How to find outlets not running thru the inverter

brao wrote:
Being honest, most of you can't seem to agree on one answer.It's difficult to tell which of you knows what they are talking about. I don't want to take a chance ruining my electrical system so I will call Fleetwood in the morning and talk to one of their techs. Hopefully I will find a safe answer.

First, of course you get different answers because people have different coaches and they are wired differently.

Second, calling Fleetwood is what you should have done as a first step if you couldn't find the answer in your manual. Actually, you seem to have had a pretty weak PDI (or maybe didn't have one at all) and it would probably save you time and money in the long run to hired a mobile tech to come and explain your systems to you while you video the explanations so you can go back and review as needed.

Barb

brao wrote:
Obviously,and contrary to the guy who seemed to have fun at my expense(OP),my original and follow up questions have a lot of validity. Some of you think that the inverter powers all outlets and some of you think only a few. Some of you think you need to turn the inverter off to run an electric heater because you think that all power goes thru the inverter even when hooked up to shore power. Some of you think that I can use a night light to check for powered outlets that are powered by the inverter when not hooked up to shore power. Being honest, most of you can't seem to agree on one answer.It's difficult to tell which of you knows what they are talking about. I don't want to take a chance ruining my electrical system so I will call Fleetwood in the morning and talk to one of their techs. Hopefully I will find a safe answer.

I don't think anyone was trying to have fun at your expense. Not all motorhomes are created equal. Mine only has a 1600 watt inverter which I installed my self. Some motorhomes have inverters and some don't. Some have modified sine wave inverters and some have pure sine wave inverters. And you have never told us until the above quoted post, what brand of motorhome you have - Fleetwood, - but we still don't know the model or year it is and if your inverter is stock or aftermarket. We can't help your when we are playing a guessing game to find out how your Fleetwood is equipped! You haven't even listed it in your profile.

Tomorrow, when you call Fleetwood, please be prepared to tell them the year, model of your Fleetwood, and the Vin number and the build number so that they might be able to help you out. If they don't have that information, they can't help you out. If you don't give it to them, you will probably get treated just like you think you got treated on this thread. By the way, you did have a highly respected, top of the line, RV tech trying to help you on on this thread!!!

Hope they can help you out!

If you disconnect shore power and still have ac power than it is pretty clear as to the source. At least to me.

From an inverter or a miracle.

My 2006 Holiday Rambler Ambassador has a 2000 watt inverter. I plugged in two 1500 watt heaters and everything including lights, went out. It was the 20 amp breaker at the inverter. Later I found that all plugs and lights and microwave went through the inverter EXCEPT the two bedside plugs and the one plug near the rear window (no rear closet). So if I want to run 2 1500 watt heaters on high (around 25 amps total), one has to be plugged into one of those 3 plugs (EVEN when the inverter is turned OFF).

Turn off Generator

Unplug from shore power

Turn on Inverter

Plug working appliance (electric mixer, table lamp, electric drill) into each outlet

If appliance will not run, that plug is not powered by inverter.

I use the outlet that my micro-wave is plugged into.

If you are looking for a outlet not connected to an inverter I would suggest pluging into the washer dryer outlet. I don't know of any connected to the inverter. You can then connect one heater to any outlet and the other to the washer dryer outlet.

In the owner's manual that came with my 2001 SCEPTER one of the wiring diagram pages list all the outlets and which ones are on the inverter. It's worth checking if you have such a page in your documentation

mscamping wrote:
This is very interesting, I've never given any thought to this.. Some of our outlets are marked from the factory that say inverter(little sticker).. But that being said, I don't think any of the outlets are dead when we are not plugged into shore power or on the gen.. What would be the purpose of the inverter if it didn't energize all of the outlets?? We have used two electric heaters when needed, on low, to help keep things warm and yes DW has popped one of the breakers on the inverter when she ran the hair dryer with both heaters on.. This is while being plugged into shore(50 amp)power..You can still overload the system even on 50 amp.. Mike Mathews..

She popped a circuit breaker because there are often only 2 or so different circuits, no matter how many outlets are on the circuits, and the hair dryer plus heater on one 15 amp circuit is to much.

We have one set of outlets that do not pass through the inverter. Means we have more options when plugged in.

Barb

Brao:
Would you post the make and model of your inverter?
That way you can egt better responses. Several posters have advised how to test for receptacles working off the inverter. By knowing what make and model of inverter, it could be established about how many receptacles maybe on your inverter power.