@@AustinStout wiring in the second transfer switch as recommended, will the converter keep trying to charge the batteries off the batteries creating a loop and draining the batteries?
Yeah it will so when you have the inverter on just make sure to flip the breaker for the converter off. You could also get more in depth and connect the main power for the converter to the other leg of the transfer switch with the generator/shore power wire. That way the converter would only have power when the generator or shore power are on thus eliminating that battery drain loop. If that makes sense? I didn’t think about wiring mine that way when I originally did the install
Great Video !! Everything I needed to know - I'm an electrical engineer with 30+ years experience but a newbie to RV's just bought a 2015 Thor AXIS Vegas 24.1 and the panel is near identical. Also I was very surprised these units aren't already built with this in mind; my surprise when I found all 3 TV's and every outlet was dead - I checked the obvious breakers etc but then realized SOAB this unit is not equipped with an inverter. Your video is a slam dunk - I'm also going to upgrade to LiFePO4 batteries.
Perfect! That’s what I was shooting for! congrats on the new trailer! They are fun! Yeah it is kinda interesting they don’t plan for that especially with the fancy new ones these days. Those batteries will be a sweet upgrade for the trailer! I looked at going that route on my build but went the cheaper route instead 😂 I might go big next time around, that discharge capacity would be sweet
So if you connect battery + inverter via a transfer switch upstream from converter, wouldnt the converter try to charge the battery using battery’s own power?
Great idea, adding another RV power control box. Google showed a 3 way $859 RV power switching box but I like your solution the best. Question: when RV on Inverter power is your converter powered ON and charging your inverter battery bank ? If NOT, how did you accomplish that ?
Yeah it’s pretty simple! If I’m understanding the question correctly that is going to be no. If you have the inverter on and the battery charger in the converter powered on at the same time it will just waste all your power. Essentially trying to get the batteries to charge themselves at that point. I just flip the breaker for the converter off when I have the inverter on. You could also wire it to where the converter only has power when the shore power or generator leg has power.
Hello great video I bought a Xantrex 2000 pure sine wave with built in 30 amp transfer switch My Dometic consumption fridge when out So I was going to tap in the the fridge receptacle with inverter How May I do that, TIA
Your video kept me from making a big mistake on hooking up my inverter to my RV sub-panel. I wanted to power all of the AC outlets with the inverter and still be able to connect to grid & generator. I didn't think about the back feeding to the inverter if I plugged into the grid or ran the generator. A second transfer switch solves that problem. I have a 50 amp (240V) sub-panel in my RV with breakers sharing the two 120V hot legs with no 240V being used, air conditioner is 120V. My question is, will both hot legs of the panel be energized with 120V when the transfer switches to the inverter (3000W 120V)? I guess it will because when I plug into a 120V grid, both hot legs are tied together giving power to all the breakers. Thank you for giving such an articulate and meaningful video. I like and subscribe to your channel.
Awesome! I’m glad it saved ya from that trouble! That’s exactly why I made the video! As for your question having both legs energized, that will depend on how you wire it and if you want them both on or not. If you want both hot legs to be energized you’d be tying them in to your inverter power the same way as a 120v 30 amp adapter would work. The difference would be when you have a 50 amp setup you have two separate wires, one for each set of breakers. But when you power them all off of a smaller cord both of the hot legs in the panel would get power from the same source. (If you wanted all of the breakers to be powered vs just one set that was more important.) so like if you wanted all the breakers to be powered you’d have to connect both hot lugs in the new switch to the one hot wire from your inverter. (Id probably run one hot wire from each outlet on the inverter to your ats) if you wanted to do just one set then you would connect your inverter power to whatever one that fed the breakers you need to use. Also make sure you get a 50 amp ats for your second one because it will still need to run the full 50 amps when you wanna use the shore or generator power. Hopefully that makes sense?
Thank you! It makes things very convenient with an inverter! For most things a 3000 watt is a pretty reasonable size! The bigger you go you will need to size up your batteries to take full advantage of the extra output. The battery voltage dropping too low has shut down my inverter before maxing out the output
Great video and I see a lot of people who seem to know what they do in the comments, so I chose this video to ask you this question...Hi, I bought a 219BH Passport and it is solar ready. I bought an expansion panel and is fine, but then when I was going to install the inverter...I removed the "future inverter location" box and a 20AMP yellow Romex wire appeared, no ends, is a loop so it comes out of the wall and goes back inside the wall. I don't see any other wires (to the battery) but the converter is next to it so I guess I can wire it directly to the LOAD connectors in the converter. How do I find pictures or instructions on how to deal with the ROMEX loop? I was expecting a terminal or end of the cable. The owners manual reads that is "pre-wired for seven outlets" but I pull and both ends seem to be connected unless it is snagged and I am too weak or afraid to pull hard. My thing is that if it comes prewired is best to use it and looks like that Romex protruding out of that hole like an intestine is where it needs to go but it does not make sense to splice it. I called and chat with Keystone but the girl in the chat had no idea and when I asked for a diagram, like the blue prints of a house, but she says they don't send those to customers. Not even the roof plan to see where the joists would be for the solar panel brackets. I could test the wire but I don't want to cut the insulation. I took pictures but I don't know how to upload them here, ha!
