oldjohnt

rb, great questions. Im NOT any solar expert but will offer my opinions until such time the true experts arrive and see if they agree or not ???????? My LiFePo4 batteries recommend a charge voltage of 14.6 (yours is ??) HOWEVER BOTH my Lithium specific charger as well as my battery EMS shut down or trickle once my batteries are full charged, does your BMS and PD charger do that orrrrrrrrrrrrrr would your PD keep pumping 14.6 charging volts constantly ?? Not having your specs I would guess your BMS wont let the PD overcharge and keep charging 14.6 and/or the PD will shut down once your batteries are charged. READ THE BATTERY AND PD MANUALS don't rely on my guesses My bottom line opinion absent any specs are while your PD can indeed supply a degree of charge to your LiFePo4s ITS NOT THE SAME QUALITY AS A LITHIUM SPECIFIC CHARGER MIGHT OFFER. My preference given the huge battery investment would be a Lithium specific (or setting) charger even though sure your PD can still provide charging amps. My bottom line opinion is iffffffffffffff your Victron is a Lithium specific ???????????????? (or has settings ) I would use it instead of the PD to be on the safe side or at the minimum use BOTH for a short time to get near full charge quickly then shut off the PD and use Victron.. NOTE also do not exceed the max charging amps your batteries are rated for !! IE dont use both if it exceeds the max charge amp rate YES you can use BOTH provided you don't exceed the max charging amps and the two don't conflict with or fight each other but once more ifffffff the Victron is Lithium specific (or has settings) and you're in no hurry to achieve 100% SOC I would trust/use the Victron ONLY to provide a better quality more specific tailored for lithium charge versus the PD. If in a hurry to get 100% SOC use BOTH for a limited time then switch to the Victron ONLY (If its lithium approved) My NON EXPERT opinion: Iffffffff theres no hurry and ifffffffff the Victron is Lithium approved I would use it alone when on shore power. Why mess with the PD if the Victron is for specific charging Lithium ??? (is it ??) while the PD is questionable?? SURE use the solar and lithium matched MPPT (is your MPPT okay for your lithiums???) anytime you can FINAL NOTE I know people who use an older PD to charge Lithium (newer PD have a Lithium specific charger like I use) and sure it works. SURE you could use both. However MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE would be at the high cost of Lithium batteries prefer a Lith specific charger versus an older PD set for boost. I would NOT use any so called equalize charge (for lead acid) on my Lithiums. This is ONLY HOW I WOULD DO IT so see what the experts have to say. Even if the PD works (set on 14.6 volts) I prefer a Lithium specific charger but that's just me. Again my batteries say on the label use 14.6 charging volts and if your PD does that ?? sounds okay provided it doesn't overcharge and doesnt equalize and your battery EMS provides protection against overcharge. Unless there's an urgent need to get full charged quickly I dont see you need BOTH PD and Victron but hey its your choice and your battery investment none of ours GO WITH THE BATTERY AND CHARGER SPECS OR THE EXPERTS NOT MEEEEEEEE yet this is still how I'd do it lol Looking forward to expert opinions .... PS I dont know the exact voltage of the PD in boost mode or how long it lasts nor your battery recommendations concerning charging voltage so its hard to say how it does other than again sure it can provide a degree of charging and provided your BMS protects the batteries AND YOU DONT EXCEED MAX CHARGING AMPS OF YOUR BATTERIS (mine are max charge rated at 50 amps) it alone or BOTH PD and Victron can work even if I still prefer a Lithium Specific charger on my expensive batteries YOUR MONEY YOUR BATTERIES YOUR CHOICE NOT OURS John T

I have to agree, multiple quality AC Plugs and Receptacles located in strategic places is a good SIMPLE EASY method for manually transferring shore and/or Inverter power. Then, if one has a need to plug or relocate DC Inverter and Battery Power frequently Anderson Connectors are an option. If there's no or seldom need to move or plug n play high current DC battery and Inverter connections (back to original question) I still prefer (less splices/connections) hard wiring. Best wishes everyone fun discussion John T Dry camped at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral

Glenn, Indeed quality high current rated two pole connectors (200 or 300 or more amps ???) can "work" for say the DC + and - Inverter and Battery connections (I see a lot of them used on winches or tow vehicle to trailer high current DC) especially ones not often disconnected. However, I prefer hard wire connection on those high current devices and with proper rated disconnects or over current protection in place, its not all that often you would ever need additional connections. While sure that can "work" its just one more connection I prefer NOT to use especially if there's other suitable disconnect methods. NOT TO RAIL AGAINST THEIR USE, THEY ARE GOOD QUALITY.... On the AC side I prefer hard wire other than the shore power plugs and if an EMS or Surge Protector is in place hard wired inside the RV versus hanging out on the pedestal. Twist Lock and other weather resistant methods on shore power cords seem fine. But hey that's JUST ME even if sure other methods work fine TO EACH THEIR OWN Best wishes Glenn John T Live dry camped at Jety Park in Port Canaveral Florida

I've replaced several over my 50 years of RVing but I don't like to recommend any certain brand. My suggestion would be to purchase a LOW PROFILE (likely 13,500 will get you by) and Id go ahead and install a Soft Start right off the bat and be done with it, easier to do now then after its up on the roof.. Proper adequate power wiring using a dedicated 20 Amp rated branch circuit for the AC ONLY are in order, but that's for the technician to perform as well as sufficient sealing. Side Note: Ive owned a ton of flat roof Class C's and the roof tended to sag under the load and vibration of the AC so I have been know to rig and brace up and even lift the roof ever so slightly where the AC sits DONT TRY THAT AT HOME Im NOT recommending it but ONLY saying what I have done that worked great never any problems John T

