C Zone Shore Power button question

[Presitla99]

2019 AS Classic
My "Shore power" button does not function when depressed. Both the dealer and JC claim it's not supposed to be functional. My thinking is that if I can disconnect the shore power via this button I can then use my solar power, thereby saving $ on electricity.
Under the current design I turn the power off at the electrical post and then turn it back on when batteries are low-somewhat of a hassle given the fact that there is a shore power button inside the AS.

Am I wrong, is AS JC and local dealer wrong or am I doing something wrong or neglecting another way of doing this?

Thanks in advance.

[lsbrodsky]

First, how much money are you really saving on electricity? Is it worth it? Second, I know nothing about C-zone and can only speak to the "old" Airstream design, which, even then, has varied over model years. The basic concept was that pushing the Battery Disconnect switch activated a relay that disconnected the batteries from the DC bus, not a shore power disconnect. I have heard that in newer trailers it does not do that because Airstream believes that the newer chargers cannot harm the batteries.
I suggest you look at the schematics in your manual, if you have a manual. If not, ask Airstream to e-mail you the right ones.
In any even, I would find it strange for Airstream to have any switch inside the trailer, other than the breaker at the power center, that disconnects shore power. That is just not something a camper really needs to do except at the pedestal.
Larry

[overlander63]

If you're really that concerned about saving a little bit on electricity, simply turn off the main breaker in the breaker panel. You will quickly see why it needs to be "on".


And I have to ask:
You purchased the most expensive model of the most expensive travel trailer in the world, and are worried about saving a few bucks a month on electricity? Really?

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

In my experience, if both the dealer and manufacturer says it doesn’t work the way you want it to, then it’s likely the case.

I have firefly in my classic though, So I’m not very credible.

I believe that the feature you are looking for would be mostly useless too. One could just go out and manually disconnect the rig or flip the switch. Would be double work to have to hit the exterior breaker and then manually turn on shore power inside once you’re hooked up.

As some other posters are saying, it’s usually about .10 per kilowatt. I’m not sure if your solar system would work how a house works where you get a check back for your additional solar that you send to the park. Instead, your charge controller just turns off when battery bank is full to avoid over charging.

[Ephraim]

This is not a button. This is only an indicator as to whether you have shore power or not. There is no hardware on a 2019 to remotely disconnect shore power. You either turn the pylon power off or you turn your main breaker off. The power wire goes directly from the power socket on the outside of the trailer to the main breaker.

CZone does have this capability, but Airstream did not implement it and it would add considerable expense.

Originally Posted by Presitla99

2019 AS Classic
My "Shore power" button does not function when depressed. Both the dealer and JC claim it's not supposed to be functional. My thinking is that if I can disconnect the shore power via this button I can then use my solar power, thereby saving $ on electricity.
Under the current design I turn the power off at the electrical post and then turn it back on when batteries are low-somewhat of a hassle given the fact that there is a shore power button inside the AS.

Am I wrong, is AS JC and local dealer wrong or am I doing something wrong or neglecting another way of doing this?

Thanks in advance.

[Presitla99]

Thanks Ephraim for clarifying this. My shore power button is always grayed out even when on shore power. Does yours illuminate when on shore power? Thanks

[ghaynes755]

There is an inductance sensor on the shore power wire as it comes into the main circuit breaker panel. All it does is turn the indicator on and off. If yours does not change to blue when on shore power then the sensor may be broken and need to be replaced.