2001 NationalRV Dolphin. In storage, started the motor Ford (V-10) and the generator(Generac 5.5)For the first time ever, NO power anywhere from the generator. Flipped all the circuit breakers I knew how to flip...still no power. Anywhere.Called my dealer (of purchase, and they are the only ones that have ever done work on it...so I have confidence here....(never had to go back for the same thing twice). This dealer is 2 hours away. Generator was running all that time. When I left my lot, no power. When I arrived at the dealer...FULL power everywhere. Normal.Dealer said it was most likely the transfer switch. Left the RV there for a new switch.3 days later, they called...not only could they find nothing wrong...but said I do not HAVE a transfer switch! They hit everything with a meter. Nothing. Come get it and have a good day.Opinions ? Knowledge?

We had a gasser with no transfer switch, the way it was wired was actually simple and easy; when on shore power you simply plugged it in as normal. In travel mode you simply plugged the cord into a 30 amp receptacle in the cord bay. That receptacle was wired directly to the generator. Simple, easy, and zero chance of failure.

Might have a loose connection somewhere in the generator system. It would take someone with a meter and some knowledge to troubleshoot. Might be hard to find if intermittent.

Even today some mh' s don't have a transfer switch. One either plugs in the shore pier cord or a plug from then generator. Simple setup.

I see no issue with an "unplug one source and plug in the other" OR an ATS.Just have to know which you have.

I do not know if you have an AUTOMATIC transfer switch or not but if it worked before, then you likely do.Some RV's have what I call a "Poor Man's Transfer Switch" this is an outlet, matching the RV's plug, that is powered by the Generator, it is the only thing powered by the generator. You manually "Transfer" by transferring the RV's power plug from the park box to the generator powered outlet.

No transfer switch? | Good Sam Community

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Jan 21, 2017
JerseyJim,
Have you used the generator in the past? If so, what did you have to do to get power. If nothing, then you have a transfer switch. If you had to move a plug from one location to another then you do not. That's pretty much the only 2 choices.
DrewE
Explorer II
Jan 21, 2017
MrWizard wrote:
With the fan and compressor timers built into the A/C of most new RVs
The only loads will be the converter water heater etc..
A/C compressor instant load is a much LESS likely problem, than it used to be
A manual transfer , is the safest most reliable mode

The converter and (especially) water heater are a significant load for a generator to have to start up with. An automatic transfer switch lets the generator start up with no load (well, except for a relay coil or two in the transfer switch itself).

You could accomplish the same thing by turning off the main breaker before starting the generator on a rig with a manual transfer setup, or by plugging the power cord into the generator socket after the generator starts up, but I suspect relatively few people do that all the time. Similarly, you also would accomplish the same thing by wiring an EMS in with its time delay. But absent any of these, the automatic transfer switch is significantly gentler on the generator when it's starting up.
dougrainer
Nomad
Jan 21, 2017
MrWizard wrote:
With the fan and compressor timers built into the A/C of most new RVs
The only loads will be the converter water heater etc..
A/C compressor instant load is a much LESS likely problem, than it used to be
A manual transfer , is the safest most reliable mode

The compressor start delay has NO bearing on a Auto Transfer switch operation. IF the compressors are running, they WILL have a load when the Genset transfers power. Doug
MrWizard
Moderator
Jan 21, 2017
With the fan and compressor timers built into the A/C of most new RVs
The only loads will be the converter water heater etc..
A/C compressor instant load is a much LESS likely problem, than it used to be
A manual transfer , is the safest most reliable mode
DrewE
Explorer II
Jan 21, 2017
tropical36 wrote:

This has been discussed before and couldn't believe how many arguments there were against it. One poster said that it was going backwards with technology. I mean, one has to store the cord away anyway, so what's the big deal in plugging it in to the genset outlet, in the process and when it's right there, staring you in the face.
Again, IMO, the only good argument is for auto starting the gen set, if needed when plugged into shore power.

I would think that the propensity to start the generator under load would also be a valid argument against the system. Automatic transfer switches for generators have a time delay before switching to generator power to let it get up to speed and have the voltage regulation stabilized. (That's not to say I think it to be a bad system, just that--like most everything else--there are various tradeoffs.)
tropical36
Explorer
Jan 21, 2017
wa8yxm wrote:
I do not know if you have an AUTOMATIC transfer switch or not but if it worked before, then you likely do.