Randy, with sooooooo many Inverters out there including Combination Charger/Inverters and Pass Throughs etc etc it could be simple if ALL those energy sources were floating (one way at least among others to do this) and you bonded at the panel like at home and used the RV frame for the "Grounding Electrode" there doesn't seem to be any RV standard......Seems like I read some Inverters use a bonding relay so when in use there was a NG bond but when not it was open/floating ?? The trouble is if there's multiple NG Bonds the Equipment GroundING Conductor (tied to metal cases of tools and appliances) can become a live current carrier. One SIMPLE method when using a Transfer Switch is for it to be a Two Pole (30 amp RV) to switch BOTH the Hot and Neutral and have each source (Genset or Utility or Inverter) with its own Bond (typical) that way whatever energy source is feeding the RV panel you satisfy the Single Point Grounding concept and other safety considerations. On home gensets if you end up typing the Neutrals together (like many cheap plug in arrangements absent a full blown transfer switch) to be safe and correct the genset should be configured with a Floating Neutral with its case attached to the Equipment GroundING Conductor. Were all aware of how some brands of portable gensets float the Neutral while others Bond (for good reason subject to how used) and those floaters can make an EMS go bonkers lol Nuff said, don't want to hijack the thread or confuse the OP any more lol Best wishes Randy and everyone, be safe John T

Congratulations, just a bit of FYI on that 3 way transfer switch configuration: There can be ONLY ONE Neutral Ground Bond,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The RV Panel (unlike a homes panel) has separate insulated and isolated Neutral and Ground Busses,,,,,,,,A typical onboard RV Genset uses a BONDED NEUTRAL which is also connected to the RV's iron frame,,,,,,,,,,An Inverter is most likely configured with a BONDED NEUTRAL,,,,,,,,,The shore power pedestal supply also has, of course, a BONDED NEUTRAL and its Equipment GroundING Conductor is attached to the RV frame. This MAY OR MAY NOT (absent your specs and diagrams) come into play and depends on iffffffffff the transfer switch switches Hot and Neutral (plus your wiring configuration and equipment specs) orrrrrrrrr Hot only and ties the Neutrals together. I don't know all that sitting here and really don't want to lol enough already, again this may or may NOT even be an issue... Absent complete wiring diagrams and specs I cant go any further or answer questions, so consider the above ONLY AS EDUCATION AND INFORMATION (there are entire volumes on this topic it CAN NOT BE WELL EXPLAINED HERE in a paragraph, if you're bored study up on the subject). We have beat this horse to death already (no more cans of worms please lol) and need to wrap this thread up so CONGRATULATIONS you're up n running and a simple try a different pedestal was so easy and saved a ton of time yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Best wishes to all here John T Live in the RV dry camped at Pioneer Park in Zolfo Springs Florida as an exhibitor at an antique tractor show, solar panels and lithium batteries and inverter are really pumping these bright sunny days to run the microwave and hair dryer and instant pot and CPAP and fridge wooooooooo hoooooooooo

CONGRATULATIONS glad it was at (or in wiring before) the pedestal, that was a good idea (imagine that) to simply try a different pedestal yayyyyyyyyy Indeed it's a mystery why if the pedestal suppled a constant 1500 watt heat gun load and it worked fine, yet it wouldn't supply the RV on the same leg and same connection/dogbone (right ??? or a different connection ?? 30 or 50 Amp??). Was EVERYTHING THE SAME (load test versus when the RV was plugged in EXACTLY the same way ??) NO MATTER the main thing is a different pedestal (under same conditions right ?) works GLAD YOU GOT IT GOING PS Oops, sorry I missed that, I see there was a difference ?? The 50 to 30 Dogbone uses ONLY ONE of the two 120 Volt legs in the old 50 Amp Pedestal and you used that leg for the Load Test, while perhaps the new pedestal uses the other leg for its 30 Amp receptacle ?? Could be a problem in the RV parks wiring at a place OTHER THEN that 50 Amp pedestal hmmmmmmmmmmmmm but if it's bad its still the parks problem..Another problem in the parks wiring or pedestal (or even RV side) could be a loose resistive or open Neutral in which case of the 240 line to line, subject to an imbalanced load, one side may be high with respect to Neutral and the other extremely low voltage ??? Best wishes thanks for the update, but for me a question remains (good Load Test but no RV power at old pedestal while it works BUT WITHOUT THE DOGBONE on a different pedestal, THERE COULD BE DIFFERENT LEGS IN USE AT DIFFERENT PEDESTALS ??? When you plugged to the old 50 via a dogbone the RV may be using the other leg at the new 30 amp pedestal DRATS LOL I have seen either the connections or the wires go bad in those dogbone adapters and high current and high heat may have contributed ??? GOOD NEWS IS IT DOESNT MATTER ANYMORE LOL Not being there or performing my own tests anymore guessing isn't worth much...Still fun and glad to have helped... Best wishes John T

