Factory disconnect switch - 12V and 110V? I’m confused

[ajg617]

I happened to turn off the factory disconnect switch to reduce parsitic draw on the batteries since night temps were going to drop into the low 20s and teens last week for a few days and I knew the battery heaters (LiFePO4s) would be coming on at night. On the 110V sub-panel, I had already switched off the residential fridge CB and the GFCI CB when winterizing. Since I have factory solar and am connected to shore power in my garage, I figured the batteries would be topped off each day as usual by the combination shore power at night and solar during the day. But after a couple of days, I brought the BMV app up on my phone and the SOC was 60% with about a 4Amp charge rate (guessing from Solar). I was under the impression that the disconnect switch only applied to 12V but my 110V PD9160 charger pendant blinked at absorption charge rates. Despite being connected to shore power, I could not get the PD into bulk mode until I turned the disconnect back on. Other than swapping the WFCO to the PD, all connections are factory so I'm a little confused why the 110V outlets on the back of the fuse panel where the converter/charger plugs into apparently went dark when the factory disconnect switch was off.

So I re-ran this test tonight well after dark to eliminate solar from the picture. With shore power disconnected, the disconnect switch off and same CBs off as above, the PD pendant was blinking as it would during absorption rates though the BMV read a draw of .17Amps (perhaps a draw from the inverter which I did not disconnect). I then plugged in the 110V shore power cord and expected the PD to start charging at bulk rate to get up to 14.6V then drop back. Nope. BMV continued to read 0.17Amps and PD pendant blinking regularly. Turned disconnect switch on and PD immediately kicked into bulk charge and BMV up to 35Amps with Pendant LED on solid.

Guess my question is does the factory disconnect impact the 110V circuit feeding the charge controller? Manual doesn't clarify but that would seem like an odd connection to me.

[TucsonJim]

When you turn off the disconnect, it typically shuts off the flow from the converter to the batteries. So even though your PD converter is on, there is no charge going to the batteries.

It's also important to note that the disconnect does not completely disconnect the batteries. It should be considered a disconnect for the fuse panel. Any circuits that are protected by their own fuse do not go through the disconnect panel and are still active.

Jim

[ajg617]

When you turn off the disconnect, it typically shuts off the flow from the converter to the batteries. So even though your PD converter is on, there is no charge going to the batteries.

It's also important to note that the disconnect does not completely disconnect the batteries. It should be considered a disconnect for the fuse panel. Any circuits that are protected by their own fuse do not go through the disconnect panel and are still active.

Jim

Since the converter is powered by the 110V circuit on the back of the fuse panel, does that mean those 110V outlets are live despite no shore power and no solar, i.e. no power sources except the batteries? Or are the batteries just back-feeding the converter?

[TucsonJim]

Since the converter is powered by the 110V circuit on the back of the fuse panel, does that mean those 110V outlets are live despite no shore power and no solar, i.e. no power sources except the batteries? Or are the batteries just back-feeding the converter?

The converter serves two purposes. It provides 12V power to charge the batteries, and it provides 12V power to supplement the batteries. It does not provide any 120V power to any circuits. If you have 120V power when not plugged into shore power, it's either coming from a generator or from an INVERTER. Your Solitude may be equipped with an inverter from the factory. It was an option on the 2022 model year. An inverter may also have been added after market.


Jim

[ajg617]

The converter serves two purposes. It provides 12V power to charge the batteries, and it provides 12V power to supplement the batteries. It does not provide any 120V power to any circuits. If you have 120V power when not plugged into shore power, it's either coming from a generator or from an INVERTER. Your Solitude may be equipped with an inverter from the factory. It was an option on the 2022 model year. An inverter may also have been added after market.


Jim

I have factory solar so I do have an inverter. But my Progressive Dynamics 9160ALV is powered off of 110V plug into the receptacles in the back of the fuse panel. No solar (night), no generator running, no shore power - only batteries and my PD pendant is blinking which according to their documentation means it is in absorption charge mode. I can't speak to the internal circuitry of the PD. What I think I am hearing is that with the disconnect off, the inverter is supplying voltage through that 110V outlet to the PD9160 so that it can accommodate the demand of separately fused circuits? If that is true, then the 110V outlets behind the fuse panel are not connected to the GFCI CB or the pendant is being powered directly from the batteries through the PD9160. I guess an easy way to determine that would be to unplug the inverter.