Tripplite Clicking Intermittently, 120 power On and Off

[peteco]

I hooked up 120v power to my 2006 Roadtrek 210P. The Tripplite RV750ULHW inverter/charger started clicking on and off. It would stay on for a moment or a few seconds then cut off. It did this for about 5 minutes before I disconnected the 120. Reconnected 120v power and it did the same thing. I had a fan hooked to one outlet and it would occasionally cycle on and off while the inverter/charger was clicking on and off. The Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C Electrical Management System (PI EMS) showed code E0, 121v, 0A. But occasionally the EMS-HW30C display showed OFF, which seemed odd.

I then disconnected 120v and turned the PI EMS switch to off. Reconnected 120v, the PI EMS showed OFF. The inverter/charger still clicked on and off.

I then disconnected 120v. Then I switched the PI EMS on and reconnected 120v. The inverter/charger clicked on and off again for a minute or so. The PI EMS still showed E0, 121v, 0A, but if did not show OFF like it had earlier. Then all of a sudden the inverter/charger stayed on with no more clicking. The PI EMS showed E0, 117v, 7A. The inverter/charger was now charging the battery. I checked again after an hour and all was operating fine.

I am puzzled as to what had failed intermittently: the inverter/charger or the PI EMS. Or could a flaky transfer switch cause this behavior? This concerns me as we are going on a big trip in a month and don’t want a failure on the road.

Any ideas what happened or what to check?

[rowiebowie]

I've never had your problem.

The only time I've heard any clicking by my Tripp Lite RV750ULHW is when my power source (generator) was cutting out while running my roof ac. Then, I believe it was cutting charger power momentarily to allow all generator output to go to running the ac. I had nothing else plugged in to the outlets and don't think the Tripp Lite was doing anything but it'd job.

[booster]

It sounds kind of like the automatic transfer switch was not locking in so the EMS and the Tripplite weren't seeing clean power.


The Tripplite also looks at the battery to make sure it is in the circuit and with adequate voltage and capacity to take amperage and will kick out if it doesn't like what it sees.


The really odd part is why it fixed itself somehow.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by booster

It sounds kind of like the automatic transfer switch was not locking in so the EMS and the Tripplite weren't seeing clean power.


The Tripplite also looks at the battery to make sure it is in the circuit and with adequate voltage and capacity to take amperage and will kick out if it doesn't like what it sees.


The really odd part is why it fixed itself somehow.

I suspect the transfer switch too. Maybe (hopefully) a loose connection. I had been in the electrical compartment earlier and had pushed on some wires before this happened. The transfer box is wedged in tightly and I may need to remove the Tripplite to get to it.

[dicktill]

Hi Pete,

Is the Industries EMS-HW30C Electrical Management System (PI EMS) wired in before or after the transfer switch? (hopefully after)

I'm having trouble seeing the transfer switch as the problem as they are normally (non-activated) in the shore power position, and it needs to see voltage from the generator to flip.

I suspect a problem with the TrippLite.

Regards, Dick

[markopolo]

I don't have any of Pete's equipment but experienced intermittent power getting to the coach circuits. It appeared to be happening at the inverter/charger because of noises there but the problem was actually at the campsite 30A outlet. The wiring behind that campsite outlet had a poor connection. Power would pass through when a moderate to heavy load was present but was intermittent when only light loads were present.

I switched to the 50A outlet on the post and the issue disappeared. That confirmed that all was well within my coach.

My guess was that more resistance / more heat with the higher loads temporarily improved the connection behind the 30A outlet. A campground staff member installed a new 30A outlet and the problem was fixed.

I throw this out there as just another thing to check during the troubleshooting.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by dicktill

Hi Pete,

Is the Industries EMS-HW30C Electrical Management System (PI EMS) wired in before or after the transfer switch? (hopefully after)

I'm having trouble seeing the transfer switch as the problem as they are normally (non-activated) in the shore power position, and it needs to see voltage from the generator to flip.

I suspect a problem with the TrippLite.

Regards, Dick

The PI EMS is before the transfer switch. I see now from some other information I have just read, and your comment, that it should be after so the system is protected from both generator and transfer switch issues.

Regarding the Tripplite, I had pushed on some wires to it so I need to check those connections as well.

[booster]

Originally Posted by peteco

The PI EMS is before the transfer switch. I see now from some other information I have just read, and your comment, that it should be after so the system is protected from both generator and transfer switch issues.

Regarding the Tripplite, I had pushed on some wires to it so I need to check those connections as well.

With the transfer switch after the power protection, and the protector showing mostly good power. It does limit the areas to look. IIRC. our Tripplite just had a 110v cord and plug for 110v, plus and minus for 12v and the CAT5 remote inverter switch connection so not a lot of places to check.



When I removed our transfer switch when doing the Magnum swap in a few years ago, I found that the connections for it to be quite loose, with a couple of them showing heat damage. I don't know if they were never properly tightened originally or if they worked loose. We never saw any issues with power, though. Ours protector was also before the transfer switch.