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  • Inverter Question and scratching my Head.

    Just upgraded to a 2021 376ths, Beautiful Rig. My question is and Im looking for some advise, I got it with the solar package and inverter installed from the Grand Design Factory. Why is my Inverter not hooked up to my distribution panel? I can't watch TV, make a cup of Coffee or power a plug off my Battery and Inverter. Thats what it was ordered for and I was not provided a wiring schematic or literature on the Inverter. Ill will be calling Grand Design Tomorrow for hopefully some satisfaction. Seems crazy to spend 3K on a package that does absolutely nothing. Any Ideas and has anyone else encountered this issue?Inverter

  • #2
    Originally posted by Good Times 689 View Post
    Just upgraded to a 2021 376ths, Beautiful Rig. My question is and Im looking for some advise, I got it with the solar package and inverter installed from the Grand Design Factory. Why is my Inverter not hooked up to my distribution panel? I can't watch TV, make a cup of Coffee or power a plug off my Battery and Inverter. Thats what it was ordered for and I was not provided a wiring schematic or literature on the Inverter. Ill will be calling Grand Design Tomorrow for hopefully some satisfaction. Seems crazy to spend 3K on a package that does absolutely nothing. Any Ideas and has anyone else encountered this issue?Inverter
    I don't think I have your answer, but will post to help bump your thread back up to get attention to it.

    First thing that comes to mind is that the factory is mostly installing inverters for the purpose of powering a residential refrigerator in units where that option was ordered. I wonder if the people on the floor did the installation that way without thinking that you were expecting more of your circuits to be energized by the inverter.

    Does your fridge work on AC when you're not connected to shore power? If so that may be the only / one of the only circuits connected to the inverter.

    Maybe someone who knows more will jump in.

    Good luck. Welcome to the forum.
    Mark - 2018 Solitude 310GK - Ford F-350 SRW diesel short box - Pullrite Superglide hitch

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Good Times 689 View Post
      Just upgraded to a 2021 376ths, Beautiful Rig. My question is and Im looking for some advise, I got it with the solar package and inverter installed from the Grand Design Factory. Why is my Inverter not hooked up to my distribution panel? I can't watch TV, make a cup of Coffee or power a plug off my Battery and Inverter. Thats what it was ordered for and I was not provided a wiring schematic or literature on the Inverter. Ill will be calling Grand Design Tomorrow for hopefully some satisfaction. Seems crazy to spend 3K on a package that does absolutely nothing. Any Ideas and has anyone else encountered this issue?Inverter
      I am going to call on TucsonJim in here, but I know there are two different options. The residential fridge option which only comes with a small inverter to feed the fridge, and the solar option which is supposed to include a larger inverter that feeds more circuits in the rig. I am however not sure what circuits are supposed to be fed, hopefully Jim will have some more insight there. It is possible your rig was wired with the wrong inverter or configuration. What size is the inverter installed in your rig?
      Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.​

      Neil Citro
      2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
      2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab

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      • #4
        Thank You for the Thoughts, Thats what has me stumped, I have the Factory installed Solar thats supposed to offer true inversion of Power for off Grid Boon docking. Yesterday I took my big Girl back to the dealer and even they were scratching their heads. Needless to say after calling Grand Designs and talking to the service people a work order has been started. I'll let everyone know the outcome sooner than later I hope.

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        • #5
          I pulled the documentation I do have and it's very limited in scope. So instead of definitive answers, I'm shooting in the dark a little.

          On most of the units I've seen, the inverter output is fed into a sub panel. Can you locate the sub panel, and if so, are the breakers labeled with the circuits they supply?
          When you turn on the inverter with the switch, can you examine the inverter and make sure it's actually powering up? On late models there is a secondary battery disconnect switch that will stop the battery voltage from going to the inverter, as a result there is no parasitic draws and the inverter is disabled. If this switch is not turned on, then the inverter will not actually power up.

