Converter/Inverter

[Lin]

The bus has an converter that seems to do its job: putting out 12v to the bus and ,I believe, feeding a 5 amp charge back to the batteries.  I am not upgrading the battery bank right yet.  Actually, it is being downgraded first.  It came with 3 130 AH Trojans, but one has a bad cell, so not it will be two battery system.  I will look into it further when we are ready to start using the coach.  Well, I just picked up a used Trace inverter/charger that I would like to put in line.  My concern is that I do not want the converter messing with the Trace or doing any charging.  I'd prefer not to remove the converter: it's there, it's working, and I do not feel like dealing with the bunch of circuits it seems to be supplying individually.  I was therefore thinking that I could put a diode between the batteries and the 12v fuse block so no current would feed back, and the Trace would be free to function unmolested.  Am I missing something?

[boogiethecat]

My guess is that internally to both the trace and the converter there are already diodes... there pretty much has to be for them  to do their jobs.  Hooking both up to the same system shouldn't hurt a thing.  Whichever one thinks it needs to add charge to the batteries or supply power to the system will do so without messing the other up or harming it or the system in any way. It's basically the same as having a converter or a charging style inverter hooked to the same battery bank as a spinning alternator- whichever one needs to do the work will do it, and not harm or affect the other.   I'd venture to just hook them both up, plug em in and away you go happily ever after.
Just my opinion...
Cheers
Gary

[Lin]

I need to add another question about inverter wiring.  If the AC input to the inverter comes through the main panel, then as soon as the panel is energized, the inverter will shut down.  If the AC current is discontinued, then the inverter will start producing AC current.  If that current is fed into the main panel, won't the inverter, which is now receiving a dose of its own current, then shut down and even start cycling on and off.  I did not have this issue on my last bus because I used an external transfer switch that was energized by shore/gen power.  This Trace has its own transfer switch.  Again, it seems I must be missing something.

[Tenor]

Lin,
What inverter have you picked up?  There may be some other considerations depending on what you have.  Is your inverter 12 volt or 24 volt?  If it is 12 volt, you can just remove the converter entirely and run the 12v items directly off of the battery bank.  The inverter will charge/power your 12 accessories while you are plugged in just like your converter.

[Sam 4106]

Hi Lin,
I had a similar situation a year or so ago when I added an inverter. I simply unpluged the converter. The converter still provides all the 12 volt circuits from the batteries, but the inverter does the charging when hooked to shore power. A very easy solution to your question.
Now, to your other question. If you are going to power your inverter from your main panel, then you will need an aux. panel for the output from your inverter with just the loads you want the inverter to supply. My inverter is supplied from either the shore cord or the generator through a transfer switch and then the inverter supplies the whole panel. That way anything in the bus can be used off the inverter, just not all at once.
Good luck, Sam 4106

[Jerry32]

sam has it right so either the inverter needs a transfer switch or has one built in. then the inverter needs to supply either the whole panel or what you want to power from it. My inverter has a transfer sw built in and powers back to the panel. Jerry

[Lin]

The inverter is a Trace u2515sb that I got used.  It is an inverter/charger with the internal power switch.  Maybe I will have to separate its loads through a separate sub panel as suggested.  I could see where connecting an external transfer switch could work too.  It seems that the inverter would have to be wired to the power input before the transfer switch and would have its own breaker.  The current pass through feature of the inverter would just be ignored.  Do I have it right?

[JackConrad]

     WARNING  If you feed you inverter from your main panel and then send the 120 volt output from your inverter back into the same panel, you will let all the smoke out of the inverter and it will not work once the smoke gets out.
    There is a way to split the load center, fewding your inverter from one leg and sending the 120 volt AC from the inverter to the nther leg, but it you mess up, you just lost an inverter.  Much simpler to let your main load center feed the inverter and have the inverter feed a different (sub) panel.  All circuits that you want to run from the inverter should be wired into the sub panel.  Jack

[Lin]

Jack,

Thanks for the information regarding letting the smoke out.  It occurs to me that I have done that before to other devices, and it started me thinking about if there was a way I could put the smoke back in.  I think that the easiest way I have come up with is to use incense since one could safely place the smoke anywhere one wanted.  I have also noticed that when I let the smoke out of things, it was often accompanied by a humming sound.  So my plan will be to hum as I try to de-smoke the device with incense.  Actually, I think I have seen something like that being done in a National Geographic documentary.  I have an old battery charger I will try it on first and will let you know if it works.  Thanks, Lin