and am very familiar with how a gfci works, but not too familiar with the inner workings of an inverter. It must be something with the ground and neutral being tied together when the inverter is at rest with no shore power? Then when you switch it to "invert" maybe a relay gets switched and stays that way after you put it back into "line/charge"? Wierd! Oh well as long as it works! I still have an open ticket with tripplite, and I will let them know about this solution to see what they have to say about it. Also, maybe they can pass it on to the next person that calls their tech support with this same issue. Thanks!

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by Wildaboutwilderness

I was having the same problem with the shore power gfci tripping.

Glad you got it squared away, and great job searching for the solution here. You dug deep.


Herb

[gahamby]

While replacing my Surepower isolater with a Blue Sea. I discovered that the GFCI was bad. I found the device was wired incorrectly. Make sure that the line from the shore power inlet is wired to the line side of the GFCI and the load to the AC in the van is connected to the load side of the GFCI.