Geeeeeee Kirk take a chance "giggle" (Hey I know electricity can kill so don't take any chances).....I'm fun loving and willing to go out on a limb, it won't be the first nor last time I guessed wrong,,,,,,,,, not being there I can't know anything for certain so there's no shame if I guess wrong,,,,,,,So I figure (1) Ifffffffff (NOTE that big IF) his pedestal load test was accurate in which case he powered a 1500 Watt Heat Gun via the pedestal (same leg for adequate time for heating) and voltage didn't drop drastically,,,, and (2) Given all works if the Inverter feeds the WFCO,,,,, and (3) Given his claim there was no power at any of the branch breakers,,,,, and (4) Given this happened AFTER an overheating condition and he performed some wiring modifications: THERES A CHANCE A DIFFERENT PEDESTAL won't work either, cuz its his RV wiring or one of the cords or wires is bad or open or not in the right place or there's a bad/loose/resistive splice or connection. But sureeeeee I hope for him the pedestal was the problem as that's soooooooooo much easier than finding any RV wiring problem........... PS if his pedestal load test wasn't valid or accurate (actual 1500 Watts was delivered into working load) nor lasted for a sufficient time ALL BETS ARE OFF and the pedestal may indeed be bad. If it OR ITS UPSTREAM WIRING has a bad/loose/resistive connection after X time it can heat up, go bad, cause a voltage drop and the RV DON'T WORK GRRRRRRRRRRRR Good luck Jim I hope it was a bad pedestal.... John T

Good idea Jim, if there's still a problem there aren't all that many places to check in your RV wiring system. Hang in there, you got this................Thanks for the updates...... John T

AMEN Georgia we all agree that he needs to isolate the pedestal (Load Test or use a Generator or different pedestal) as being the problem or not. If its okay (for example it passes a load test) then it's an RV problem (cord, plug, receptacle, splice, junction, wire not connected, or connected at wrong place or Surge Protector) PS Yo Jim, just for the heck of it, try it when NOT USING your Surge Protector !!!!! John T

AMEN Randy thanks for your thoughts, looks like ALL us sparkies agree and have stated the same several times..Fortunately his breakers appear to be working fine when fed by his Inverter meaning the panel is okay so back to an RV (cord, plug, receptacle, splice, junction, wire not connected or connected to wrong place) orrrrrrrr Pedestal problem or Surge Protrector.. ANOTHER AMEN Thanks Randy we all agree... PS Yo Jim, just for the heck of it, try it when NOT USING your Surge Protector !!!!! John T

Hey Kirk, fellow sparky that's NOT necessarily being negative, in my years I saw the same thing happen and more than once lol John T

Jim hang in there you're gonna get this. Once you rule the Pedestal IN or OUT by: 1) Applying a heavy load to it (same leg that feeds RV via dogbone) and see if the voltage drops drastically or not ?????? If so, it's the RV parks problem to fix,,,,,,,, if NOT its the RV but there aren't that many places and things (Cord, Plug, Receptacle, Junction, Splice, Connection, Wires) to check looking for the bad voltage dropping item EASY PEASEY. PS if when you plugged your heat gun into the pedestal voltage didn't drop much, that sounds like the pedestal is okay so it's an RV problem, just saying no warranty not being there... 2) If when your plug is inserted into a Genset (or different pedestal) all works fine, that says your RV wiring and system is good, so back to the pedestal or its upstream wiring HOWEVER if still not working, its back to the RV wiring/system. NOTE if a cord or wires were bad to a certain degree so maybe there were only a few strands remaining the resistance could still be low and not tell you everything. ITS THE HARMFUL VOLTAGE DROP UNDER LOAD THAT MATTERS NOTE if everything works fine if the Inverter feeds the panel (at same location and method as when Shore Power does, correct ??) that cuts towards the panel and its breakers are okay. NOTE if there's NO VOLTAGE AT ALL or LOW VOLTAGE to the panel caused by an upstream problem, that can cause low or no voltage to the branch breakers, again things still don't work grrrrrrrrrrrrrr DARN IF I CAN SAY HERE IN THE DARK GRRRRRRRRRRR but that overheating issue you had and any later repairs (good I trust) ?? could have caused the damage (cord, plug, receptacle, junction, splice, wire) even if NOT plainly visible to the eye. Wish you had another substitute 30 Amp Cord and Plug to go DIRECT from pedestal to the main panel input to see what happens ????? That would rule a lot in or out, worth a try hey !!! PS Hey Jim, up above you stated """.... With the main 30 amp breaker on, however, there is NO POWER to any of the sub-breakers, when turned on/off one-by-one. This is consistent and tested many, many times even going back to the point when the power was still connected through the old transfer switch. Same result. No power in sub-breakers. (Transfer switch now completely removed from 120 VAC system and trashed, a memory only.)""" I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU When there was "NO POWER" to any of the sub breakers when turned on as you state, WAS THERE POWER IN AND OUT OF THE 30 AMP MAIN ????? Ifffffffffff so and ifffffffffffff the connection to the WFCO was the same place you wire the Inverter and it does work THAT DOESNT MAKE SENSE TO ME grrrrrrrrr You talk about the front and rear of the WFCO I believe and that troubles me not being regarding the same connection point and method for Inverter or Shore Power, but if there's 120 at in and out of main BUT ZERO ON BRANCH BREAKERS WHEN ON SHORE POWER NOW THATS TROUBLESOME AS (*&^%$# lol Working on Inverter but NOT via Shore Power and on Shore Power there's no voltage (with main ON) at any branch breakers begs the question: IS SHORE POWER VIA THE PEDESTAL DELIVERING ANYTHING TO THE WFCO WHEN WIRED EXACT SAME AS IF THE INVERTER WAS FEEDING THE WFCO ?? If there's good voltage out of the pedestal but NONE to any branch breakers the problem may not be so much a faulty resistive voltage dropping connection AS NO CONNECTION AT ALL such as a bad/open cord or plug or receptacle or wire or splice or junction hmmmmmmmmmm lol You can do this, good luck be safe don't take any risk John T

