No Power to Refer from Inverter When Shore Power Off

[jim.thurber13]

The ON and OFF labels on the switch are a huge source of confusion. Hence we usually ask if the Red Key can be removed. That indicates the batteries are disconnected if it comes out.
As I recall, the ON position of the switch means the disconnect is in effect and the batteries are disconnected. The OFF position means the the disconnect is NOT in effect and the batteries are connected to the 12V system.

My inverter does not seem to power the fridge when shore power is disconnected, only powers the radio and one outlet next to dinette, any clue what might be the culprit?
battery connect on
inverter connect is on, and like i said, outlet next to fridge is powered

2018 375FL


MOD Update: Topic moved to new Thread

 

[Da40flyer-MOC]

Starting simple...
Have you checked to make sure all your breakers are on?
Have you checked the GFI outlet for the fridge circuit to see if it has tripped?
I don't know your floorplan, but our GFI outlet for our fridge is behind our TV.

The working outlet you are referring to which is next your fridge may not be on the same circuit as the fridge.

 

[jim.thurber13]

my tv is in the front of the coach, far from the Fridge, and it does work using shore power, just not on the inverter. is it possible the switch is bad and only powering the one outlet when the inverter is on? or did this thing just get wired wrong? I've only owned this unit since August of last year, so I'm not sure what the inverter is supposed to supply power to.

 

[Carl n Susan]

Where is Foldbak when you need him? You don't say what inverter you have but your RV year implies it is in the range of the inverter he has. I seem to recall that the default inverter setting is to not automatically power on when shore power is first connected (PS0 setting?). He recommends the PS4 setting. Otherwise, you have to manually turn the inverter on by hitting the On/Off switch on the device in the pass through compartment.

What inverter do you have?

Can you Post a picture of the front panel with the voltage displays?

I recommend doing a Search on 'PS1 inverter' to find Foldbak's posts.
Here is an interesting one: https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86710

 

[jim.thurber13]

It's the Magnum inverter with auto transfer switch, it powers up ok, just only seems to run one outlet, makes no sense to me why it wouldn't power the fridge

flashes between 12.8 volts and 0001-0000 on the display when on and shore power unhooked

 

[jim.thurber13]

Starting simple...
Have you checked to make sure all your breakers are on?
Have you checked the GFI outlet for the fridge circuit to see if it has tripped?
I don't know your floorplan, but our GFI outlet for our fridge is behind our TV.

The working outlet you are referring to which is next your fridge may not be on the same circuit as the fridge.

It is on the same 120v circuit, just no idea how the auto switch is wired, to the individual outlet vs circuit itself

 

[Carl n Susan]

That sure looks like a Magnum CSW 2012 inverter. The link posted in Post #4 should be applicable. Here is a link to the manual for this inverter. https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/sites/default/files/MagDocs/64-0063%20Rev%20B%20%28CSW%20Series%29_Web.pdf

What values does the display show? There should be Input Voltage, Output Voltage, and any errors. You should see output voltage, without shore power, for the radio and the dinette.

Full disclosure: I don't have this device or your model RV, nor am I sure exactly what it is supposed to power. I assume you have a residential refer. The inverter has one power cord leaving it which implies is supports one circuit. Is the radio near the outlet by the dinette? It would seem that would be the one that also serves the refer. The refer isn't normally on a GFCI circuit so that fits with the radio and the dinette. Remove eac of the working outlets and check for power to a downstream receptacle. The inverted circuit should e daisy-chained from one outlet to another..

 

[LeftOverParts]

If your unit came with the inverter, you should have 3-7 inverted outlets. The outlets have a yellow sticker that states inverted or shows a lighting bolt. Our ‘21 3231ck came with the CSW-2012 - the resi fridge, TV, kitchen island, bdrm dresser, and bdrm closet outlets have the sticker (maybe the dining table too, unit is in storage).

Your radio might be 12v so if the TV doesn’t run w/shore power off, sounds like the inverter is not on, the gfci on the inverter is tripped, or there is a wiring or breaker problem.

When On, the gfci on the inverter should have a green light. Picture is with inverter off but shows where the green light should be on the gfci. There have been a few times where I’ve had to hit the reset button.

You might plug a lamp or hair dryer into the gfci outlet on the inverter and see if it works. That should tell you if the problem is at the inverter, downstream, or upstream. Diagram is from the manual for a CSW-2012.

The manual shows the contact info for the mfr.

