Power outlets only work with shore power

[Kinch]

Hi all, I am very new to the RV life, having picked up my first class B (or RV of any type for that matter) recently.
I bought a 98 Roadtrek 170 that has some issues I was aware of beforehand and am beginning to work through them so expect to see me on here often throwing up various SOS's.


Anyway, the first issue I'm trying to resolve is that the power outlets only work when shore power is connected. I've checked the trip switches on all the GFCI outlets. All electricity works fine when plugged in but dead when running off of the aux battery.

Same goes for the two front lights (over captains chairs) although the rest of the lights work fine off of the aux battery

I'm suspecting a fuse/breaker on the 12v circuit that feeds the outlets and those two front lights but I'm just working off of the general Roadtrek manual and don't have any detail on how all is wired.

Any suggestions before I dig in would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

[henknoordermeer]

110VAC outlets are typically powered only when connected to shore power, or when the generator is running. It could be that some outlets are connected to a power inverter that creates 11VAC out of the 12VDC from the battery, but that is usually not the case.
So, very likely that this is expected behavior.

It would be strange that they had connected some lights to work on 110VAC only. I would imagine that those lights are maybe connected to the engine battery, and not the house battery. Possibly you would need to have the 'interior' lights switch set to be on also when the doors are closed? (In mine the lights over the captain seats turn on/off when the doors are opened/closed). To be able to have them on when the doors are closed I need to turn the dashboard light level switch all the way so that the interior lights are enabled. (Mine is built on the 1997 Dodge B3500 chassis, yours probably also?)

Good luck,

[booster]

Are we talking about 110v power outlets or 12v outlets? GFCI outlets are only for the 110v but it appears the 12v are your concern?


If the power outlets are the 12v cigarette type in the dash, they are likely to be run off the chassis battery so check with the engine running or key on. The front lights might be considered map lights and be on the same circuit so check the same.


Any 12v outlets or lights that are connected to the coach battery should also work on 110v as the battery connections don't change when on shore power. All that happens is the battery charger comes on.

[Kinch]

Makes sense. Like I said, completely new to all this so thanks very much for the replies

[GallenH]

I'm on a 1996 Dodge 3500 chassis (1997 Pleasureway) and here are the instructions I have in the manual for the lights above the driver/passenger (it calls them "map lights.")

[Quote from PW owner's manual]

"OPTION 1: With headlight knob turned to center, lights will turn on when you open the doors and off when you shut them.

OPTION 2: With the headlight knob turned all the way left, the lights can be turned on with the switches on the map lights with the doors closed. Do not leave headlight knob in this position unless you are driving or it will slowly drain and kill the chassis battery.

OPTION 3: With the headlight knob turned all the way right, the lights will not come on when you open doors. Note: This is the position that this should be left in when not driving."

[Kinch]

Got it, thanks

[Cal 20 Sailor]

If you are referring to power to your 110vac outlets the first question is: Does your rig have an inverter installed to convert the battery's 12v to 110vac to power the 110vac outlets? If not, then that means they are indeed probably only powered when you are plugged in to shore power. You should get an experienced electrician to take a look at your setup to see what you've got...

[TatraDog]

Kinch,

Basically, the 110 volt outlets in your RV only work when:
1 - You are plugged in to a 110 volt power source (shore power)
2 - Your generator is running, which produces 110 volt power

The above is true in all older RV's, unless you have retro-fitted newer style batteries, inverters and other hi-tech electronics.

Since about 2010 some newer RV's have the new hi-tech batteries & electronics factory installed that will run 110 outlets via this battery bank OR with an under-hood generator running off the engine. But you will not find any of this technology factory installed in older RV's, as this technology did not exist at the time they were built.

I have an "old school" 1998 Coachmen, so I also have to be plugged in to shore power or use my generator for 110 volt.

David

[engnrsrule]

You do not sate whether you are equipped with an inverter. If you are expecting there to be 110 without shore connection or generator, then I assume you understand there must be an inverter to change coach battery 12vdc to 110vac.

On my 2006 Roadtrek the inverter must be manually turned on when 110 is desired, and turned off when it is not needed. This is because inverters use current even when there is no 110 demand, and will drain the coach batteries. So in normal mode without shore tie there will be no 110v power unless the inverter is turned on.

Additionally, my Roadtrek limits the inverter output to only two outlets (one for galley and one for TV/DVD), with all other 110v outlets and appliances being dead unless shore tie connected or generator running. This is logical considering the inverter cannot power things like the microwave, air conditioner, or coffee pot.

[Hammernine]

Older Roadtreks come with a converter that will convert 110 to 12 volt. So you will only get 110 when plugged in. We changed ours out for a inverter with solar on the roof. This allows us to have 110 all the time.

[engnrsrule]

I have an extensive thread on my upgrade to the original Roadtrek Inverter (Tripplite Inverter/Charger/Converter) configuration.

See it at https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...ade-10087.html for a lot more detail and pictures.

In a nutshell:
1. I wanted more 110v power than the 750w Tripplite provided. New Inverter is 1500w steady and 3000w peak.
2. I needed pure sine wave alternating current. The Tripplite provided a modified sine wave alternating current. MSW is not tolerated by many electronic devices, which are the primary things powered off the inverter. New inverter is pure sine wave.
3. I wanted 110 from inverter supplied to the 110 breaker box, not to the 2 limited circuit formerly fed off the Tripplite. While I realize the inverter could not power the Air conditioning, water heater, or microwave, For convenience I wanted to plug minor electronics into any outlets. The heavier load items I manage fine by just not using them on inverter.
4. I also upgraded battery capacity from original single 12v/90Ah battery to two 6v 236Ah batteries, and a Victron battery monitoring system.

One other aspect was to make sure the inverter did not power the battery charger. To accomplish this the battery charger is fed off a dedicated circuit directly from the shore tie/generator transfer switch (with its own 15a breaker). In this way the battery charger is powered only when the rig is connected to shore tie or the generator is running.

A challenge on the Roadtrek, and I imagine most other class B's is managing to fit everything into the space available. The RT Sprinter has a tiny electrical compartment. The existing batter compartment was sized for two 6V batteries, which was an option when purchased. The new battery charger took up 2/3 of the Tripplite's footprint. A second Auto Transfer Switch was needed to provide switching between the Shore Tie/Generator switch output and the inverter (formerly integral to the old Tripplite). The new Inverter rests on a bracket above it all. The battery monitor shunt also went into the space. The two pics show the space with the inverter out of the way and in place. Fortunately there is still decent airflow.

[Puppyson]

Do you happen to have a copy of that manual still? Mine came with no manual or books. Is there any more electrical or plumbing info in your book?