Inverter circuit help

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

2004 Patriot Thunder, Trace RV2512M inverter. I went to add air to a tire with my onboard compressor (which I have done many times). When the compressor kicked on, it stopped immediately with a click sound, like the GFCI it is connected to tripped. Tried to reset and no luck. So, out with the test meter. There is no power to or out of that GFCI or for that matter the other GFCI on that circuit. More testing shows I have power to the sub panel from the main panel and power going out from the 3 sub panel breakers but no power on any of those circuits at the receptacles or lights on those circuits. This is when plugged into 50amps or using the generator or just the inverter. Nothing, not even pass through voltage. All the circuits not on the inverter work fine. The remote panel (RC7 GS) shows that the inverter is operating normally. I must be missing a GFCI somewhere but I have checked all I can find. Any suggestions? Thanks, Marty

[Gerald Farris]

Marty,
I am having a little trouble understanding where the power stops. The subpanel should be after the inverter, so if you have power at the subpanel, you are getting passthrough voltage, and you are loosing power at a junction box or at a daisy chained base plug, but that would only kill one circuit and not all inverter feed circuits. However, If I did not understand correctly and you have no power out of the inverter, it is either a bad contact, a tripped circuit breaker on the inverter, or a bad passthrough relay in the inverter.

Gerald

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Gerald, I have power at the sub panel and I just found that I also have power to the Microwave circuit. the other 2 circuits are dead. It must be a GFCI somewhere that I can't find. Marty

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Marty,
A "knee jerk" response but it is probably in the basement.
Steve

[Mike Shumack]

As Steve said, check the GFI in the basement first. That one feeds a lot of circuits.

[Bill Sprague]

Our Monterey had one of those GFCIs in one of the basement storage bays.  It seemed to trip mostly when it was dark, raining and/or cold outside.  One day I decided it was "worn out" and I put in a regular outlet that would not trip when it was dark, raining or cold!

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Thank you everyone for the replies. There is only one leg from the inverter sup-panel that is dead, the one marked: Lights ,Entert, Misc and Recept. The leg that Mike sent a diagram of. I have the diagrams. The problem is, I have power at that breaker in the sub-panel but I have no power at that first GFCI in the basement. There is also no power at the second GFCI in the Lavy. Unless I am missing something, I would think there SHOULD be power to the first inline GFCI unless that GFCI is bad and it must be good to complete the whole circuit. I have taken all three lines off of the first GFCI and tested with a volt meter and all show dead. I would think that the one from the sub-panel would be hot. Am I wrong? Marty

[Larry Fritz]

Marty:  A wise retired great guy in the good old Beaver repair center once taught me a trick that I had never thought of  before. (many years ago)

I had spend 4 days (true) trying to trace down some connection that tied both battery banks together up to about 7 amps on my 98 Beaver then the connection would open up. I finally called him.

He said" "Instead testing from the source to the the fault (in your case a open), try instead to trace from the Open (Fault) to the source. 2 hours later I had found the problem.  (yes it was complex  but the philosophy worked. I use that trick quite a bit now.)

Maybe a fresh insight will help. Sure do hope so.

Also, on the coach from my era, it was not uncommon for Beaver to run romex wires thru splice boxes totally out of view and hidden. (wired with wire nuts) That could be your issue but good luck. I have two in my coach that any reasonably human being would not have found in years without tenacity. Too bad the tenacity cos' s us $125/hr and up these days for routine stuff.  Maybe that's why we are mostly "do it yourselfers".

Larry

[Mike Shumack]

There is only one leg from the inverter sup-panel that is dead, the one marked: Lights ,Entert, Misc and Recept. The leg that Mike sent a diagram of. I have the diagrams. The problem is, I have power at that breaker in the sub-panel but I have no power at that first GFCI in the basement. There is also no power at the second GFCI in the Lavy.

Marty, you should not have a second GFI on the same circuit that is powered from the basement GFCI. Only one GFCI per circuit is allowed. Either someone installed a GFCI in the Lavy where there should not be one, or your coach is wired differently from what the schematics show.

If you have no power at the basement GFCI (be sure you are checking the "line" side of breaker), then your problem is "between the Inverter and that GFCI". As you can see from the diagram power comes off the Inverter and goes to "Inverter Circuit Breaker panel" then comes off breaker CB3a to the GFCI. Do you have power at CB3a?

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Mike, with no disrespect, you are mistaken. In the diagram you sent, the outlet below the one you have circled, the lavy is a GFCI also. In your diagram it isn't marked as such but on mine it is. Gerald also stated that GFCI's can be "daisie  chained" in the same line. The only thing I can figure is, there must be a junction box somewhere between the sub panel and the first GFCI. The sudden surge for power for the air compressor must have shorted something loose such as a wire nut. I have had this on my previous Beaver. Just can't find a junction box.

[Mike Shumack]

Hi Marty,
I should not have said "allowed". But only one GFCI per circuit is "needed". The second is redundant when they are wired in series.

However, looking more closely at the diagram now, I see that you are correct. The Lavy receiptical is powered from the "line side" of the Bay GFCI receptacle (the Bay receptacle is just a junction point for the Lavy receptacle feed) so the Lavy receptacle would also need to be a GFCI to provide protection to the Lavy circuit.

Regardless, that is not your problem. Thanks for straightening me out on that.


 

[Bill Lampkin]

Hi Marty! You might try using a non-contact voltage tester to trace the 'hot' wire to where it goes 'dead'. The testers are not expensive, just be sure to test it each time on a live outlet so you know its working. Good luck and say Hi to Suzy for us!

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Thank you Bill. I have a "Tone Generator" tester on the way. I will start tracing wires and looking for hidden junction boxes as soon as it gets here. Suzie says hi.

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Problem found and repaired. Behind the refrigerator Beaver used some plastic Romex connectors rather than more junction boxes. The circuit between the sub panel and the first GFCI used several and one failed. I replaced the connector with a junction box and wire nuts with safety tape.  Marty

[Bill Sprague]

Hiding connections behind refrigerators is not fair play!