Probably dumb question. If my trailer has one factory transfer switch, and I want to take advantage of the second diagram, all I would have to do is buy one more transfer switch correct?
Yep you will just need one more transfer switch as well as some wire to connect it. Each trailer will be a little different so you will have to take a look at where you can mount the second one and measure how much wire. The last one I did on a newer 5th wheel we put the wire in conduit as well to clean it up a little bit! I added links to a couple switch options in the description as well
That is by far the easiest way I have heard to hook up an inverter. Thank you!!!! I would assume that you hook up a battery disconnect switch in between the inverter and the second automatic transfer switch so it does not drain the battery when you are no longer using the trailer.
No problem! Glad it helped ya! 🤘🏼 If you were to do a battery disconnect switch for the inverter you would want to just put it between the battery and the inverter, there would be no need for a 110v disconnect between the inverter and transfer switch. Although it’s a good idea in some cases I don’t have one before my inverter because I plan to leave it connected all the time. My inverter doesn’t seem to drain the battery when it’s not on and I have the solar panels to keep the batteries topped off at all times
@@AustinStout Good point. The other thing I came up with is to buy an inverter with a remote on/off switch mounted inside the RV. With the inverter turned off it shouldn't allow any residual power flowing to the breaker box. Thanks again for posting the video!
Great informative video. Okay. Can you set up an inverter and the auto transfer switch to both share to power a single 110v breaker box. I want to power a microwave on the same receptacle.
Yep you sure can! That’s how mine is wired! I just ran a wire from the transfer switch to the inverter and used a standard male 110v plug to connect it. Both shore/generator and inverter power go to the same breaker box. If that’s what you are asking?
Austin I am using the exact same setup as in your video second transfer switch question I have is I'vegot acces to victron Multiplus Compact 12 / 2000va / 80amp unit will this work by just taking out the inverter you use and pluging the Victron in? Any help or suggestionswelcome.
Could you just use a marine 3 position main power switch to isolate the generator / inverter to feed into just one transfer switch? In a 6x10 cargo trailer conversion simple and compact seems better.
Great video. Thanks. Did you install a fuse or breaker between the batteries and the inverter? Also, can you direct me to information about how to wire the A?C from the inverter into the power center of the RV?
or just buy an inverter with a built in transfer switch and you don't need any of this. you can run either shore or solar if you need a generator you just use the shore plug.
I set mine up so I just need to unplug shore power and plug into a small 30 amp box I wired to my inverter . Run 3 batteries, 1 is still tied to the system other 2 are just for my solar system . I can recharge my solar battery from my generator with trickle charger as needed
Awesome video!! Just one question, do the 12v batteries just get hooked up to the inverter then go into the transfer switch or do they get hooked up to the converter to be able to get charged and run the 12v accessories or both? Sorry this is all new to me. I have an 8.5x24 enclosed trailer I’m building. I will only have a 30 amp plug coming in, so I will either have that plug into shore power or a portable generator. Thanks again for all your help!!
Yes so the transfer switch is just for the 110v power, you wont connect anything 12v into it. You will need to connect the batteries to both the inverter and the converter. The converter will charge the batteries when you have the generator running or when you are plugged into shore power. The inverter changes the 12v power to 110v power. Now just to be clear you dont have to have an inverter. Adding an inverter to your system is just an added convenience if you dont have a place to plug in or dont want to run a generator. Hopefully that makes sense? Glad I could help! Stoked to hear you have a build underway!
Thanks for this informative video well done. I'm in the process of adding a second ATS. My question is If I disconnect output from transfer switch 1 over to new transfer switch (2) into AC Distribution panel, do I add a new wire from transfer switch 1 to shorepower at new transfer switch?
Thanks! I hope it helps! But yeah you will need a new wire to come from the output of the first switch to the shore power input of the second switch! Then from there you connect the output to your distribution box. If you wanna get crazy and add another breaker you could wire your converter into the output from that first ats as well so your converter will only have power when your generator or shore power leg is live.
@@AustinStout Thank you Austin for the quick response. With that knowledge I'm ready to start my install. By the way my second ATS is pre-wired with inverter and converter 🔌 the converter is wired to the N.O so there Shouldn't be any back feed I think?
Just to be clear, Nothing runs off the converter. The converter is ONLY charging your battery. All 12v appliances are running off of the battery and only the battery, never the converter.
you do not need a second transfer switch for a inverter..just make sure you're transfer switch has the capability of wiring shore ,inverter , generator power and also you're charger /converter.
Question. On your 2 transfer switch diagram , when the power is sent to your converter , the batteries get charged. If your inverter is powering your converter panel , wouldn't that be your batteries powering your inverter to the converter charging your batteries?
Yeah that’s the infinite power loop thing I’m pretty sure I mentioned in this video? (Maybe a different one 😅) But in this setup you just need to flip the converter breaker off while you are using the inverter! You could also change the wiring to have the input power from the converter come off of the shore/generator transfer switch to eliminate that step. Changing the wiring just requires more work and can be kinda confusing on some trailers. You will defiantly know though if you leave your converter on with the inverter because your batteries drain quick 😂 I personally just leave my converter off most of the time because the solar maintains the batteries pretty well
@@AustinStout yeah I'm gonna run one outlet from transfer switch(with a 15amp fuse) , powered on the "gen/shore power" side of transfer switch to to run my battery charger. I don't have an "all in one" RV dc/ac converter panel. Then when the inverter is on that one outlet will be off & the remainder of my AC outlets will be on.