Good thought Georgia, if another power source such as an adequate sized Generator (connected to his shore power plug) made things work fine but NOT when connected to the Pedestal in question, sounds like the parks Pedestal or wiring to it is the problem, but if still not operative using a known good power source, the RV's cord or wiring or a plug or a receptacle or connection/splice may be the cause ????? A few of us suggested he try a different pedestal, but unfortunately he doesn't have enough cord. One other test method would be to load test the pedestal and if it passed then it's okay so the problem is in/at his RV shore power wiring and connection/system. As he tracks the voltage back at different locations between the panel and shore power plug while UNDER LOAD I'm sure he will find the problem where the voltage drop is taking place grrrrrrrrrr lol Sounds like the panel and its breakers are NOT the problem since it works fine when fed buy his Inverter.... Best wishes everyone, good idea Georgia John T

ONE LAST THOUGHT Yo Jim, Not being there I can't know any of this for sure so this is ONLY an educated GUESS but FWIW here are my final thoughts which may or may not be valid sitting here in the dark NO WARRANTY Ifffffffffffffff the pedestal successfully passed a Valid Load Test in which a high current heat gun under operation DID NOT drop voltage at the Pedestal significantly and the voltages were correct 120 L1 or L2 to Neutral or Ground and 240 L1 to L2 BOTH when open and not much less under load (and RV and heat gun test used the same leg) Ifffffffffffffff all in the RV works when connected to the Inverter at THE SAME PLACE USING THE SAME WIRING METHOD AND CONECTIONS as when connected to shore power Ifffffffffffffff this only happened AFTER you had an overheating problem at the RV and plugs or receptacles or cord connections or whatever wherever got burned IF THIS IS WERE ALL TRUE (I can't know) ???????? it is possible after the overheating the problem may possibly NOT be the Pedestal,,,,,,,,,NOT the dogbone adapter,,,,,,,,,NOT the Panels Main Breaker BUT INSTEAD ITS POSSIBLE the problem lies in the RV Power Cord orrrrrrrrrrr one of its Plugs or Receptacles orrrrrrrr one of the connections/splices/junctions/terminals between RV cord plug (which plugs into pedestal) and the main panel input (same place and method Inverter connects) orrrrrrrrrrrrrr the surge protector which I doubt.. ORRRRRRRR grrrrrrrrrrr something so simple its overlooked (watch that be the case lol) Sorry but that's about all I can add or have to say NOT being there so take this with a grain of salt BUT USE CAUTION AND HIRE A PROFESSIONAL and keep an open mind the pedestal may or may not be the cause HOWEVER sure it could be and could be intermittent but if its voltage drops UNDER LOAD that sound like a Pedestal or its upstream wiring has a problem Best wishes Jim, take care, use caution, be safe and God Bless John T

I agree there indeed exists "bad pedestal wiring potential" and "oddities" that may strike in the dark causing a problem ONLY when a current load causes a voltage drop (V = I x R) across a bad/loose/carboned/burned/resistive receptacle or splice or connection or terminal in the pedestal itself orrrrrrrrrrr upstream in the RV parks wiring...... I agree its "likely" okay but not being there I can't prove it. Sounds like there's a chance the receptacle itself is okay but not being there I can't prove it. It could still be a good receptacle but has bad connections !!! There could well be a "loose wiring connection" inside the old pedestal and even perfect voltages under NO LOAD does NOT mean alls well as UNDER LOAD there can be that V = I x R Voltage Drop grrrrrrrrrrrrr lol I agree DO NOT UNDERTAKE DANGEROUS TESTING. To test for voltage drop you need to apply a heavy current load while monitoring voltage to see if it stays up or drops drastically which is indicative of a loose/burned/resistive splice or connection IE BAD PEDESTAL or wiring to pedestal. A valid test is to measure the voltage BOTH with no load and again under heavy load to see if it drops drastically. Just because its fine under no load DOES NOT mean the pedestal or the RV parks wiring to it is good What do you mean they 'wont turn on" ??? Not flip and stay closed,, or not lock/hold in engaged,, or no voltage even when on,, or is there a little red button that's not holding in or what ???? If there is no or low voltage at the main I can envision a scenario where a problem may occur. What I suggest is if and when there's 120 VAC on the main panels input before and after the 30 amp main breaker you measure the voltage, then flip breakers on one at a time with RV loads such as a water heater set on elec,,,,,,,a fridge set on 120 VAC,,,,,,,,A Converter/Charger,,,,,,,,,,,,,hair dryer or microwave or an elec heater plugged into one of the RV outlets TO SEE IF VOLTAGE DROPS AS THEY ARE TURNED ON ????????????? IF SO THERE BUT NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT AT THE PEDESTAL, THE PROBLEM IS IN YOUR RV (Plug or cord or receptacle or junction or splice or switch or relay) NOTTTTTTT THE PEDESTAL.......HOWEVER if voltage drops at the pedestal when this happens and is close to the panel voltage THE PEDESTAL OR RV PARK WIRING IS THE PROBLEM.......... HOWEVER IF THE BRANCH BREAKERS "WONT TURN ON" AS YOU STATED YOU CAN'T LOAD THE SYSTEM !! To test at the pedestal BUT NOT IF YOURE INEXPERIENCED IT MAY BE HAZARDOUS An electrician would monitor voltage at the pedestals receptacle then place a heavy current load on the circuit and see if voltage drops and how much DONT DO THIS IF YOUR UNSURE OR LACK THE PROPER SAFE EQUIPMENT, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRCIAN (yes above I described a method but I no longer do since you're inexperienced and I don't want to see anyone hurt DONT DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOTE I thought you ALREADY used a heat gun to load the pedestal and it worked and voltage didn't drop drastically WHICH TELLS ME THE PEDESTAL IS OKAY ???? It's possible a circuit breaker can GO BAD (be total open or drop voltage under load) and one easy method is to simply replace it HOWEVER if alls well via Inverter power but NOTTTTTTTTTTT shore power that doesnt sound like a bad breaker I stand by my assumption........Iffffffffff the pedestal and all RV wiring is good but nothing works when connected to shore power at the same place and method where Inverter power is supplied, in which case all does work, I DONT SEE HOW THAT CAN BE THE SAME SPACE OR SAME WIRING METHOD OR EXACT LOCATION........ Thats my story n Ima stickin to it lol I suspect another unknown possibly bad or resistive connection or location if one method works like the Inverter yet another method such as shore power, assuming its good, does not ??? Still a mystery to me.. You're most welcome thanks for the kind words, I try my best. DISCLAIMER I can't speak for Kirk or Vern (knowledgeable sparkies and gentlemen, probably more experienced than myself, see what they think the problem is) but ONLY for myself based on my experience as an Electrical Engineer of 50 years, an electrical hobbyist of 60 years, a 50 year RV owner, a past used RV dealer and RV and other electrical systems troubleshooter. HOWEVER not being there and with no bad will towards you or to doubt you, I simply can't know for sure what or how you did, so must take it with a grain of salt......I can ONLY try my best to give suggestions or causes of the problem, be it the pedestal or RV park wiring or your RV and how I would test things BUT NOW I THINK ITS BEST FOR YOU NOTTTTTTT TO as its dangerous, you're not experienced and NOT worth risking life or limb so please (me now speaking both as an Attorney and Electrical Engineer) hire an electrician is my best advice PS this is NOOOOOOO bad reflection on you or myself but ITS IMPOSSIBLE to impart on a novice what took me a lifetime of experience and education to acquire BUT HEY I GAVE IT MY BEST SHOT AND A TON OF TIME AND EFFORT I'm glad if I was able to help in any way.. Best wishes God Bless and be safe John T BSEE,JD

