no generator power or shore power

jean · 10-05-2017, 03:29 PM

we plugged in to faulty outlet and now have no power. we have power from the invertor or battery only. the generator runs but no power. we plugged in to a good outlet but still no power. we have 2001 Itasca Meridan with 20,000 miles on it. the rv repairman checked everything and wants to replace the inverter at a cost of $1900 dollars but the invertor still works. is the invertor our problem?

powercat_ras · 10-05-2017, 05:26 PM

Sounds like what you are calling an inverter is an integrated unit, AC to DC converter charger and DC to AC inverter in one. Something that is just an inverter does not cost $ 1900 to replace even with labor.

If so, and you plugged into 240 V power instead of 120 V power then yes the integrated unit may have been damaged. Items that were off when you plugged in should still be good. If AC unit was off it should still work as they won't run off the inverter, if the wiring and transfer switch are both still working. If you plugged into a mis-wired RV outlet that delivered 240 V instead of 120 V at a business or that was wired by an electrician then you have a damage claim to recover the damage caused by their error.

You can ask if he checked for AC power present on the AC input terminals of the integrated unit. If there is, then the integrated unit is not functioning. You might get the make and model of the unit and google search to see if you can find anyone who repairs them or sells used or refurbished working units before going with a brand new one on a 16 year old RV.

jean · 10-06-2017, 05:51 AM

We plugged in to a outlet that had the neutral and ground wire switched and heard a clunk sound in the motorhome but no sparks or burnt wires.

al1florida · 10-06-2017, 06:34 AM

To try to clearly understand what works and doesn't work, let me summarize:

-- You said you "had power from the inverter or battery only". So when you are unplugged from shore power and generator off, all your 12V lights work, your gas electric fridge works on gas just fine, your furnace works, your TV and microwave works fine, and you have 120V in the outlets serviced by the inverter? PLEASE confirm the above or state which of the above statements are incorrect.

-- When you connect to shore power or generator is running your air conditioner will not run and with your inverter turned off you have no power to the TV, Microwave, and the 120V outlets serviced by the inverter. However your 12V lights still work, the fridge still runs on gas, TV works and the furnace works.

-- Additionally, do you have charging voltage of 13.3 volts or higher going to your batteries when on shore power or on generator power.

-- Also unplug from shore power and see if you have AC power and your air conditioner works or not when the generator is running.

Specific, detailed answers to all the above questions will really help in troubleshooting the problem.

jean · 10-06-2017, 08:34 AM

the only way to charge the battery is to start the engine. the only power we have is when the alternator is on. we did not plug in to a 240v outlet. the ground and neutral wires were switched in the outlet we plugged in to.

powercat_ras · 10-06-2017, 11:08 AM

If only ground and neutral had been switched on the outlet you plugged into then you would not be having all the problems you are. If fact if the ground connection was good you might have never known the outlet had reversed wiring. I believe who ever told you that is what was wrong with the outlet you plugged into is mistaken.

al1florida · 10-06-2017, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

If only ground and neutral had been switched on the outlet you plugged into then you would not be having all the problems you are. If fact if the ground connection was good you might have never known the outlet had reversed wiring. I believe who ever told you that is what was wrong with the outlet you plugged into is mistaken.

Agreed. In fact the neutral and ground wires eventually have a common connection back at the distribution panel.

On the other hand an open neutral can cause serious problems. Here is a very technical review of the open neutral problem: Open Neutral

grtharris · 10-09-2017, 01:29 PM

jean, sounds like you Automatic Transfer Switch is not working. After removing power from the coach pull the cover off the Transfer Switch and looked for burned wires.

NeilV · 10-09-2017, 07:52 PM

If you have a surge and polarity protection device that also could have blown its sacrificial element or simply need to be reset. Otherwise its likely something got damaged in the load transfer switch.

If you do not have a Surge Guard or some other form of power line fault protection you may have just found out why many won't plug in without one. They can save you many times their cost by preventing damage that can be very costly to repair.

Note that they did not start making Itasca Meridian's until 2004. Do you have a 2011 perhaps and not a 2001? Even the 2011 though does not have a whole house inverter and only a 1000 watt unit in the 34 and 39 V models and a 2000 watt unit in the two 40 models.
https://winnebagoind.com/resources/b...ridian_bro.pdf

jean · 10-10-2017, 09:36 AM

Sorry about that. we have a 2001 Horizon. the invertor powers everything it should but there are a lot of blinking lights on control panel of the invertor. Could there be some part in the invertor that is bad even though the invertor works and that is why we have no shore or genarator power?

jean · 10-10-2017, 09:38 AM

There are no burnt wires in the ATS box.

grtharris · 10-11-2017, 03:09 PM

jean, can you see or hear the relay close in the ATS box when you connect to shore power or start the generator?
Looking a the drawings for your coach and all of the recps except washer/dryer and refrig go through the inverter. Does the AC units works?
If the AC units are working either the inverter is not getting 110VAC (breaker tripped, open wire) or the switch over is not working in the inverter.

jean · 10-12-2017, 01:11 PM

Our central air/heat pump is located in the basement of the coach and never went through the inverter. It is run on shore power or genarator power.I did not know there was a switch over in the invertor. That could be our problem and that is why we were told we need a new invertor even though it still powers every thing it should.

grtharris · 10-12-2017, 07:06 PM

jean, it is called the bypass mode, when the inverter sees 110VAC on the AC input, the inverter switches off and the incoming AC is passed through to the AC output and the charger part of the inverter charges the batteries.

joeastro · 06-09-2018, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jean

we plugged in to faulty outlet and now have no power. we have power from the invertor or battery only. the generator runs but no power. we plugged in to a good outlet but still no power. we have 2001 Itasca Meridan with 20,000 miles on it. the rv repairman checked everything and wants to replace the inverter at a cost of $1900 dollars but the invertor still works. is the invertor our problem?

yes probably the inverter/charger. that seems to be my problem also 2001 winnie journey ..the gfci's if OFF you will have no rv power at any plugs. if gfci's wont reset? then inverter/charger must hve a problem. get the drawins for the 110vac in the chassis. and follow the lines. auto-relay to breaker main box, then one of the circuits 30amp goes to the inverter/charger. but it has some switch or relay that sends 110ac to the inverter breaker panel..then off to gfci's and the rv.

you AC, and water heater, and ice box will work since 110ac comes directly.

so there are no fuses inthe inverte/charger. and when i push the charge button on the remote panel it just lights up and goes out 10seconds later.. NO 13vdc to charge with.
you could check if 13.5volts or higher is on the AUX batteries? and you may find it dead also. unfortunately inverter is not used much. .but the charger is inside the inverter box.. so your stuck like me.. new better one.

it could also be very DIRTY inside theinveter box due to FAN sucking in dirt.

joe