Sweet! I’m glad it helped! Yeah so it will power the converter but you just have to flip the breaker off and you’re good to go. In most trailers it’s super easy access. Also if you want to save more power flip off the breakers to other 110v circuits you aren’t using
@@igotabuzz123 I havnt. Another guy on here brought it to my attention though! We came to the conclusion that the transfer switch itself doesn’t do anything special but it’s how they have it wired. Basically they ran the power to the converter off of the shore power leg in the box. That way it only gets power when it’s on. You could do the same thing with other brands of switches if you were to modify the pre existing wiring for your converter a little bit!
One question I had that brought me to this video was making sure the battery is not being charged while the inverter is on, as I see this as causing faster batter drop. My TT has just a shore power (which we plug directly into our Honda 2000 generator when needed), so I definitely want a transfer switch if we want to seamlessly go from generator to inverter (such as while watching TV) without any issues, but I was concerned about bypassing the converter with the built in charger
Yep good call on looking into a transfer switch, they are nice! It’s pretty easy to deal with the converter/charger situation! Just remember to flip that breaker off when you turn the inverter on and you will be good! Then turn it back on when you switch back to the generator. It’s not going to hurt anything if you forget and were to have the inverter and the converter on for a minute or two but it will drain your batteries quick
@@carlstrohmeyer Oh really? That’s weird I havnt seen that before! In that case you will have to dive a little deeper into the install but you could actually make it work better! Basically you would want to disconnect the big power wire that feeds the charger and run a jumper wire from it over to the shore power terminal inside your transfer switch. That way your charger will only come on when there is power from the generator or plugged into shore power. It kinda sounds like a pain but you don’t have to go much deeper into the install than you already will be for the transfer switch. Does that make sense?
@@carlstrohmeyer Either way would work! The advantage of connecting it to the transfer switch is the fact that it would automatically shut off when the inverter power was being used. You’d probably want to add a breaker for that connection too tho it’s about the same cost wise.
Great video, finally makes sense. So I should turn converter breaker off when inverter is on? And make sure to turn it back on when shore power or generator is on? My motorhome is 30A and I bought a 15A transfer switch by mistake, can I just send inverter power to 15A outlets? Without problems.
Yep flip the converter breaker off. It will run your batteries dead really fast if you leave it on. The problem with adding a 15 amp switch to the 30amp setup like I show in the video is that the rest of the rv power will be running through that switch even if the inverter isn’t on. So you would want to upgrade to a 30amp to avoid overloading that second switch. Does that make sense or?
I mean, you defiantly could but it would be more work and more money in parts. In that case the way I see it is you would want to do a sub breaker box for your 15 amp circuits. (Remove them from the original box) Then install the transfer switch between the original breaker box and the second one. You’d have to run a wire out of the first one to the shore power input of the 15a transfer switch then the other lead to the inverter. The output would then go to the second box. That way it would all be separate on the inverter side but still function properly while plugged in. You can’t really isolate the 15a stuff in the standard box because the breakers are all powered by a buss bar inside the box. if you try and feed power to one breaker it will feed power to all of them. If you connected the switches in more of a parallel fashion you would run the risk of overloading that 15 amp switch when you apply a 30 amp load
Great video. Do you know if it would be ok to run the inverter while the chassis alternator is recharging the house batteries while motor home is running?
You shouldn’t have any issues alternator wise running the inverter while the engine is running but you will want to keep an eye on the battery level. The alternator can only put out a set number of amps and it will vary by rpm. That being said it would be easy for the inverter to use more than the alternator is making
hey man loving your build I myself have a 8.5x24 v nose trailer how the heck to you install the ceiling panels did you fur it out are just went straight to the metal studs with your screws
Right on! Same size as mine! So I did 2” xps foam in the ceiling but the studs are only 1 1/2” so I ripped some one inch strips of 7/16” osb and screwed those on the bottom of the metal studs. Originally I thought I could get away with staples into those strips and the aluminum trim between the ceiling panels but they kept ripping out. I ended up doing an even spacing of self tappers. I can’t remember the name but the screws I used have a fairly low profile head and actually look pretty good
@@jonathan993 might as well! Keep in mind you wouldn’t have to do the wood strips if you decide to go with 1.5” insulation. Buttt I would do as much insulation as you can
Great video just what I was looking to find out for my Class C Thor. One question once everything is connected do you have to disconnect the convertor that came standard with the unit inside the breaker box?
You don’t have to fully disconnect it but when you turn the inverter on you will want to flip the breaker off to the converter. Otherwise it wastes a ton of power trying to charge the batteries from the batteries
They do actually make converter boxes that also have an inverter built in but I personally don’t have any experience with one. I would think if it’s a combo like that it would also use an automatic transfer switch to make everything work. I will say there is also a way to wire your inverter/switch/converter that doesn’t require you to manually turn the converter off every time but it’s a bit more in depth. To do it you have to disconnect the wires from the stock converter and change them over to be powered at the same time as the second transfer switch (on the same leg as the shore power for the second switch)
Austin I am using the exact same setup as in your video second transfer switch question I have is I'vegot acces to victron Multiplus Compact 12 / 2000va / 80amp unit will this work by just taking out the inverter you use and pluging the Victron in? Any help or suggestionswelcome.