BEFORE anything else, ifffffffffff there's no voltage on any of the panels branch breakers (such that they can be turned on and apply a load when connected to pedestal power) yet the main breaker is good and closed WHEN PLUGGED (with good dogbone adapter) TO A GOOD WORKING PEDESTAL, BETTER BE LOOKING FOR A BAD/OPEN CONNECTION/PLUG/RECEPTACLE/JUNCTION/SPLICE/SWITCH BETWEEN THE POWER CORD PLUG AND THE MAIN PANEL INPUT (IE the same place where if the Inverter is connected everything works) NOW IN RESPONSE TO THE QUOTE ABOVE YES although those voltage readings ARE FINE UNDER NO LOAD here are possible problems in the pedestal 1) The Receptacle and its contacts are worn/loose/carbon covered/resistive. It may be possible to jiggle or re plug to make it work temporarily. BUT IF ITS WORN/LOOSE/CARBON COVERED/RESISTIVE voltage can still read fine under no load conditions but go bad (voltage drops) when drawing current. The plug should push in tight and be held firm, if its real loose the receptacle is worn out (even if voltage fine under no load) same for dogbone adapter and any other plugs or receptacles 2) One of the wiring connections or splices or is loose/resistive OR THE DOGBONE ADAPTER IS BAD !!!!! I have seen the molded ones have a loose/burned connection and that can cause voltage drop and render the RV inoperable 3) There could be park wiring problems (too small wire or poor resistive connections or splices) NOT IN BUT BEFORE AND AHEAD OF THE PEDESTAL causing the same problems NOTE above you load tested at the pedestal and according to you it passed fine AND IF THAT WAS A VALID TEST THAT TELLS ME THE PEDESTAL IS OKAY BUT THE FAULT IS IN YOUR RV WIRING (Plug or Receptacle or the Cord or a faulty splice/termination/connection BETWEEN THE PEDESTAL AND YOUR MAIN PANEL INPUT. If you had a known good 30 amp substitute cord from the pedestal to your main panel input and it worked fine THAT TELLS ME YOUR RV WIRING IS THE PROBLEM Unfortunate that you don't have enough cords or adapters to plug to a different pedestal or could move.. IN A NUTSHELL as I posted above: With RV plugged to pedestal and main and all branch breakers OFF check Voltage on main panel INPUT and at Pedestal.......One at a time turn on branch breakers that feed a load (elec. water heater, fridge if on AC, converter/charger if on) or an appliance plugged to an RV receptacle...........See what voltage does at both locations ?????? If low at pedestal under a load I suspect its the problem, if okay there but low at main panel, your RV is the problem (cord or plug or receptacle or dogbone adapter or junctions/splices/terminals or any relays etc bad or miswired.) I realize Im repeating myself but I'm running out of ideas lol I don't have much more to tell you NOTICE DO NOT READ THIS as you didn’t want responses to this portion of your post, however it may provide info to others with the same problem, so this is for them !!! “””(2) I cannot test alternately as suggested -- by turning on the main breaker and then one-by-one turning on secondary breakers and measuring line load change/decline at every connection -- because none of the secondary breakers have any power.”””” “”””With the main 30 amp breaker on, however, there is NO POWER to any of the sub-breakers, when turned on/off one-by-one. “””” IF NO BRANCH BREAKERS HAVE ANY POWER WHEN ON AND THERE IS POWER TO AND THROUGH THE PANELS MAIN BREAKER (IE BOTH IN and OUT to Buss, Main Breaker is okay??),,,,,,, THEY OR THE PANEL ASSEMBLY/BUSS HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM or if no power out (yet input is good) of main breaker its bad...Breakers can go bad and if the main isn't passing power through none of the branch breakers have power either !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT YOU REPORT IT ALL WORKS IF THE INVERTER FEEDS THE MAIN PANEL hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ?????? says the panel and main is fine??? SUCH A MYSTERY INDEED.. So does the Inverter and shore power system feed the same exact place, the main panels input ??? I tend to think NOT, so here's yet one more unknown mystery or something thats bad ..IF THERES NO POWER AT ANY BRANCH BREAKERS WHEN CONNECTED TO SHORE POWER WITH THE MAIN BREAKER ON ?? YOUR RV WIRING SYSTEM FROM THE POWER CORDS PLUG (assumes dogbone adapter is good) TO THE PANELS INPUT IS SIMPLY NOTTTTTTTTT CONNECTED SOMEWHERE (Connection or Splice or Junction or Relay or Switch etc) Best wishes, God Bless be safe John T

