Power is perplexing!!

[snakebitten]

Thanks!

All excellent ideas of attack.
And yes, my situation is quite different and less threatening than the OP.
In fact, I have hijacked\piggybacked the thread beyond etiquette.

I will bug out. And good luck OP! Thanks for the ride.

 

[hddecker]

I never liked shotgunning problems, always end up doing something that was unnecessary.

I view problem solving like reading a book, start at the beginning and read every page until the end.

A friend of mine uses a shotgun approach and by the time he calls for help, he's got himself so muddled up he doesn't know what he checked and what he hasn't.

 

[MartyG]

Thanks!

All excellent ideas of attack.
And yes, my situation is quite different and less threatening than the OP.
In fact, I have hijacked\piggybacked the thread beyond etiquette.

I will bug out. And good luck OP! Thanks for the ride.

Snake, it was good to have you in this discussion. Your problem, together with the OP, illustrated that people really don't know what a GFCI does. You saw several "solutions" that revolved around an overload/over-amp situation. That's the misperception, and misperceptions befuddle troubleshooting! Hope yours works out also!

 

[snakebitten]

Thanks MartyG.

It's been a good discussion. I actually have just enough understanding on residential electrical that I did my own electrical service in the home we built 11 years ago. And other than a little confusion with un-bonded sub-panels, which I installed 2, I passed a thorough inspection and saved a considerable bundle. (wish I could have done the same with plumbing, but I wanted all copper and I haven't a bit of confidence in my ability to sweat those copper joints in)

When I bought my Aerolite a few months ago, I had a new independent aerobic septic put in because I wanted the RV on the other side of the pond from the house. (about 250 feet)
So again, I did my own electrical and water to extend both to the RV location. So now a 3rd sub-panel 125 amp service.

Now, having said all that, I did know enough to know my GFCI issue has nothing to do with amp-load. But that doesn't mean I have a good understanding of just what GFCI is or what it is actually tripped by.

Still don't know much, but this thread has advanced my conceptual understanding a lot! So I'm the benefactor here, at this point.

I'm looking forward to the solution to the OP issue. I'm betting it'll make perfect sense once the culprit is discovered. Hope so.

 

[Sawtooth]

Good evening all,
After doing some investigating a bit (without connecting the shore power), I think I do in fact have one of two problems.
1. After running the generator connected to the shore power - everything works however with the AC on; all the lights on, and then i turn on the fridge and water heater and there is a very noticable drop in the AC..
2. IMMEDIATELY AFTER RUNNING THE GENERATOR FOR ABOUT 5 HOURS: lights come on. BUT! within two hours I have no power from only the battery. At this time I have no other power source...just the battery. No lights, no slide motor, nuttin!

From what I have read this could be either the converter not charging the batteries or those three little fuse blocks on the toungue are bad.

any thoughts????

 

[MartyG]

Good evening all,
After doing some investigating a bit (without connecting the shore power), I think I do in fact have one of two problems.
1. After running the generator connected to the shore power - everything works however with the AC on; all the lights on, and then i turn on the fridge and water heater and there is a very noticable drop in the AC..
2. IMMEDIATELY AFTER RUNNING THE GENERATOR FOR ABOUT 5 HOURS: lights come on. BUT! within two hours I have no power from only the battery. At this time I have no other power source...just the battery. No lights, no slide motor, nuttin!

From what I have read this could be either the converter not charging the batteries or those three little fuse blocks on the toungue are bad.

any thoughts????

#1 is not a problem, you are overloading your generator. Most people, with only a 3600 watt generator, would run both the fridge and the water heater on propane, for this very reason. Presumably, the converter is running on high trying to charge the dead battery. You' taken the generator to the limit at this point.
#2 doesn't sound like a problem, in that you ran it for 5 hours, which charged the battery of unknown quality enough to run 2 hours. A really dead battery could need an overnight charge, or be in need of replacement.
Back to your real problem, tripping the GFCI. One more thing I thought of, (or someone else mentioned) is that you could run an extension cord to reach another GFCI somewhere in the house. No need to put any load (AC, fridge, water heater) on. Just plug the TT into the adapter, into a long cord, and run it into some other GFCI. If it trips, then you KNOW your wiring is bad. If it does not, it just may be that your first GFCI is too sensitive.

 

[Sawtooth]

thanks for the reply Marty. When I plugged the shore power in to another outlet it blew the GFCI on that one too. Some of the folks seem to think that I have a problem between the shore power outlet and the main breaker. Maybe...I have no idea how charged the battery ever was. When you buy from a dealer they probably just take one off the shelf and stick it in the tray. After that the it's not their problem.

I'm going to buy a charger - a decent one with charge, float, and store cycles. I'm hoping that tomorrow when it is light I can take the panel off and voila, there will be a converter behind it. Otherwise I will have to look and see where it's at. the box is a World Friendship Co. LTD Model WF8930/50

 

[wahoonc]

thanks for the reply Marty. When I plugged the shore power in to another outlet it blew the GFCI on that one too. Some of the folks seem to think that I have a problem between the shore power outlet and the main breaker. Maybe...I have no idea how charged the battery ever was. When you buy from a dealer they probably just take one off the shelf and stick it in the tray. After that the it's not their problem.

I'm going to buy a charger - a decent one with charge, float, and store cycles. I'm hoping that tomorrow when it is light I can take the panel off and voila, there will be a converter behind it. Otherwise I will have to look and see where it's at. the box is a World Friendship Co. LTD Model WF8930/50

Seen the forecast? Going to be a great day for indoor activities.

I live about 50 miles SW of you, my office is in Apex, NC.

I am thinking there is an issue of some sort with either your cord or the actual converter.

I have had to replace several of the WFCO converters, I am not impressed with their performance or longevity. Yes they have a two year warranty, but it isn't worth the paper it is written on. In every case I have replaced the WFCO with a Progressive Industries model from Best Converter. This is a small company, but every time I email I get an almost immediate response. Great people to deal with.

Aaron

 

[Sawtooth]

Thanks for the reply Aaron. Apex is a nice place. Johnston County is quiet but growing.
Got a new battery charger today. It is specific for deep cycle batteries. Took the battery out-hooked it up-it was about 15%. There is no way that the converter could bring this up to snuff. After I get it charged I'll see where we are. If I have to replace the converter I will. Been doing some research and YES, Progressive would be my choice also.
Actually have reservations for the weekend at St. James Island - about 15 minutes out of Charleston - we were going to go tomorrow, but we are waiting until Saturday - hopefully the storm will have passed by then. Thanks again. Mike

 

[hddecker]

or those three little fuse blocks on the toungue are bad.

any thoughts????

One of the weakest points in your 12V system, I had one literally fall apart. The scarey part was the points had welded themselves together, so much for protecting the circuit.

I replaced the circuit breakers with some North American made ones, along with a nice little waterproof box the protect them.

 

[wahoonc]

Thanks for the reply Aaron. Apex is a nice place. Johnston County is quiet but growing.
Got a new battery charger today. It is specific for deep cycle batteries. Took the battery out-hooked it up-it was about 15%. There is no way that the converter could bring this up to snuff. After I get it charged I'll see where we are. If I have to replace the converter I will. Been doing some research and YES, Progressive would be my choice also.
Actually have reservations for the weekend at St. James Island - about 15 minutes out of Charleston - we were going to go tomorrow, but we are waiting until Saturday - hopefully the storm will have passed by then. Thanks again. Mike

Might want to call ahead, looks like CHS is the direct path.

I live in Western Harnett just north of Fort Bragg, wife's family has been here for over 80 years. Seen a lot of changes and not all for the better.

Aaron