Excellent video very well. Diagrammed everything explained thoroughly. I've thought through this myself I have many years of rving the only issue I would propose. Is there will be a feedback loop from the converter when you are energizing the inverter. It would be nice if there was a automated kill switch from the DC charge that goes to the batteries. This would eliminate parasitic loss via converter charging inverter battery source. Could also isolate inverter power source to just that of generator and solar panels. Excellent work. One resolve that I've thought of is putting a transfer switch on a single circuit that may power microwave a K-Cup or a blow dryer. Just a thought. Thanks again great work
Also, I installed a fuse right off the positive terminal going to the inverter. It's something that you would use on a power amplifier for subs on a vehicle, driving 12s, they're used a lot in the automotive sound industry
Also, one other tweak that I've often considered is the bonding that goes on for a GFI. I'm assuming non-electrical expert but I believe with a motorhome or a travel trailer, the bond goes to shore power pedestal. When running from a gen set the bond goes to the generator which is a floating bond. Camping in the wilderness with my travel trailer on several occasions, I've had to drive a grounding bond into the soil surrounding my travel trailer and then connect it to the frame. Most RV frames have a ground post for this purpose, usually by the dual tire set. Again an assumption with an inverter I would think following the manufacturer's installation instructions. Your bond would fight its way to the frame of the vehicle. Hopefully tripping the GFI. Again, not an electrician. Just many years of rving crossing roads with these issues. With my current generator setup and my fifth wheel, I've had to create a jumper plug to stick into the generator electrical panel. It takes the neutral and places it in the ground and then the generator sees that as a bonded circuit. Thanks again! Great great information
It is possible now that I'm thinking of it that the bond is one leg of the transfer switches that never opens. It would make sense that the generator and the inverter would use the same ground wire circuit and be bonded all the way back to the frame or the generator. Again, all assumptions, not an electrician
So I wasn’t too familiar with the yeti 1400 but after looking it up there shouldn’t be a problem wiring a transfer switch up after the unit. The main thing to consider is the power consumption of the switch itself. If a little extra power draw isn’t going to be too big of a deal I’d say go for it. But if you don’t have many solar panels and want to run the 110v power for extended periods of time you might want to look into a different wiring setup that will be more efficient. (Manual plugs) It all depends how much of the time you will be plugged into power and how much of the time you will be running off of the yeti. That make sense?
I have a Renogy 3000w inverter. It has connections for hard wiring outlets instead of using the outlets on the inverter. Does anyone know if I need to fuse or use a circuit breaker between the outlets and inverter? I dont need transfer switches or anything because I have a seperate converter for shore power
I mean ultimately in my opinion it would be a good idea to have circuit breakers between the inverter and the outlets. That way if something does happen (coffee pot shorts out, mouse chews the wires etc) it won’t ruin your inverter. A good reason to run the inverter power through the stock breaker box is so that you don’t have to add a bunch of auxiliary breakers. Save some money and a lot of effort. Since it sounds like you have a separate setup though one idea would be to add a main breaker right after the inverter and have all your outlets going through that. Kinda sweet your inverter has connections to hardwire it!
Down the best video with the easiest most comprehensive visual tutorial seen on RUclips, thanks man. Nice Build!!!
I’ve been sifting through videos for hours trying to find exactly what you explained. Thank you!
Hey glad I could help! 🤘🏼
@@AustinStout wiring in the second transfer switch as recommended, will the converter keep trying to charge the batteries off the batteries creating a loop and draining the batteries?
Yeah it will so when you have the inverter on just make sure to flip the breaker for the converter off. You could also get more in depth and connect the main power for the converter to the other leg of the transfer switch with the generator/shore power wire. That way the converter would only have power when the generator or shore power are on thus eliminating that battery drain loop. If that makes sense? I didn’t think about wiring mine that way when I originally did the install
Great Video !! Everything I needed to know - I'm an electrical engineer with 30+ years experience but a newbie to RV's just bought a 2015 Thor AXIS Vegas 24.1 and the panel is near identical. Also I was very surprised these units aren't already built with this in mind; my surprise when I found all 3 TV's and every outlet was dead - I checked the obvious breakers etc but then realized SOAB this unit is not equipped with an inverter. Your video is a slam dunk - I'm also going to upgrade to LiFePO4 batteries.
Perfect! That’s what I was shooting for! congrats on the new trailer! They are fun! Yeah it is kinda interesting they don’t plan for that especially with the fancy new ones these days. Those batteries will be a sweet upgrade for the trailer! I looked at going that route on my build but went the cheaper route instead 😂 I might go big next time around, that discharge capacity would be sweet
Probably one of the best videos I've seen explaining this, thank you.
Awesome! I’m stoked it helped ya! 🤘🏼
Best inverter install video on utube! No one else explained about the second relay and you show exactly how and WHY☺. Hats off to ya dude, great job😊
Thanks man! Glad it was clear and helpful for ya! That’s what I was shooting for! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
So if you connect battery + inverter via a transfer switch upstream from converter, wouldnt the converter try to charge the battery using battery’s own power?
Excellent review. You just answered my question on "do I need 2 transfer switches". Got it mate. Thanks.
