kydale wrote:
Ok I feel like I'm missing something. It is a refrigerator circuit. I go from the batteries thru the inverter/transfer switch to a junction box that has only the refrigerator wiring in it. What's going to prevent current from the inverter going back to the breaker panel and powering everything in the panel?
That is the sole and only job of the transfer switch. It switches both the hot and neutral wires for the circuit it powers from shore power to inverter power. There is never any connection between the two sources.
The way the transfer switch works is: the hot and neutral wires from the breaker panel to the refrigerator are moved. They are run, instead to the transfer switch. So, the transfer switch has shore power FROM THE REFRIGERATOR CIRCUIT ONLY and inverter power running to it. Then the hot and neutral are run FROM the transfer switch to the refrigerator. As long as you actually have shore power, it provides the power to the circuit. If shore power goes away, e.g. power failure or boondocking, you turn on the inverter. The transfer switch then, well, switches from the shore power lines to the inverter lines and continues to provide 120v to the circuit. When the shore power comes back on, the transfer switch switches back to shore power, and you turn off the inverter. Be sure the shore power is wired as primary and the inverter is wired as secondary. That way as long as you have shore power, the shore power is being used, even if the inverter is still turned on.
BFL13 is referencing the fact that you can put more than just the refrigerator through the inverter. You can run an entire circuit through it powering outlets also. However, unless you power your entire RV from it (requiring the converter/charger to be turned off) you can only run one circuit through it.