 

[RMcNeal]

I have a 2019 3791RD Montana (not HC like yours).
My inverter powers ONLY the refrigerator outlet. No other outlets are inverted in my unit. Most of what I have read seems that Keystone started adding additional inverted outlets on the Montanas in 2020 models and newer. I have no idea about HC models.
I have the Magnum inverter that Carl talked about, however, I have a separate transfer switch, not built into the inverter. The transfer switch is mounted to the ceiling in the basement next to the inverter and wired with a cord that plugs into the inverter.
If you have power to any outlets from the inverter without shore power, I would think the transfer switch is working correctly. It may have been wired wrong.

 

[DutchmenSport]

jim.thurber13, I have a 2019 375fl. The plug the refrigerator is plugged into is inside the cabinet where the refrigerator sits and should be on the circuit with the inverter. The plug outside that same wall, where the kitchen table sits, is on a different circuit and is not on the same line as the inverter.

Here's an image of the floor plan. The red line is the wall separating the refrigerator from the dining room table section in the slide out.

The two plugs, on both sides of that wall are on different circuits, not the same. And, the only thing on that circuit for the refrigerator plug is just the refrigerator. Nothing else is on that inverter, unless a previous owner modified something.

And by the way ... the image of that floor plan, provided by Keystone off their web site sure is deceiving. It makes the bedroom look spacious. If the floor plan were actually TRUE to scale, the king size bed would actually only be about 4 feet long! Very deceptive advertising.... for sure!

Over time, I had to make many modifications to the kitchen slide. It's probably the most awful designed and built part of this entire camper. Here is a photo of the slide before making any of those modifications. This photo shows that I plugged into that plug behind the refrigerator (the one on the inverter) and then plugged the refrigerator into the extension cord. My Samsung refrigerator cannot be completely turned off, unless shore power is pulled and the inverter is off. So, now I can just unplug it. I eventually put a multi plug on the end of the extension cord so we could keep our phones charged when we are disconnected from shore power.

(the reason for the black mat was to keep the dogs from peeing on the carpet ... eventually the carpet was completely removed ... the photo above shows some of that work).

 

[RMcNeal]

What Dutchmen said ^^^.
That's was I was eluding to, but not enough coffee yet. Seems like maybe the wiring got crossed at the factory?

 

[DutchmenSport]

One more thing, that single plug in the front of the camper, that's in the bottom of the cabinet the television is installed in, is NOT on the inverter either. It is a single plug and I also originally thought that plug should be on the inverter too. But it is not. I ended up running an extension cord from that single plug to run the television, the sound bar, an electric clock, and eventually, just installed a multi plug power strip. But it is not connected to the inverter.

 

[jim.thurber13]

Thank you all for the replies! i did just pull the fridge out and pulled the outlet out from the fridge cabinet, to discover that it was not wired to the inverter(only the 110 wire in outlet). it just so happens the cord on the fridge was long enough to go around the front of the wall and plug into the inverted outlet by the dinette, i then just tucked it under the wall in the gap between the wall and carpet to hide it. i will keep an eye on it while travelling to insure it does not chafe. everything tested ok when i unplugged from shore power.
I do believe this one must've been wired incorrectly from the factory, as nothing seems to be tampered with.

Thank you all for the help.

 

[jim.thurber13]

Dutchman, I have the exact floor plan, and yes, not as spacious in bedroom as the floorplan pic would imply.

 

[jim.thurber13]

I have a 2019 3791RD Montana (not HC like yours).
My inverter powers ONLY the refrigerator outlet. No other outlets are inverted in my unit. Most of what I have read seems that Keystone started adding additional inverted outlets on the Montanas in 2020 models and newer. I have no idea about HC models.
I have the Magnum inverter that Carl talked about, however, I have a separate transfer switch, not built into the inverter. The transfer switch is mounted to the ceiling in the basement next to the inverter and wired with a cord that plugs into the inverter.
If you have power to any outlets from the inverter without shore power, I would think the transfer switch is working correctly. It may have been wired wrong.

sounds like the same setup i have, a separate switch mounted inline with the inverter. but it would appear they hooked the inverter to the wrong outlet in mine.

 

[Richeyb]

I had similar problems and found out my inverter had failed and the cut off switch had fried. I ended up replacing the inverter and the hot wiring the cutoff switch direct. Totally eliminating the cutoff switch. In the past I have always left it in the on position and to date haven’t seen a need to replace it to disconnect the batteries. Especially since the batteries are still connected to some components.
Does anyone see a need for the cutoff switch??