No problem 👍
thanks bro easy simple I was looking for this diagram for 3 days yours is the best in you tube keep it up subscribed
Glad it was able to help ya! Thanks for the sub!! 🤘🏼👊🏻
@@AustinStout thanks keep it up
Same HERE!!
@@abbiebeast yehhw! 🤙🏼
@@AustinStout You deserve it son great job! Keep up the good work!!
Nice work bud. Keep it up!!! I found your channel because I'm in the early stages of my "camper" build.
Sorry I missed your comment! But that’s awesome! Hopefully my channel can help ya in your build! The research and planning stage is pretty fun IMO
very nice video. Very clearly communicated
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped ya!
Great idea, adding another RV power control box. Google showed a 3 way $859 RV power switching box but I like your solution the best. Question: when RV on Inverter power is your converter powered ON and charging your inverter battery bank ? If NOT, how did you accomplish that ?
Yeah it’s pretty simple! If I’m understanding the question correctly that is going to be no. If you have the inverter on and the battery charger in the converter powered on at the same time it will just waste all your power. Essentially trying to get the batteries to charge themselves at that point. I just flip the breaker for the converter off when I have the inverter on. You could also wire it to where the converter only has power when the shore power or generator leg has power.
Amen Brother - keep up the good work!!
Great job
Thanks!
Hello great video
I bought a Xantrex 2000 pure sine wave with built in 30 amp transfer switch
My Dometic consumption fridge when out
So I was going to tap in the the fridge receptacle with inverter
How May I do that, TIA
Excellent!
Your video kept me from making a big mistake on hooking up my inverter to my RV sub-panel. I wanted to power all of the AC outlets with the inverter and still be able to connect to grid & generator. I didn't think about the back feeding to the inverter if I plugged into the grid or ran the generator. A second transfer switch solves that problem. I have a 50 amp (240V) sub-panel in my RV with breakers sharing the two 120V hot legs with no 240V being used, air conditioner is 120V. My question is, will both hot legs of the panel be energized with 120V when the transfer switches to the inverter (3000W 120V)? I guess it will because when I plug into a 120V grid, both hot legs are tied together giving power to all the breakers. Thank you for giving such an articulate and meaningful video. I like and subscribe to your channel.
Awesome! I’m glad it saved ya from that trouble! That’s exactly why I made the video! As for your question having both legs energized, that will depend on how you wire it and if you want them both on or not. If you want both hot legs to be energized you’d be tying them in to your inverter power the same way as a 120v 30 amp adapter would work. The difference would be when you have a 50 amp setup you have two separate wires, one for each set of breakers. But when you power them all off of a smaller cord both of the hot legs in the panel would get power from the same source. (If you wanted all of the breakers to be powered vs just one set that was more important.) so like if you wanted all the breakers to be powered you’d have to connect both hot lugs in the new switch to the one hot wire from your inverter. (Id probably run one hot wire from each outlet on the inverter to your ats) if you wanted to do just one set then you would connect your inverter power to whatever one that fed the breakers you need to use. Also make sure you get a 50 amp ats for your second one because it will still need to run the full 50 amps when you wanna use the shore or generator power. Hopefully that makes sense?
great video, looking to do the same on my 30 travel trailer trying to decide on how big an inverter do I need , most likely a 3000 watt.
Thank you! It makes things very convenient with an inverter! For most things a 3000 watt is a pretty reasonable size! The bigger you go you will need to size up your batteries to take full advantage of the extra output. The battery voltage dropping too low has shut down my inverter before maxing out the output
Excellent!! Is there a transfer switch product that allows input from generator, shore power AND an inverter? THAT would make life much simpler!!!
It would! I’m not sure if those are available or not. I’ve seen people run two transfer switches back to back to solve that issue though!
@@AustinStout Yep, that's exactly what I am going to do! Easy and not too expensive.
Great video and I see a lot of people who seem to know what they do in the comments, so I chose this video to ask you this question...Hi, I bought a 219BH Passport and it is solar ready. I bought an expansion panel and is fine, but then when I was going to install the inverter...I removed the "future inverter location" box and a 20AMP yellow Romex wire appeared, no ends, is a loop so it comes out of the wall and goes back inside the wall. I don't see any other wires (to the battery) but the converter is next to it so I guess I can wire it directly to the LOAD connectors in the converter. How do I find pictures or instructions on how to deal with the ROMEX loop? I was expecting a terminal or end of the cable. The owners manual reads that is "pre-wired for seven outlets" but I pull and both ends seem to be connected unless it is snagged and I am too weak or afraid to pull hard.
My thing is that if it comes prewired is best to use it and looks like that Romex protruding out of that hole like an intestine is where it needs to go but it does not make sense to splice it. I called and chat with Keystone but the girl in the chat had no idea and when I asked for a diagram, like the blue prints of a house, but she says they don't send those to customers. Not even the roof plan to see where the joists would be for the solar panel brackets.
I could test the wire but I don't want to cut the insulation. I took pictures but I don't know how to upload them here, ha!
Probably dumb question. If my trailer has one factory transfer switch, and I want to take advantage of the second diagram, all I would have to do is buy one more transfer switch correct?
Yep you will just need one more transfer switch as well as some wire to connect it. Each trailer will be a little different so you will have to take a look at where you can mount the second one and measure how much wire. The last one I did on a newer 5th wheel we put the wire in conduit as well to clean it up a little bit!