Thanks Jes, there's NO hurry, take your time and above all be safe and don't take any chances if you're not familiar with checking the lethal 120 Volts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's easy for us sparkies to say check here check there but realize it's harder for you, so BE SAFE ASK QUESTION NO RUSH. Collectively we pretty well all agree and have told you our prime suspects and what to do next (as narrowed down in the above few postings primarily voltage checks under load) so it's in your hands now GOOD LUCK, glad to help best we can. IN A NUTSHELL as I posted above: With RV plugged to pedestal and main and all branch breakers OFF check Voltage on main panel INPUT and at Pedestal.......One at a time turn on branch breakers that feed a load (elec. water heater, fridge if on AC, converter/charger if on) or an appliance plugged to an RV receptacle...........See what voltage does at both locations ?????? If low at pedestal under a load I suspect its the problem, if okay there but low at main panel, your RV is the problem (cord or plug or receptacle or dogbone adapter or junctions/splices/terminals or any relays etc bad or miswired.) Best wishes, God Bless be safe John T

Just one more thought: One DIFFERENCE when he's using the Inverter to feed the panel (which works) VERSUS when using the Pedestal (RV loads don't work) IS THE SURGE PROTECTION DEVICE present ONLY when using Pedestal power. Is it showing any trouble lights/codes ?? Have you tried not using the protector ?? If you haven't give it a try by plugging the RV power cord direct to the pedestal using your 50 to 30 dogbone adapter!!!!!!!!! Hopefully there's good 120 VAC there Line to Neutral WHICH NEEDS TO BE BOTH WITH NO LOAD OR WHEN UNDER A LOAD NOTE I doubt the protector is the problem, especially since you used it for your pedestal load heat gun test and it passed, Im ONLY pointing out is one DIFFERENCE between working Inverter power versus non working shore pedestal power....... HOWEVER if it (pedestal and surge protector and dogbone) passed the Load test using your heat gun and all was fine with no significant voltage drop with heat gun running, that says the protector isn't the problem. This assumes the leg you load tested (1 or 2) is the same leg feeding your RV EXACTLY Of course if all is wired right and in place the Voltage from the Hot UNgrounded Conductor to EITHER the Grounded Conductor (Neutral/White) orrrrrrrrr the Equipment GroundiNG Conducor (Bare/Green) should be near the same. If not the Neutral or Ground may be bad/open (or an improper or missing Neutral/Ground Bond) which can prevent proper operation. Jes, get the AC Voltmeter out and start checking voltages UNDER AN RV LOAD (see my post above for how to load) starting at the Panel then back towards the Pedestal such as any junctions or splices or terminals or wiring blocks,,,,,,,Any Plugs or Receptacles (and insure they are wired correct ?),,,,,,,,All Cords,,,,,,,,Any Relays........... USE CAUTION if you're not familiar with electricity hire a professional John T

Hi again Randy, to the concern regarding if it was merely a NON CONNECTION problem versus a LOAD problem, I stated above... "somewhere wayyyyyyy up above based on his postings I got the impression THERE IS A CONNECTION (albeit perhaps bad) AND VOLTAGE IS PRESENT" FYI here are Jes' statements that formed my impression noted immediately above Jes's postings: all of the testing and tracking had me open the power panel and test all the way through the transfer switch and all of the wiring to the main 30 amp breaker input connection. In every instance, I read 120+ volts at the input to that beaker -- from both the shore power connection and from my solar inverter connection. The shore power connection does not power the RV’s electrical system, even though I can read the 120 volts at the 30 amp breaker connection in the power panel. I do not understand that at all. The readings at every connection point are 123.5 volts (+/-) with a very slight variance . . . and that includes the main 30 amp breaker at my power panel. I did get a slight variation with readings of 122.5v to 122.9v at the power panel, too. However, there is no 120 volt power to anything in the RV when any or all of the remainder of the 15/20 amp circuits are turned on. So, power in. No power out. I have tested voltage at every single connection from the power pedestal to the breaker connection in my RV's WFCO power panel. Every single wire and or receptacle a steady 122v to 123v Similarly, in my voltage tests of the 120 volt power (not connected at all with my solar inverter power system), I read 122.? to 123.? volts. with minor deviations. Sooooooooooo if we are to believe when connected to shore power he indeed had 120 volts at the panel (looks fairly obvious) but nothing works, I'm again again again lol back to a Load problem versus no connection such as the cord or a plug or receptacle (faulty or mis wired) or junction or splice ??????????????? ASSUMING his pedestal load test was accurate which indicated the pedestal was okay ??? Thanks again Randy, its a pleasure sparking chatting with you and yes if we were only there lol Take care Randy, best wishes. John T

