Transfer switch problem

[dmac1]

We were under ac power last night watching tv when the battery disconnect key vibrated out and all power went out. Lights flickered right before it happened and all went dark. Transfer switch now wont switch us back to generator power. Are boondocking currently.

 

If I pop the cover off the transfer switch, anything servicable? I have a volt ohm meter but am electrically challenged.

 

Will the batteries charge off generator with transfer switch out? Seems like transfer switch needs a reset but I see no.button on outside of its housing. Is it easy to replace transfer switch?

 

Any ideas? Just started weeklong trip.

 

Thanks.

[Ranger Smith]

Put the key back in???

 

Check all the contacts and tighten with a screw driver. They have had a tendency to loosen and lose connections. Had that problem with one of mine. Do it without any power applied.

[Kirk W]

 

We were under ac power last night watching tv when the battery disconnect key vibrated out and all power went out.

The lights do operate from 12V-dc power so are supplied by either the battery or the 120V-ac/12V-dc converter. In most modern RVs if there is 120V shore power available that will supply 12V-dc via the converter even if the battery disconnect is open. The battery disconnect should not have anything to do with your ATS (automatic transfer switch) which is a device for selecting 120V-ac supplies between the shore power cable and the generator. They are wired to select the generator if it is running and the cord if not, whether the cord has power available or not. The battery disconnect is a completely different device from the ATS and there is no electrical connection between them. Based upon your description, it does seem that you are dealing with the battery disconnect, but that should not effect the 120V power at your outlets.

 

Transfer switch now wont switch us back to generator power.

I assume from this that at the time you were operating the generator and you had no shore power available? If so, did the generator continue to run once you lost power, or did it shut down? And it sounds as though the generator's engine will now start and continue to run but doesn't supply any 120V-ac or 12V-dc power?

 

Will the batteries charge off generator with transfer switch out?

If the generator you have is one that is built into the RV permanently, then it does not generate any 12V-dc power but supplies only 120V-ac and that is then sent to the converter to supply 12V-dc power so it will not recharge the batteries. On the other hand, if you are using a portable generator that you attach the shore power cord to, most of those do have a 12V-dc output but you will need a different set of leads to connect that directly to the RV batteries.

 

If I pop the cover off the transfer switch, anything servicable? I have a volt ohm meter but am electrically challenged............

Is it easy to replace transfer switch?

A great deal depends upon the ATS device we are talking about and where it is located. Because you have been speaking of the battery disconnect and also the ATS I suspect that you are not really sure which device is the problem. Do you understand the difference between the 12V-dc that powers your lights, water pump, and appliance controls from the 120V-ac which supplies things like the TV, microwave, and your wall outlets? A meter is a very good tool for determining what the problem is and what to do about it, but you need to understand what the meter tells you as well as knowing how to take readings with the meter and know what those readings mean.

 

If you work on things you need to be very careful as electricity can be dangerous and you could easily make problems worse than they are now. The first thing to determine is whether your problem is one of 12-dc or of 120V-ac because they are different systems. Do you have battery power, or have you lost both? Have you looked at and/or serviced your coach batteries recently? A battery with a shorted cell could cause much of what you just described and it would mean that you have no electric lights. It could impact the battery disconnect but it should have no effect upon the ATS device.

 

Based upon what you are saying, I suspect that your best course of action might be to call a mobile RV tech but if you do choose to attempt some solution, I'll be happy to help as much as I am able. The first thing that must be done is to determine what is causing the problem and are we dealing with the battery disconnect or is it the ATS?

[AFchap]

The points in the automatic transfer switch will sometimes stick together after they have been burned/worn. I had one that did that, and as generator is the default position, that is where it most often stuck. I found I could jar the points loose by banging the transfer switch case with a balled fist or rubber mallet. After one or two smacks, I would here the points switch over with a louud "clack". Sometimes you just have to resort to good old fashioned "persuasion".

[Ohioskp]

Please verify that the generator is putting out power. Most units have a breaker on them and it may gotten tripped.

[Scubasteve63]

Neutral problem...I think

 

I think I could have a loose or bad connection in my transfer switch but I am having problems finding it.

 

Pulled out inverter assembly and did not see it there...also checked around the generator...no luck

 

Where is it located on a 2003 Coachman Aurora ?

 

Thanks in advance !