I added links to a couple switch options in the description as well
That is by far the easiest way I have heard to hook up an inverter. Thank you!!!! I would assume that you hook up a battery disconnect switch in between the inverter and the second automatic transfer switch so it does not drain the battery when you are no longer using the trailer.
No problem! Glad it helped ya! 🤘🏼
If you were to do a battery disconnect switch for the inverter you would want to just put it between the battery and the inverter, there would be no need for a 110v disconnect between the inverter and transfer switch. Although it’s a good idea in some cases I don’t have one before my inverter because I plan to leave it connected all the time. My inverter doesn’t seem to drain the battery when it’s not on and I have the solar panels to keep the batteries topped off at all times
@@AustinStout Good point. The other thing I came up with is to buy an inverter with a remote on/off switch mounted inside the RV. With the inverter turned off it shouldn't allow any residual power flowing to the breaker box. Thanks again for posting the video!
@@boy2cuda Solid idea! The remote is so handy! That’s how I did mine. I ran the switch up by the controls for the water heater and water pump
Thanks austin
Awesome video my dude!!
sharp96ss Hey thank you! 💪🏻
Great informative video.
Okay. Can you set up an inverter and the auto transfer switch to both share to power a single 110v breaker box. I want to power a microwave on the same receptacle.
Yep you sure can! That’s how mine is wired! I just ran a wire from the transfer switch to the inverter and used a standard male 110v plug to connect it. Both shore/generator and inverter power go to the same breaker box. If that’s what you are asking?
Nice!
Austin I am using the exact same setup as in your video second transfer switch question I have is I'vegot acces to victron Multiplus Compact 12 / 2000va / 80amp unit will this work by just taking out the inverter you use and pluging the Victron in? Any help or suggestionswelcome.
Could you just use a marine 3 position main power switch to isolate the generator / inverter to feed into just one transfer switch? In a 6x10 cargo trailer conversion simple and compact seems better.
Great video. Thanks. Did you install a fuse or breaker between the batteries and the inverter? Also, can you direct me to information about how to wire the A?C from the inverter into the power center of the RV?
or just buy an inverter with a built in transfer switch and you don't need any of this. you can run either shore or solar if you need a generator you just use the shore plug.
Or that too! I havnt seen any like that but it would be super nice to have everything all in one unit
ruclips.net/video/iASOOzUCRto/видео.htmlsi=3icuUn9FvEfDK5HY
I set mine up so I just need to unplug shore power and plug into a small 30 amp box I wired to my inverter . Run 3 batteries, 1 is still tied to the system other 2 are just for my solar system . I can recharge my solar battery from my generator with trickle charger as needed
Awesome video!! Just one question, do the 12v batteries just get hooked up to the inverter then go into the transfer switch or do they get hooked up to the converter to be able to get charged and run the 12v accessories or both? Sorry this is all new to me. I have an 8.5x24 enclosed trailer I’m building. I will only have a 30 amp plug coming in, so I will either have that plug into shore power or a portable generator. Thanks again for all your help!!
Yes so the transfer switch is just for the 110v power, you wont connect anything 12v into it. You will need to connect the batteries to both the inverter and the converter. The converter will charge the batteries when you have the generator running or when you are plugged into shore power. The inverter changes the 12v power to 110v power. Now just to be clear you dont have to have an inverter. Adding an inverter to your system is just an added convenience if you dont have a place to plug in or dont want to run a generator. Hopefully that makes sense?
Glad I could help! Stoked to hear you have a build underway!
Thanks for this informative video well done. I'm in the process of adding a second ATS. My question is If I disconnect output from transfer switch 1 over to new transfer switch (2) into AC Distribution panel, do I add a new wire from transfer switch 1 to shorepower at new transfer switch?
Thanks! I hope it helps! But yeah you will need a new wire to come from the output of the first switch to the shore power input of the second switch! Then from there you connect the output to your distribution box.
If you wanna get crazy and add another breaker you could wire your converter into the output from that first ats as well so your converter will only have power when your generator or shore power leg is live.
@@AustinStout Thank you Austin for the quick response. With that knowledge I'm ready to start my install. By the way my second ATS is pre-wired with inverter and converter 🔌 the converter is wired to the N.O so there Shouldn't be any back feed I think?
@@rjshather Right on! 🤙🏼 Some of those all in one units are pretty sweet! Im not super familiar with how they are wired though
Just to be clear, Nothing runs off the converter. The converter is ONLY charging your battery. All 12v appliances are running off of the battery and only the battery, never the converter.
you do not need a second transfer switch for a inverter..just make sure you're transfer switch has the capability of wiring shore ,inverter , generator power and also you're charger /converter.
Question. On your 2 transfer switch diagram , when the power is sent to your converter , the batteries get charged. If your inverter is powering your converter panel , wouldn't that be your batteries powering your inverter to the converter charging your batteries?