          Jim
          Jim and Ginnie
          2024 Solitude 310GK
          GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
          GDRV Rally Support Coordinator

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          • #6
            The sub-panel for the inverter should be in one of the lower kitchen cabinets. It's not big, so you'll have to look toward the back to find it.
            Curtis, Christine, Cole, and Charlotte
            2007 Chevrolet Silverado Duramax LBZ, CCLB
            2020 Momentum 351M
            2004 Essex Vortex

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            • #7
              Devil is in the details. Solar Prep vs- Solar package and what they provide regarding expectations. Lots of self-learning on this subject. Most seem to do better building and installing a system themselves or having a professional do the layout and installation. I just replaced the 1k GD installed inverter on my 2020 375RES-R with a Magnum 3k hybrid inverter that feeds both legs of the 50 amp sub panel plus added 3 100amp Battle Born batteries. With all the hardware, wiring, battery monitor and installation requirements. My self-installation came to just under $5k, and this does not include solar on the roof. Solar is next on the list for early 2021.

              Good luck on your journey!
              Attached Files
              Gary F
              2020 Solitude 375RES-R
              2019 Ford Super Duty diesel Dually

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              • #8
                Good Morning all. My name is Lenny, I am a owner of a 2021 Momentum 376ths. I used to be the Proud Owner of a 376ths, now just a owner. I was so excited to get this RV, it was going to be part of our retirement and travel the country BUT now Im not so sure. For all the hype that Grand Design has put out there about Quality and PDI and attention to detail, Im calling BS on all of that and here is why. I ordered my RV last summer and It got delivered to me in November ( thats ok it takes time to build ) I picked up the RV November 14th 2020 from Windish RV in Colorado. I spent a few days learning how things were supposed to work, On November 19th 2020 I took the RV back to Windish for service because the exhaust fans didnt work properly and I couldn't get any Inverted power. Over the last 6 MONTHS, Yes 6 Months Grand Design has been less than helpful and the Dealers service department is terrible. Windish RV should be ashamed to sell Grand Design and Grand Design should be ashamed to have a Dealership like Windish service there RV's. Windish RV decided to put MaxAir fans in replacement of the Hengs fans that GD put in( thats a good thing) and As on today May 6th 2021 im now being told that they need to order a new Inverter for my RV because the one Grand Design put in is no good. Keep in mind I had it in my possession for 5 days out of the last 6 months. Im being told up to 6 more weeks to get it delivered and installed and who knows what else Ill find wrong once I actually use it. I have been paying for this RV for 6 months and a EMPTY storage space, Grand Design and Quality do not seem to go hand in hand with my recent experience. As it stands right now worst decision i ever made and I don't know when I'll get to use my RV, as of now not a fan of GD. All I can say is look out for smoke a mirrors because thats all it is. We are NOT happy Campers. Any Thoughts that could help me? Thanks for your time, Lenny

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                • #9
                  Good Times 689

                  Have you been in contact with Grand Design? If so what was the information from them?
                  I am not making excuses but there have been plenty of times in the past year that GD has not been able to get items needed to build RV's. I will pass this onto GD to see if we can get some answers for you.

                  Please update your profile with your VIN.

                  Brian
                  Brian & Michelle
                  2018 Reflection 29RS
                  2022 Chevy 3500HD

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                  • #10
                    Good Times 689 -- Brian and I got crossed-up with your posts and threads. The post on this thread has been restored. I've sent the updated link to our hosts for their review and/or comment.

                    Howard
                    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                    2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

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                    • #11
                      Thank You for understanding, It has been a very frustrating experience for us and through the Service Department all we get are excuses and poor customer service. Im just looking for advice and curious if other have been having these problems. Grand Design says call the Dealer and the Dealer is saying they need to call Grand Design.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Good Times 689 View Post
                        Im just looking for advice and curious if other have been having these problems.
                        You may not like my advice but here goes...

                        I wouldn't recommend taking an RV to a dealer unless the repair needed is something you can't do yourself. And by that I mean things like delaminating side walls or cracked frames. I'm not giving your dealer a pass! But, the reality of the RV industry is dealers typically take weeks or months for simple repairs that any owner can do themselves - even if they need a little help from YouTube. Should all dealers complete repairs in hours or maybe days at the worst? Absolutely!!!! The car industry could never get away with what the RV industry does.