Some RV's have what I call a "Poor Man's Transfer Switch" this is an outlet, matching the RV's plug, that is powered by the Generator, it is the only thing powered by the generator. You manually "Transfer" by transferring the RV's power plug from the park box to the generator powered outlet.

Call it a ....poor man's ..... if you wish, but National built some of the best top of the line coaches ever, especially with some of their gas pullers, like the Trop-i-Cal and Dolphin LX and they had this system in the better years.
tropical36
Explorer
Jan 21, 2017
Gjac wrote:
tropical36 wrote:
Bruce Brown wrote:
We had a gasser with no transfer switch, the way it was wired was actually simple and easy; when on shore power you simply plugged it in as normal. In travel mode you simply plugged the cord into a 30 amp receptacle in the cord bay. That receptacle was wired directly to the generator. Simple, easy, and zero chance of failure.

Had one, as well and I agree.
One might even fair better with removing these switches for a like conversion upon failure.
Only thing is, if you have an auto start genset and you leave pets inside with the heat of summer, it might come in handy with a shore power failure.
As for the OP's dilemma, these Generac's have a habit of no output on occasion and one sometimes needs to shutdown and restart it, once or twice or maybe even three, in fact. Don't know why and might be for a lack of excitation voltage during startup and for whatever reason.
. I have this system now and like it, it is simple. The few times when my genset would not work was when my 50 amp cord was not plugged in or my circuit breakers were tripped. There my also be fuses in your genset also.

This has been discussed before and couldn't believe how many arguments there were against it. One poster said that it was going backwards with technology. I mean, one has to store the cord away anyway, so what's the big deal in plugging it in to the genset outlet, in the process and when it's right there, staring you in the face.
Again, IMO, the only good argument is for auto starting the gen set, if needed when plugged into shore power.
Gjac
Explorer III
Jan 21, 2017
tropical36 wrote:
Bruce Brown wrote:
We had a gasser with no transfer switch, the way it was wired was actually simple and easy; when on shore power you simply plugged it in as normal. In travel mode you simply plugged the cord into a 30 amp receptacle in the cord bay. That receptacle was wired directly to the generator. Simple, easy, and zero chance of failure.

Had one, as well and I agree.
One might even fair better with removing these switches for a like conversion upon failure.
Only thing is, if you have an auto start genset and you leave pets inside with the heat of summer, it might come in handy with a shore power failure.
As for the OP's dilemma, these Generac's have a habit of no output on occasion and one sometimes needs to shutdown and restart it, once or twice or maybe even three, in fact. Don't know why and might be for a lack of excitation voltage during startup and for whatever reason.
. I have this system now and like it, it is simple. The few times when my genset would not work was when my 50 amp cord was not plugged in or my circuit breakers were tripped. There my also be fuses in your genset also.
tropical36
Explorer
Jan 21, 2017
Bruce Brown wrote:
We had a gasser with no transfer switch, the way it was wired was actually simple and easy; when on shore power you simply plugged it in as normal. In travel mode you simply plugged the cord into a 30 amp receptacle in the cord bay. That receptacle was wired directly to the generator. Simple, easy, and zero chance of failure.

Had one, as well and I agree.
One might even fair better with removing these switches for a like conversion upon failure.
Only thing is, if you have an auto start genset and you leave pets inside with the heat of summer, it might come in handy with a shore power failure.
As for the OP's dilemma, these Generac's have a habit of no output on occasion and one sometimes needs to shutdown and restart it, once or twice or maybe even three, in fact. Don't know why and might be for a lack of excitation voltage during startup and for whatever reason.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jan 21, 2017
I do not know if you have an AUTOMATIC transfer switch or not but if it worked before, then you likely do.

Some RV's have what I call a "Poor Man's Transfer Switch" this is an outlet, matching the RV's plug, that is powered by the Generator, it is the only thing powered by the generator. You manually "Transfer" by transferring the RV's power plug from the park box to the generator powered outlet.

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