Yeah that’s the infinite power loop thing I’m pretty sure I mentioned in this video? (Maybe a different one 😅)
But in this setup you just need to flip the converter breaker off while you are using the inverter! You could also change the wiring to have the input power from the converter come off of the shore/generator transfer switch to eliminate that step. Changing the wiring just requires more work and can be kinda confusing on some trailers. You will defiantly know though if you leave your converter on with the inverter because your batteries drain quick 😂
I personally just leave my converter off most of the time because the solar maintains the batteries pretty well
@@AustinStout yeah I'm gonna run one outlet from transfer switch(with a 15amp fuse) , powered on the "gen/shore power" side of transfer switch to to run my battery charger. I don't have an "all in one" RV dc/ac converter panel. Then when the inverter is on that one outlet will be off & the remainder of my AC outlets will be on.
This is very helpful. My only concern with this set up is when the inverter is running won't it be powering the converter? Thank for you video.
Sweet! I’m glad it helped! Yeah so it will power the converter but you just have to flip the breaker off and you’re good to go. In most trailers it’s super easy access. Also if you want to save more power flip off the breakers to other 110v circuits you aren’t using
@@AustinStout Have you ever used the go power TS30? It only runs converter when hooked up to shore power and disconnects when inverter power is used.
@@igotabuzz123 I havnt. Another guy on here brought it to my attention though! We came to the conclusion that the transfer switch itself doesn’t do anything special but it’s how they have it wired. Basically they ran the power to the converter off of the shore power leg in the box. That way it only gets power when it’s on. You could do the same thing with other brands of switches if you were to modify the pre existing wiring for your converter a little bit!
One question I had that brought me to this video was making sure the battery is not being charged while the inverter is on, as I see this as causing faster batter drop. My TT has just a shore power (which we plug directly into our Honda 2000 generator when needed), so I definitely want a transfer switch if we want to seamlessly go from generator to inverter (such as while watching TV) without any issues, but I was concerned about bypassing the converter with the built in charger
Yep good call on looking into a transfer switch, they are nice! It’s pretty easy to deal with the converter/charger situation! Just remember to flip that breaker off when you turn the inverter on and you will be good! Then turn it back on when you switch back to the generator. It’s not going to hurt anything if you forget and were to have the inverter and the converter on for a minute or two but it will drain your batteries quick
@@AustinStout The only problem is my converter/battery charger is on the same breaker as the TV and other outlets
@@carlstrohmeyer Oh really? That’s weird I havnt seen that before! In that case you will have to dive a little deeper into the install but you could actually make it work better! Basically you would want to disconnect the big power wire that feeds the charger and run a jumper wire from it over to the shore power terminal inside your transfer switch. That way your charger will only come on when there is power from the generator or plugged into shore power. It kinda sounds like a pain but you don’t have to go much deeper into the install than you already will be for the transfer switch. Does that make sense?
@@AustinStout Yes this does make sense. I was also thinking about moving what comes out of the breaker to another, but your idea might be better
@@carlstrohmeyer Either way would work! The advantage of connecting it to the transfer switch is the fact that it would automatically shut off when the inverter power was being used. You’d probably want to add a breaker for that connection too tho it’s about the same cost wise.
Great video, finally makes sense. So I should turn converter breaker off when inverter is on? And make sure to turn it back on when shore power or generator is on? My motorhome is 30A and I bought a 15A transfer switch by mistake, can I just send inverter power to 15A outlets? Without problems.
Yep flip the converter breaker off. It will run your batteries dead really fast if you leave it on. The problem with adding a 15 amp switch to the 30amp setup like I show in the video is that the rest of the rv power will be running through that switch even if the inverter isn’t on. So you would want to upgrade to a 30amp to avoid overloading that second switch. Does that make sense or?
@@AustinStout makes sense, but is it possible to wire in the transfer switch only for outlets, which shouldn't get more then 15a?
I mean, you defiantly could but it would be more work and more money in parts. In that case the way I see it is you would want to do a sub breaker box for your 15 amp circuits. (Remove them from the original box) Then install the transfer switch between the original breaker box and the second one. You’d have to run a wire out of the first one to the shore power input of the 15a transfer switch then the other lead to the inverter. The output would then go to the second box. That way it would all be separate on the inverter side but still function properly while plugged in. You can’t really isolate the 15a stuff in the standard box because the breakers are all powered by a buss bar inside the box. if you try and feed power to one breaker it will feed power to all of them. If you connected the switches in more of a parallel fashion you would run the risk of overloading that 15 amp switch when you apply a 30 amp load
@@AustinStout thanks so much for the detailed answer, ordering 30A transfer switch.
@@zahidc3145 Anytime! Glad I could help 🤘🏼
Great video. Do you know if it would be ok to run the inverter while the chassis alternator is recharging the house batteries while motor home is running?
You shouldn’t have any issues alternator wise running the inverter while the engine is running but you will want to keep an eye on the battery level. The alternator can only put out a set number of amps and it will vary by rpm. That being said it would be easy for the inverter to use more than the alternator is making
@@AustinStout Thank you. I appreciate the quick reply.
hey man loving your build I myself have a 8.5x24 v nose trailer how the heck to you install the ceiling panels did you fur it out are just went straight to the metal studs with your screws
Right on! Same size as mine! So I did 2” xps foam in the ceiling but the studs are only 1 1/2” so I ripped some one inch strips of 7/16” osb and screwed those on the bottom of the metal studs. Originally I thought I could get away with staples into those strips and the aluminum trim between the ceiling panels but they kept ripping out. I ended up doing an even spacing of self tappers. I can’t remember the name but the screws I used have a fairly low profile head and actually look pretty good
@@AustinStout thanks ill be a copy cat and try this method out
@@jonathan993 might as well! Keep in mind you wouldn’t have to do the wood strips if you decide to go with 1.5” insulation. Buttt I would do as much insulation as you can
Great video just what I was looking to find out for my Class C Thor. One question once everything is connected do you have to disconnect the convertor that came standard with the unit inside the breaker box?
