A couple of days ago I went into the Roadtrek to see how the coach batteries were holding up. We are preparing for our next trek of about 1900 miles. I was surprised to discover that the coach batteries were below 12.9V, or less than 100% charged. That is not normal. So what was going on? I discovered an interesting situation. The Inverter switch was "OFF" and yet the inverter was actually "ON" and providing 120VAC to the receptacles.
I was surprised because the battery disconnect also was "OFF". Obviously, the battery disconnect does not disconnect the inverter, which seems odd. Even John Slaughter's 2012 "Roadtrek Electrical Simulator" indicates that the inverter is disabled by the battery disconnect.
Normally the inverter only provides 120AC power if the inverter switch is "ON", as depicted in this photo. In my 210P the position of the battery disconnect is irrelevant; it is only the position of the inverter switch that matters.
Here is a normal situation. Inverter switch "ON" and battery disconnect "ON":
Condition of the Tripp-lite when the "Inverter" switch above is in the "ON" position and the Tripp-lite slide switch is in the "Auto/Remote" position. Vehicle is not on shore power:
 |
| The illuminated left "Green" LED indicates the coach batteries are at 91-100% "charge level". The illuminated right "Yellow" LED indicates that the Tripp-lite is providing inverter power. |
 |
| All LEDs "OFF" indicating not on shore power and inverter is not providing power to the coach |
Here's an abnormal situation which I discovered in my coach. The battery disconnect is "OFF" and the inverter switch is in the "OFF" position and yet that illuminated yellow LED on the Tripp-Lite indicates that the inverter is providing 120VAC power. I verified that yes, there is 120VAC at the designated receptacles. How can this be?
 |
| Inverter switch in the "OFF" position - the inverter should be off. |
 |
| Inverter providing power even though the inverter switch is "OFF" - How can this be? |
The above is what I discovered in my Roadtrek 210P. I thought about this and concluded that
- The battery disconnect does not disconnect DC to the inverter.
- I had a faulty INVERTER switch on the Roadtrek control panel. This switch has worked properly in the past, but I haven't used the inverter for a few weeks.
I checked the blue plug-in connector at the Tripp-Lite to make sure it was seated. I then disconnected and re-connected it a few times to wipe the contacts. (It looks like a CAT5 ethernet connector, but this isn't an ethernet communications circuit). I concluded that the Roadtrek inverter switch might be the culprit and because it hasn't been thrown in a while it might have oxidized contacts. The Tripp-lite remote inverter selection operates on a DC voltage. Switch contact oxidation creates a resistance which could interfere with the operation of a low voltage DC circuit.
I threw the switch "off" and then "on" about a dozen times to allow the normal "wiping action" of the switch to remove any oxidation, and then returned the switch in the "OFF" position. I checked the inverter and it was off. Since then the remote switch has operated correctly, and when it is in the "OFF" position the Tripp-lite is not providing inverter AC power.
Of course, there could also be a mechanical problem with this switch, and I'll be monitoring it. Not that difficult to do as all I have to do is look at the Tripp-lite LEDs, which are readily accessible if the bed is in the upright "couch" position.
Important note: In my 210P the inverter operates independently of the Battery Disconnect. In other words, if the Battery disconnect is "OFF", the blue lite is not illuminated.
While the battery disconnect is "OFF" if the Inverter switch is then turned "ON" the inverter will begin providing AC power to the receptacles it is connected to. In other words, the position of the battery disconnect has no bearing upon the operation of the inverter in my 210P. Here is the photo I took and I did confirm that the inverter is ON.
 |
| Inverter switch ON, battery disconnect OFF and the inverter is providing AC power |
Original material: https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/
