Dear Dave,
We did not know until we had a generator problem that our generator only charges our motorhome when we plug in the power cord that is located right where we pull the electrical cord out. We were told we were only burning our gas, that it was not charging or running anything unless we plugged the cord into the onboard plug in our motorhome. Thanks. —Barbara, 2017 19-ft. Leprechaun
Dear Barbara,
Most smaller RVs do not have an automatic transfer switch (ATS), but rather have a “J” box that you have to manually plug the shoreline cord into. The ATS is a box that the generator is wired directly to, and also your shoreline cord. When the generator is running, the ATS switches the power coming from the generator to the distribution center which supplied 120-volt power to your converter. This is what charges the battery. When the generator is off and you plug the shoreline cord into the campground source, the ATS automatically switches to the shoreline cord or campground pedestal power. This is one we installed in a 1992 Itasca Suncruiser:
The “J” box is simply an outlet or plug-in that is wired directly to the generator and the shoreline cord is wired to the distribution center. You have to manually plug the shoreline cord into the “J” box so power goes to the distribution center and ultimately the converter.
Here was the original setup in the Suncruiser, with the shoreline cord wired to the left side box, and the “J” box wired to the generator. You can see the shoreline cord plugged into that.
If you want to upgrade your system, I would suggest the Progressive Dynamic Model 5100 Series, as I am sure your rig is 30 amps, not 50 amps. It is very easy to install, but I would suggest using an electrician. You can see more information on the Progressive Dynamics website.
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My generator only starts with RV engine running. What should I check?
Dear Dave,
Our Tiffin 32BA FRED carries an onboard diesel 6000w Onan generator in a compartment. It can activate with a switch on the generator itself but we’ve always used the remote switch on the dash. Last week, neither switch started the generator until I started the RV engine. There was just a clicking sound. Is/are there fuse(s) I need to check? Any other suggestions? —Tim, 2007 Tiffin Allegro Open Road front-engine diesel [FRED]
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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I see one problem with having the cord coiled up inside the compartment when doing this. There is no way for the heat generated by the current in the cord to dissipate. The more coils stacked on each other will compound the problem.
Many of us have our cords on power reels. Only enough is pulled out to plug in leaving many feet of power cord all coiled up inside a compartment. Even with three ACs and other things running in hot weather I’ve never had any material amount of heat on the coiled up cord reel. IMO…a few coils aren’t going to be a problem.
Agreed..
Just a follow-up comment about my faucet problem. I asked Dave and the information that he provided was right on. As we done each step we found out it was the faucet itself.
Thanks, Dave, for your help in fixing my problem.
Thank you, Dave!