Thanks Randy, somewhere wayyyyyyy up above based on his postings I got the impression THERE IS A CONNECTION (albeit perhaps bad) AND VOLTAGE IS PRESENT but nothing is working (Load problem) but there's been soooooooo much and he's not electrical minded, so I wouldn't bet a lot on that lol If there is NO voltage whatsoever, it's an OPEN connection, but still I see it in the Cord or Plug or Receptacle or junction or splice especially if it happened only AFTER the overheating. In my post and questions for him above you can see I asked him IF VOLTAGE WAS PRESENT with all turned off so once he responds this can be answered. Regardless he has to locate the bad or miswired cord or plug or receptacle or splice or junction or where the connection is lost/open.......... THANKS for your help, oh if we were there only a few minutes lol John T

Hello once more Jes, THANKS FOR THE UPDATES the more you help us the more we can help you RANDY please help and please get involved, I've tried about all I can think of above lol any other ideas ??? Jes, I have an answer to that, it's basically the same as what I already spoke of above, but I will go over it again once more in detail. 1) Once you are hard wired to the AC power distribution panels INPUT (ahead of and before the 30 Amp MAIN breaker) input via your shore power cord and any of its in series plugs receptacles and splices/junctions and it plugged to the pedestal via the dogbone WITH MAIN AND ALL BRANCH CIRCUIT BREAKERS OFF, I take it your read a good 110 to 120 or so volts right ?????? 2) So how to apply a load you ask ?? As you turn on BRANCH breakers (typically 15 or 20 amp) one at a time you should SUBJECT TO what tools/appliances/chargers/fridge/elec water heater etc. are served by those individual BRANCH breakers, draw load current. Devices such as a Converter/Charger or a fridge or elec water heater set to operate on AC might be energized and draw current, but if none do, plug a high current device like a hair dryer or microwave or elec space heater or a heat gun into one of the branch circuit receptacles AND WHEN YOU FLIP THAT BRANCH BREAKER ON THAT SHOULD DRAW LOAD CURRENT. 3) Sooooooo does the voltage before and ahead of the MAIN 30 Amp Breaker (thats fed via your power cord and its plugs and receptacles and plugged to the pedestal) drop drastically when loads are applied or not ???????????????? IF SO BUT NOTTTTTTTTTTTT if your Inverter feeds the very same dist panel ahead of and before the main breaker in the same exact location, my best guesses as to the cause not being there are as follows a) Your power cord has a bad internal conductor or other fault or short or open, maybe caused when things overheated b) One of the Plugs or Receptacles is miswired or bad (At cords end that plugs to pedestal, where cords other end plugs into RV, the receptacle in the RV,,,,,,,,,,,Any splices or junctions or terminals or wiring blocks or busses located ANYWHERE between pedestal and the input to the dist panel. c) A faulty or miswired or burned or loose or corroded splice or junction or wiring connection anywhere between power cord plug and the main panel QUESTION AND NOTE This assumes your Inverter and the shore power cord (including plugs and receptacles) are connected at the SAME PLACE and the Inverter works but NOT shore power is that correct ??????????????????? NOTE 1 while you DID NOT test BOTH legs at the pedestal, if you're using the same 50 to 30 dogbone adapter by which the pedestal load tested okay with a heat gun ??? (if thats true I wasnt there??) that should be the same leg youre plugging your shore power cord into BUT I CANT GUARANTEE THAT ONLY SAYING.. If one leg of the pedestal is bad and that's the leg you're plugged to then the RV wouldn't work properly, and it may be fine but the pedestal is bad. Again not being there I can't guarantee the pedestal is good but have proceeded herein like it is, however, it could still have a problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you rigged a known good substitute 30 amp cord with a NEMA TT 30 plug into the pedestal/dogbone (TO A GOOD TESTED LEG) and the other end hard wired to the main panel at same place the inverter allows all to work fine THAT WOULD TELL YOU THE PROBLEM IS IN YOUR CORD OR A BAD OR MISWIRED PLUG OR RECEPTACLE OR SOME OTHER SPLICE OR JUNCTION DISCLAIMER If I (50 year RV owner, past dealer, and electrical engineer) were there I may be able to locate the problem in a short time however over the net its difficult. Myself and others have spent a great amount of time trying our best to help and glad to do so but with your limited electrical experience and doing this over the net its tough lol Iffffffffffff Inverter works yet the shore power does not when hard wired to the exact same location, problem about has to be Pedestal,,,,,,,Shore power Cord,,,,,,Plugs or receptacles (bad or miswired), Junctions or splices and overheating may well have been the cause. A loose/burned/resistive/open Neutral can cause all sorts of problems and its a conductor just like the Line conductor is and EITHER can be bad. I might envision problems if the Neutral and Equipment GroundING Conductor were mis matched or substituted or had opens or shorts BUT IM NOTTTTTTTTT OPENING THAT CAN OF WORMS NOW LOL ENGINEERING THEORY even with a very bad very resistive conductor or connection or cord or plug or receptacle you can still read 120 volts with a meter HOWEVER once you draw current so long as it does NOT burn the conductor open there will be a V = I x R Voltage Drop across the bad connection so there's not enough voltage left to power RV devices Thats is and all I can do for you now LET ME KNOW what you find and I will keep trying my best to help. If any of the other very fine electrical minded gents have more ideas as to what the problem is let us all knowwwwwwww.. Watch it be something sooooooooooo simple we all missed it lol Best wishes to all here John T

