Inverter problem

[Asheville]

I have a 2012 Interstate. i had it plugged into my house 15 amp circuit. Turned on the air conditioner and it worked for a minute or so then stopped. It tripped the breaker in my home but also the Tripp Lite wnet off. The manual said tuen off whatever caused the overload (which I did) turn the Tripp Lite switch to off and wait a minute or so then turn back on. The unit comes on but only for about 10 seconds or so and then goes back off. I checked the breaker switch for the inverter and it is on. Any ideas of what I can do to get it back on?

[xrvr]

I think you need at least a 30 amp power source. Jim

[Asheville]

I understand that now but my problem is i cant get the inverter to come back on even without the air conditioner or anything else on.

[TG Twinkie]

Do you mean the Converter? Is there 120 volt AC power to the Converter? The circuit breaker must be turned off and then back on if it is tripped.

[Bill M.]

As above, be sure you have cycled the breaker off and then on manually. Can you get to where the converter is plugged in easily? You could check at that location and see if you are getting power to the inverter. You could plug the inverter into a long extension cord to the house to check it.

[Asheville]

Thanks. I will try that.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Your most likely answer.....

The automatic transfer switch.


Bob

[dkottum]

Does the Interstate use an automatic transfer switch? Of the same model as the trailer?

Looking for a pattern here, if there is one. Improper power sources, low voltage input, an unprotected transfer switch design, or simply inadequate transfer switch are among suspects, or some combination of these.

doug k

[Skater]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Your most likely answer.....

The automatic transfer switch.

Probably not. The transfer switch in a motorhome is designed to switch between the generator and the shore power, and defaults to shore power. In this case he was using only shore power, so the transfer switch wouldn't factor in, unless it just happened to die at that moment.

[Asheville]

Still haven't resolved this but have a call into Airstream and Tripp Lite technical support. I read the Tripp Lite manual and did what was recommended. The manual said if it continues to shut off call Tripp Lite for consultation. I will let you know what I hear. Thanks for your help.

[73shark]

I found that turning the inverter on after the shore power is plugged in prevents my 20 amp GFI from tripping.

[BL1996]

Crain RV told me not to run the inverter when running the generator and the A/
C.

That would be a problem when someone wanted to watch a movie and be cool.

Apparently, The gen is just enough for the A/C unit. The rear A/C is the only thing that could have been designed better.

I have over the road trucks that have a "Night" system. That is a A/C system running off of batteries that are charged while running with the tractor's alternator.

They use four 12 volt deep cycle batteries.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by BL1996

I have over the road trucks that have a "Night" system. That is a A/C system running off of batteries that are charged while running with the tractor's alternator.

They use four 12 volt deep cycle batteries.

...and a running tractor trailer engine.

[BL1996]

The "Night" system runs on battery alone for 8 hours. So running down the road on battery and recharging from the alternator is no problem.

Camping at night it runs on battery alone.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by BL1996

The "Night" system runs on battery alone for 8 hours. So running down the road on battery and recharging from the alternator is no problem.

Camping at night it runs on battery alone.

How about a link to it? Sounds like it could be great for RVers. I couldn't find it in a quick Google search.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by BL1996

Crain RV told me not to run the inverter when running the generator and the A/C.

Actually, Crain RV is right.

First of all, there is no point in running both the generator and the inverter. You might as well put the inverter/charger on "Charge Only" when running the generator, because charging the house batteries is all it's doing anyway.

The key here is that you can only run on one AC source at a time.
1 - If you've got shore power hooked up and the generator turned off, all of your AC power comes from the shore power.
2 - If you're running the generator and don't have shore power plugged in, all of your AC power comes from the generator.
3 - If you've got BOTH shore power hooked up and generator running, you're using power from the generator only. The shore power cable is giving you nothing. Even though the generator output is 20amp vs. 30amp from shore power. That's the way the ATS is set up. I think that's backwards from how it should be, but I've confirmed that's the way Interstates are wired.
4 - The only way you're using the inverter to get AC power from the batteries is if you have neither shore power nor generator providing AC power, and you have it set to "Invert."

Here's a link to one company that makes a "night system" for semis:
Semi Truck Air Conditioning & Heating, HVAC Systems for Trucks, King-Air
They need a lot more amp-hours than an Interstate's house batteries will provide, and some units are the same BTUs as what an Airstream Interstate already has on its roof. In other words, if you had enough amp-hours for a night system, you'd have enough to run your rooftop AC on inverter as well and wouldn't need the night system.

To cap off the installation, you would need a second alternator on the engine, with a voltage regulator designed for AGM batteries (or at least a second voltage regulator hooked up to the existing alternator), to recharge the battery bank while driving down the road. Which actually isn't a bad option for a standard house system anyway. Sure would help boondockers!

[BL1996]

It is called a NITE phoenix system.Bergstrom - NITE No-Idle

I have heard of other systems that have shore power and battery. Possibly Thermo King.