Running gen but no coach power

[Sooeey]

Spent two weeks recently at southern Oregon campground with internment electric power.
Used the Onan 4400 generator to power up 2018 Vista 32YE with no problems.
Headed back home stopped to eat lunch and wanted to keep pet dog in cool motorhome but running generator showed no power to coach?
Read about the transfer switch box but how do I troubleshoot the issue?
Appreciate your help
Robert

[Morich]

Some options are available on different RV of the same year, make, and model, so some questions to help sort which you have?
A big one is if you do in fact have an automatic transfer switch? Or do you have a manual system where when you switch from cord to generator power, you need to move the cord plug from the post outlet to an onboard outlet?

But assuming you do have an auto system, one of the big first things might be to check the output breaker located directly on the generator. This can be hard to spot as they can be located down in or just behind a fuzzy material seal on the generator door! Hiding in plain sight but almost impossible to spot if not searching?

Check that is not tripped as a easy first step!

Then if the breaker is good, it should feed power directly to a set of lugs in the transfer switch or to a metal box about 4X4 inches nearby for the cord to plug!
But if not a plug move problem, a look in the transfer may be needed as the lugs tend to work loose!

From this drawing:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File.../000026587.pdf
Click to get best view of this snip or go direct for the full picture!

Power from cord comes in at bottom, passes thru to top and out to load center as blue lines show.
Generator power comes in bottom left, up and over to meet cord to load center if not cord power!

These screws can get loose, so while there and looking for problems it is often good to check the attachments are tight as they tend to be a problem and you can head off future trouble if we can keep these tightened at the right amount all the time. The problem is not always a loose screw but sometimes the wire jerking around can reshape the soft copper and make it lose contact. As it begins to get loose, it begins to arc and that builds heat like an arc welder to melt the other parts!

It's a good thing to keep an arc welder out of your transfer switch!

Best of luck on the bug hunt!

[Sooeey]

Great information to start me off.
It's an suto transfer switch, supposedly brand new.
Will follow your lead later this evening.

[Morich]

All in good time and I never planned my retirement to be filled with rushing!
Drives my wife silly, though!

[creativepart]

Is your Vista a 50-amp version? Because the 30-amp versions do not have an Automatic Transfer Switch. If you have a 30-amp 2018 Vista motorhome you have to manually move a power cord.

[Sooeey]

50 amp

[cruizerEd]

Some generators have power receptacles right on the generator. You can use this to see if your generator can support a load and to provide temporary low amperage power via the shore power cord while working the issue.

[Sooeey]

Originally Posted by Morich

Some options are available on different RV of the same year, make, and model, so some questions to help sort which you have?
A big one is if you do in fact have an automatic transfer switch? Or do you have a manual system where when you switch from cord to generator power, you need to move the cord plug from the post outlet to an onboard outlet?

But assuming you do have an auto system, one of the big first things might be to check the output breaker located directly on the generator. This can be hard to spot as they can be located down in or just behind a fuzzy material seal on the generator door! Hiding in plain sight but almost impossible to spot if not searching?

Check that is not tripped as a easy first step!

Then if the breaker is good, it should feed power directly to a set of lugs in the transfer switch or to a metal box about 4X4 inches nearby for the cord to plug!
But if not a plug move problem, a look in the transfer may be needed as the lugs tend to work loose!

From this drawing:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File.../000026587.pdf
Click to get best view of this snip or go direct for the full picture!
Attachment 189397
Power from cord comes in at bottom, passes thru to top and out to load center as blue lines show.
Generator power comes in bottom left, up and over to meet cord to load center if not cord power!

These screws can get loose, so while there and looking for problems it is often good to check the attachments are tight as they tend to be a problem and you can head off future trouble if we can keep these tightened at the right amount all the time. The problem is not always a loose screw but sometimes the wire jerking around can reshape the soft copper and make it lose contact. As it begins to get loose, it begins to arc and that builds heat like an arc welder to melt the other parts!

It's a good thing to keep an arc welder out of your transfer switch!

Best of luck on the bug hunt!

Should both switches be ON position?

[Morich]

Top of the head answer would be , "YES!"
But before we say that, I might like to have some of the folks with 50 amp service and generators, take a look at the question!

I think you have two 50 amp breakers in the main load panel and that sounds like there might be two breakers at the generator. I can think of no reason both should not be on but the 50 amp RV is not one I've worked with much, so I am reluctant to say yes.
Part of that is the way follks can often do different things on RV to make them fit what each may want.
I've stuck my fingers in the wrong place often enough to be shy about telling you something that somebody might spot as being wrong! Let us check before we make any more trouble?

Does anybody see anything to say both these should not be on? Makes sense to me that two hot leads to the transfer switch would have two breakers at the generator but I've not seen it for myself!!!
anybody think of any mods that might be made to change that answer?

[Morich]

Well! Since we are getting no more info on short notice, maybe it is time to get bolder?
Looking at the drawings, it just seems odd to have two 50 amp breakers for the two main feeds, whether from cord or generator but then find the geneerator feeding those two 50 by using two 30 amp!
But you have apretty new RV and maybe that is just the way they built it? Most of the time we see larger breakers feeding smaller. But there are times when they do things that I don't understand, so maybe we need to look closer.

Click this snip or go direct to get the big pictures where I cut off lots of details to make it fit!
This drawing, last page:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File.../000021890.pdf


They don't show us what and how they connect the two main feeds to the smaller breakers inside the load center. The normal way to build these is for the mains to feed alternating smaller breakers.

There is a fair amount of guessing on exactly how this box is laid out but the idea is that when one 30 amp on the generator is off, that cuts power to one of the 50 amp. That part, I'm pretty sure about.
But if that is true, there should be about half the RV working and about half out! For instance, I'm sure they put one Air unit on each leg!

With one of the 30 off, I would expect to find one air not working but the other be okay? Something easy enough to try if you have a place to run the generator?
Then the other things like the microwave on the red lines, may be working or off, while things on the green should be the opposite.
If the microwave is on, then the converter may not be working or vice versa?

I'm 98% sure they should both be on and you may know the RV well enough to know there have not been any big changes made? Had it since new or is it a used that you don't know the history?

Pardon me for being slow to say for sure but I like to avoid hurting you!!

[Jeepien]

Originally Posted by Sooeey

Should both switches be ON position?

It is quite suspicious that they are not both ON.

[Sooeey]

Ended up confirming with Winnebago customer service that you are correct to have ON.
Everything is now working.
Thank everyone for the help.
Sooeey