Sooooooooo if its NOT a Pedestal problem (IE the voltage stays up even under a heavy load) you're left with your shore power cord or a plug or receptacle (bad or not wired right) or a loose/burned/resistive connection or the Transfer Switch ifffffffffff its still in play ?? Hard to know sitting here with such little info to go on. Still remember your RV uses ONLY ONE of the two legs of 120 VAC out of a 50 Amp pedestal and one may be good the other bad !!!!!!! You have only tested ONE leg !!!!!!!!! A 50 to 30 Dogbone Adapter only connects to one leg of the 50 Amp but if that's the same leg that feeds the RV ???? and it tested good, you're right back to the Pedestal being okay.... If you turn OFF the Main and alllllllll branch breakers,,,,,, Get plugged to a GOOD Pedestal,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Put a volt meter on the main panel AC Input,,,,,,,,Then turn on main and then branch breakers and turn on or plug in tools/appliances ONE AT A TIME that "should" place a load on the system to see if/when the voltage drops ?????? IF SO and the pedestal is good ?? the problem could be 1) Power Cord 2) Power cords plug (wired right?) or receptacle and plug on RV or is it hard wired there ?? where it connects to RV 3) Wiring and connections from RV input to transfer switch or main panel 4) TRANSFER SWITCH iffffffffff its still in play ?????? Problem could be in either the Line or Neutral NOTE If voltage is good at the pedestal as you indicate even under load ?? but drops at the main panel when you apply loads,,,,,,if you had a way to check voltage at various vantage points/junctions/connections/cords/plugs/receptacles BETWEEN Panel and where RV plugs to pedestal you can find the bad place where voltage is dropping........ NOTE the above paragraph assumes there's a connection from shore power cord plug into pedestal alllllllllllllll the way to the main panel, I don't know if that's true or not, I dont know for sure if/how the TS is by passed and out of play If the pedestal is good that's about all I can think of that may be the problem but not being there and knowing how all is wired I cant help you much more, but hey give me credit I sure tried lol. Best wishes and good luck John T

YES thats "one way" to draw load current (PROVIDED you have correct and adequate adapters) and measure the voltage so you can see what happens when a load is applied. AGAIN if there's 120 VAC at the pedestal WITH NO LOAD NO CURRENT DRAW but it drops (drastic if bad enough pedestal) when you draw current THAT MEANS THERES SOME SORT OF A FAULTY RESISTIVE VOLTAGE DROPPING CONNECTION OR WIRE OR TERMINAL OR RECEPTACLE OR BURNED CONNECTION ETC........IE A POWER PEDESTAL PROBLEM INDEED .......It could be alllllll thats needed inside the pedestal is a new receptacle and/or repair and replace any burned or loose or resistive wiring connections which the park owners need to do !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope the problem is NOT in your RV wiring *&^%^%$ Of course, the problem may be upstream of the Pedestal where its feeder wires splice in BUT NO MATTER ITS STILL THE PARKS PROBLEM AND THAT PEDESTALS POWER IS BAD. NOTE A Volt Meter (uses two leads) will read the Line (Red or Black) to Neutral (White) voltage (set on appropriate AC Voltage scale) to see if it drops when a load is applied... NOTE A clamp on AMMETER measures current flow through A SINGLE CONDUCTOR (such as Line or Neutral) which passes through its closed open and clamp over loop. You would have to isolate and separate the Line and Neutral Conductors to measure their current. If you clamp over both the currents cancel and it will read zero NOTE a non clamp on series ammeter can measure current flow in and out of it but I doubt your meter can handle high currents If at the 15 Amp receptacle (where you plug your heat gun) you have a dual splitter or a 3 outlet cube adapter you can use the spare non used one to insert your two volt meter leads, Line and Neutral, to see what the voltage does when you turn on the heat gun plugged into one of the other receptacles Actual current (you could easily compute as Power = V x A) so long as less then 15 amps, isn't as important to know AS WHAT THE VOLTAGE DOES so Id try a two lead AC volt meter (set on high enough voltage scale) plugged into a spare 15 amp cube or Y receptacle then turn on your heat gun and read voltage (if it will even work that is ???) low voltage may damage some tools or appliances so turn it off quickly if it fails or smokes and/or voltage drops drastically...If it doesn't work because the voltage drops drastically and the pedestal (or its upstream wiring) is bad NEITHER will big RV loads DUH NOTE there's a chance ONLY ONE of the two legs of the two in a 50 amp receptacle is bad and the dogbone only uses one of the two legs ??? Wonder if your 30 amp one leg RV is utilizing the bad leg ??? I guess so if nothing works when plugged to a pedestal using that "bad" leg ?? JUST SAYING NOTE there a chance ONLY THE NEUTRAL in a 50 amp receptacle is bad, however if its bad neither leg will work OR ELSE plug to a different pedestal is another test method I expect and hope the pedestal is the problem NOT your RV but hey thats possible you know !!!!!!! Let me know what happens, use caution and be prepared for heat or smoking. If theres excess current flow a circuit breaker should trip but Im disappointed there's none in the Pedestal ??????? Also another safety concern, such a breaker would be 50 amp rated and you're using 15 to 30 amp gauge wire !!!!!!! USE CAUTION IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING HIRE A PROFESSIONAL John T there's more I can say but that's enough for now, I tried to ONLY ANSWER YOUR SPECIFC QUESTION