                        If I ever run into a problem with my RV that I can't repair myself (which hasn't happened with any of our three Grand Design RV's), I will contact Grand Design and get approval for a mobile tech to do the repair. I may have to pay for the mobile service (not parts) but I'd much rather do that than have my RV sit at the dealership for months while the batteries get drained and mice eat my theater seats.

                        The bottom line is virtually ALL RV dealerships for ALL brands have service departments that take forever to get work done. It's not brand specific. I've had poor customer service at my dealership trying to get parts and do everything I can to avoid contacting them. For example, my current RV had a bad batch of ceiling lights. They are very simple to replace so there was no way on earth I was taking the RV to the dealership for that. But, I needed replacement lights. My dealer was horrible to work with just for simple ceiling lights that cost $10. They wanted pictures of the failed lights and they wanted me to bring the failed lights into the dealership (2 hour round trip) so they could order replacements. I ended up contacting Grand Design directly and they sent new lights out ASAP no questions asked. We ended up having about a dozen lights fail and had to contact Grand Design a couple more times for more lights and they came through each time. Excellent customer service!

                        Again, I'm not excusing your dealer or the response you got from Grand Design. I'm just recommending that you do repairs yourself or call a mobile tech if the repair is too difficult. RV's are generally poorly built with low quality parts and being able to repair them yourself is part of the RV ownership experience. For some people, this is a deal breaker and they sell their RV because they think their new RV will be as trouble free as their new car and their RV dealer will repair their rig as fast as their car dealer repairs their car. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

                        I hope you get your exhaust fan and inverter repaired soon and can put that behind you.

                        BTW, my current 5th wheel came with the factory solar system as well. I have some questions if you don't mind...
                        1- Are you sure the inverter is powered on? It isn't "on" by default. Your RV should have a remote power switch for the inverter that you need to press and hold for a 1/2 second before the power light comes on. I would also recommend looking at the inverter itself to make sure the power light is illuminated.
                        2- Are the breakers in your sub panel turned on? Your sub panel should be located near your main panel. This sub panel is what powers all the outlets that run from your inverter.
                        3- Are your batteries fully charged? The inverter won't work if your batteries are low.
                        4- Is the breaker for the sub panel (located in the main panel) turned on?
                        Brian & Kellie
                        2020 Grand Design Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, MORryde IS, 1,460w solar and 540ah BBGC3
                        2020 Ford F-350 Platinum SRW PSD Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

                        Previous setups:
                        2019 Grand Design Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 Ford F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
                        2016 Grand Design Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

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                        • #13
                          Brian & Kellie

                          Thank you so much for the seasoned advice, I have never had a 5th wheel let alone a RV so fancy. I didn't know about the mobile tech thing and I will defiantly be doing that in the future. I always did the repairs myself with all my other campers and for some reason I thought a high end RV needed a service department to do the work because I didn't want to screw anything up.

                          You have defiantly shown a light on the situation and I am truly thankful for all the advice.

                          As for your questions,

                          I tried to trouble shoot everything you mentioned before I took it in for service and I Hope the service department knows more than me but sometime i wonder. LOL... I am pretty sure I won't be going back to them after I get my rig back and functioning.

                          I defiantly want to move on and start enjoying myself and time with my wife, we have so many trip ideas and plans in mind.

                          Cheers
                          Lenny

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Lenny

                            You picked a great RV! Don't give up on it just because of your dealer! My dealer knew nothing about the factory solar system when my unit arrived last year. They couldn't explain anything about it.

                            If the inverter still isn't working when you get your RV back, come back here and we'll try to help you troubleshoot it. There are some really sharp people here who may be able to help you. If the inverter is defective, it's easy to replace. You would be working with electricity so you would need to take basic precautions but it's a simple job.

                            Hang in there!

                            -Brian
                            Brian & Kellie
                            2020 Grand Design Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, MORryde IS, 1,460w solar and 540ah BBGC3
                            2020 Ford F-350 Platinum SRW PSD Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

                            Previous setups:
                            2019 Grand Design Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 Ford F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
                            2016 Grand Design Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Good Times 689

                              Noted your VIN is (still) not in your profile. That is the first thing our hosts will go and look at, so please take care of this ASAP. Complete instructions are linked from the Welcome Letter to New Members at https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members
                              Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                              2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                              Comment

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