wa8yxm wrote: But the very first thing the power cord comes to is... An automatic transfer switch, rated at 30 amps.. And the very next thing is.. Another 30 amp breaker
That WILL trip
Note that he says he can run both AC's from his generator. It encounters the same 30 amp breaker you refer to above. This tells me that if he can get 30 amps at or close to 120 VAC he will be able to run them, whatever its source. His problem is being produced by low voltage and/or lack of a working start delay switch, not by insufficient current.
Ah, but you see I have done my research and on this computer have the perfect answer to your claim.. That answer is the schematic diagram for a 30 amp ATS..
On the Generator he will find 2 circuit breakers, one 30, one 20, the 20 When the generator is running the ATS switches ONE of the A/C units (usually the rear) to the 20 amp breaker on the generator
So only ONE A/C runs off the 30 amp main,the other runs off the generator directly.
No Opps.
Of course.. I was looking for a DIFFERENT ATS diagram (Found it too) so this one qualifies as "Things I learned on the way to something else" but that's how come he can run both of 'em on Generator
By the way... Research is fun
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
Quote: FYI, for anyone curious, the switch for the two AC units is really made to allow only one to run, not start, at a time, and it's only supposed to work when it's running on shore power. I know it sounds bizarre, but the owner's manual says this is the case and the guy who put in my new generator explained how the wiring had been changed to bypass this function
Does (or maybe did) the switch go between the AC & hot water heater? If so, it is there to meet code requirements for 30 amp RV supplies to prevent both ACs & the hot water heater coming on at the same time.
Depending on the sizes & conditions of your ACs, you may be able to run them both at the same time on a good 30 amp supply, but to be sure it would be best to actually measure both the voltage & current draw. Borrow a clamp on AC amp meter, place it around the hot or neutral lead (you must separate the two so the meter only goes around one or the other) & watch the current readings as the ACs start & run. If the voltage doesn't drop too low (105V or so) as the ACs start & the peak current doesn't exceed 30 amps for more than a short time during start up, you may be able to get away with running both.
As others have stated, if it was the campground breaker that was tripping, using a good adapter to connect to a 50 amp receptacle will likely improve your chances since there will be less voltage drop in the 50 amp wiring & the receptacle is likely to be in better shape.
Without more information, I can't make any suggestions as to why your adapter isn't working. It could be a bad adapter, or a bad receptacle, breaker or connections in the campground supply.
Breaking out the rear AC & using a Power Solutions adapter (or building your own) is another solution.
Sorry I left everyone hanging yesterday. Nobody from the office ever showed up to check the breaker, and the cable also went out (don't you just love RV parks?)
They moved me to a new site this morning, and I had the same problem in the new site -- no power at all when using the 50 amp plug, but the power is just fine when using the 30 amp. I flipped the breakers back and forth another dozen times and still got nothing, so I exchanged the dog bone for another one, and like magic, IT WORKS. I'm currently running both AC units off the 50 AMP outlet using the 30 to 50 dog bone and we're cool and comfortable. Hooray!
It's clear to me now why someone rewired the rig to run both AC units from shore power. Wish I would have known about this last summer! LOL
ADDED: the AC switch is a rotating switch mounted near the breaker box of the coach and marked "Air Conditioner Selector Switch" and the settings are marked "front," "back," and "off." It's now wired so that when it's set on "back," both AC units will run, but the other settings do what they say.
* This post was
edited 06/29/08 03:49pm by dragonflyspit *
If you don't want to spend 90 bucks on it then study what is on line and/or have an electrical friend study it and they can build one for you for a lot less.
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