Transfer switch question???

First and foremost, thanks for the compliment.. .you just made my day. :-)

Now back to the issue.

I think I'm following your line of thought. The inherent logic would certainly serve the projected goal. However, you did not say where you will get the control power to energize/deenergize the transfer switches.


Are you powering them from the shore power or from the inv/gen?

Since you stated that your dominant power would be shore power, I assume that both 30A transfer switch and 50A transfer switch are controlled by shore power. Being plugged in to the pedestal would ignore other available power source. Which is fine and dandy as long as there is power at the pedestal.

Now, here is the kicker: Although this instance is moot and hopefully won't ever happen in your case, the possibility still exist. If I can quote Murphy's Law: "Anything that can happen will happen".

What's gonna happen if (God forbid) you lost power completely or experience a prolonged power outage, your battery is down while the auxiliary is setting idle. Whatever state you transfer switch is in prior to the power failure will remain that way. Firing up the Auxiliary power would not do any good either because the transfer switches are looking for the pedestal power which of course God knows when it's coming back.

I just hope it won't coincide with Jesus's Second Coming. :-)

Cheers!

I appreciate the concern and as I told my wife I was going for "idiot proof" especially where I was concerned. Power for the switching is coming from the feed itself and is operating the relay through electronic circuitry. After a lot of testing and metering, I have the belief that both electrical sources are operated by relay coils and not by mechanical springs.

If I am on shore power and I power up the inverter or generator nothing happens. If while inverter or generator is powered up and I open the shore power breaker at the pedestal, I hear the relay operate for the alternate power and life goes on with out a blip. If Neither alternate source is powered up and I loose shore power, nothing happens. Relay does not operate. If I am powered by the inverter and I close the shore power breaker, the relay will operate and power will transfer back to shore power. Leaving the inverter on will not run my batteries down except in extreme power outage. Exactly what I wanted. Had I wired transfer switch with priority to inverter, I would stay on inverter even with shore power available running my batteries down to inverter shut off, even if I regain shore power to the camper. Not what I wanted.

Checking with meter, there is no back feeding anywhere.

Everything I have bought is either rated for or exceeds the capacity of the loads, with breakers and fuses being the exception.

Mark