Shore power to Gen power on the fly Question, Im stumped !! - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Technical | Towing, Maintenance and Repairs > Electrical, Batteries, Charging and Electronics
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-25-2016, 09:06 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Utah
Posts: 83
Utah
Shore power to Gen power on the fly Question, Im stumped !!

Hello need some helpful input from the great people here. My question is- If I am hooked to shore power and I start the Generator it seems to blow the shore power circuit breaker, the one time I did it, Granted I was feeding this with a 15amp step down but should I not be able to switch the generator Online before disconnecting the shore power? thanks for any input!
__________________

Helidriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2016, 09:32 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
HornedToad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Midland
Posts: 606
Texas
Shore power to Gen power on the fly Question, Im stumped !!

Your ATF Automatic Transfer Switch protects the electrical panel from receiving power from both. The ATF rest on shore power and when the generator is started it takes precedence and the ATF switches to generator power, on most units you can hear a clunking sound shortly after starting the generator when the switch engages.

By design the ATF will switch to generator power while still connected to shore power, however, this is not a recommended practice because when you start the generator with the ATF energized by shore power the contacts will arch which will cause pitting of these contacts leading to the premature failure of the switch.

I always disconnect shore power before stating the generator and only start the generator with no load and turn off all the loads prior to stoping the generator to minimize wear to the ATF.
__________________

__________________

Mike & Helen
2014 Voltage 3895 EPIC III
2013 Ford F350 CC DRW FX4
HornedToad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2016, 09:58 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Utah
Posts: 83
Utah
Quote:
Originally Posted by HornedToad View Post
Your ATF Automatic Transfer Switch protects the electrical panel from receiving power from both. The ATF rest on shore power and when the generator is started it takes precedence and the ATF switches to generator power, on most units you can hear a clunking sound shortly after starting the generator when the switch engages.

By design the ATF will switch to generator power while still connected to shore power, however, this is not a recommended practice because when you start the generator with the ATF energized by shore power the contacts will arch which will cause pitting of these contacts leading to the premature failure of the switch.

I always disconnect shore power before stating the generator and only start the generator with no load and turn off all the loads prior to stoping the generator to minimize wear to the ATF.
Thank you for in the input, I have resorted to the same procedures that you do. Turn everything off, unplug shore power then start generator. was hoping there was a way to control this.
Helidriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:40 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×