You don’t have to fully disconnect it but when you turn the inverter on you will want to flip the breaker off to the converter. Otherwise it wastes a ton of power trying to charge the batteries from the batteries
@@AustinStout Thanks for the reply. Is there an Inverter that also has a Converter switch built within it?
Austin sorry I did not mean Inverter I was thing of a TS that has this all built in.
They do actually make converter boxes that also have an inverter built in but I personally don’t have any experience with one. I would think if it’s a combo like that it would also use an automatic transfer switch to make everything work.
I will say there is also a way to wire your inverter/switch/converter that doesn’t require you to manually turn the converter off every time but it’s a bit more in depth. To do it you have to disconnect the wires from the stock converter and change them over to be powered at the same time as the second transfer switch (on the same leg as the shore power for the second switch)
Austin I am using the exact same setup as in your video second transfer switch question I have is I'vegot acces to victron Multiplus Compact 12 / 2000va / 80amp unit will this work by just taking out the inverter you use and pluging the Victron in? Any help or suggestionswelcome.
Excellent video very well. Diagrammed everything explained thoroughly.
I've thought through this myself I have many years of rving the only issue I would propose.
Is there will be a feedback loop from the converter when you are energizing the inverter.
It would be nice if there was a automated kill switch from the DC charge that goes to the batteries. This would eliminate parasitic loss via converter charging inverter battery source.
Could also isolate inverter power source to just that of generator and solar panels.
Excellent work.
One resolve that I've thought of is putting a transfer switch on a single circuit that may power microwave a K-Cup or a blow dryer.
Just a thought. Thanks again great work
BTW my inverter does have a breaker push button style on the front of it for the 110 outlets
Also, I installed a fuse right off the positive terminal going to the inverter. It's something that you would use on a power amplifier for subs on a vehicle, driving 12s, they're used a lot in the automotive sound industry
Also, one other tweak that I've often considered is the bonding that goes on for a GFI.
I'm assuming non-electrical expert but I believe with a motorhome or a travel trailer, the bond goes to shore power pedestal.
When running from a gen set the bond goes to the generator which is a floating bond.
Camping in the wilderness with my travel trailer on several occasions, I've had to drive a grounding bond into the soil surrounding my travel trailer and then connect it to the frame. Most RV frames have a ground post for this purpose, usually by the dual tire set.
Again an assumption with an inverter I would think following the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Your bond would fight its way to the frame of the vehicle. Hopefully tripping the GFI.
Again, not an electrician. Just many years of rving crossing roads with these issues.
With my current generator setup and my fifth wheel, I've had to create a jumper plug to stick into the generator electrical panel.
It takes the neutral and places it in the ground and then the generator sees that as a bonded circuit.
Thanks again! Great great information
It is possible now that I'm thinking of it that the bond is one leg of the transfer switches that never opens. It would make sense that the generator and the inverter would use the same ground wire circuit and be bonded all the way back to the frame or the generator.
Again, all assumptions, not an electrician
can anybody help me , ? I have yeti 1400 ,can I use it as inverter /battery on this diagram? thanks
So I wasn’t too familiar with the yeti 1400 but after looking it up there shouldn’t be a problem wiring a transfer switch up after the unit. The main thing to consider is the power consumption of the switch itself. If a little extra power draw isn’t going to be too big of a deal I’d say go for it. But if you don’t have many solar panels and want to run the 110v power for extended periods of time you might want to look into a different wiring setup that will be more efficient. (Manual plugs) It all depends how much of the time you will be plugged into power and how much of the time you will be running off of the yeti. That make sense?
@@AustinStout thank you so much yes I have got the answer .
I'm just keeping my system separate and plugging my inverter into the shore power plug.
Keep it simple! I like it. Probably a little more efficient too since you don’t have something else using power
You still have to turn off the converter switch correct?
I have a Renogy 3000w inverter. It has connections for hard wiring outlets instead of using the outlets on the inverter. Does anyone know if I need to fuse or use a circuit breaker between the outlets and inverter? I dont need transfer switches or anything because I have a seperate converter for shore power
I mean ultimately in my opinion it would be a good idea to have circuit breakers between the inverter and the outlets. That way if something does happen (coffee pot shorts out, mouse chews the wires etc) it won’t ruin your inverter.
A good reason to run the inverter power through the stock breaker box is so that you don’t have to add a bunch of auxiliary breakers. Save some money and a lot of effort.
Since it sounds like you have a separate setup though one idea would be to add a main breaker right after the inverter and have all your outlets going through that.
Kinda sweet your inverter has connections to hardwire it!
Any chance you live near Portland? I’d like to hire you to install mine.
I’d be down to install it for ya I think it’s pretty fun! Buttt I’m in central utah tho haha
whays up with the sound? there is none/
It’s workin fine for me now. At first it started playing without sound but I reloaded the page and it’s fine