2022 28BH Inverter Prep

[Country Campers]

Does anyone have a suggestion on an inverter with an internal transfer switch, I was heading down the Renology 3kW for cost consideration and knowing my limited need?
Thanks Neil!!!



Rod

I have been thinking of a stand alone inverter as well, the Renogy 3000 watt was my first choice but there were some bad reviews. Looking at other stand alones I found that for the price, around $500-$600, and then add a transfer switch I began to think of a all in one which led me to the Victron Multiplus 2 which has a lot of bells and whisltes, charger, inverter, built in transfer switch, power assist, 2 legs of power for 50 amp Rv, and more, but at a price of $1500 it is quite a step up in cost but it may be the way to go. I have not committed yet but I am considering it seriously. Just my 2 cents as I am reading and learning as I go.

Brian

[122lake]

Does anyone have a recommendation on an autotransfer switch to use with an inverter and prep wiring? (I apologize if it was already stated - I didn’t see it on the thread). I was considering this one on Amazon but there may be a better recommendation. PowerMax PMTS-30 30 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch https://a.co/d/8suRlWj

[epearce]

Does anyone have a recommendation on an autotransfer switch to use with an inverter and prep wiring? (I apologize if it was already stated - I didn’t see it on the thread).

I just put the WFCO T30 in to support my 2kW Renogy inverter. Since I stayed with the WFCO PDP, the WFCO ATS mounts neatly on the back of it. With the inverter, you will want to rewire the converter to feed off the shore side of the ATS, instead of one of the breakers in the OEM PDP.

BTW, I think the WFCO PDP is a bit of a compromise, its convenient, but maybe not the highest end converter, and needs a big long DC wire to run between it and the battery.

[122lake]

Thanks - great suggestion! Just to clarify - My 2022 280RS has the Furrion Juice Pack 165w (which I am doubling) & 12v (only) fridge and inverter prep wiring. Would I still need the WFCO PDP (and if so which model) or need to rewire the converter as I believe it is before the inverter prep breakout on the panel. (Sorry - just bought this model rv and still learning).

[howson]

122lake -- please take a moment to set up your signature line. Everything is explained in the Welcome Letter.

Howard

[Country Campers]

Thanks - great suggestion! Just to clarify - My 2022 280RS has the Furrion Juice Pack 165w (which I am doubling) & 12v (only) fridge and inverter prep wiring. Would I still need the WFCO PDP (and if so which model) or need to rewire the converter as I believe it is before the inverter prep breakout on the panel. (Sorry - just bought this model rv and still learning).

You will have a stand alone converter/charger also called a deck mount version. This will be located behind the rear false wall in the pass thru storage area. Your Reflection 280RS fifth wheel should also be 50 amp not 30 amp.

Brian

[122lake]

Thanks Brian - sorry if I am stating the obvious but just to clarify for me: With my 280RS setup I will not require any devices other than the WFCO T30 (to match the 30amp inverter rough in breakers) to tie in my 2000w PSW Inverter (which shuts down at 10.5v low voltage from battery). Also no rewiring of the OEM converter is necessary as it is on the left side of two 30A pre inverter breakers in panel so will be bypassed when power switches to the inverter feed (which only powers the last two breakers to the right side sub panel)?

[Country Campers]

Thanks Brian - sorry if I am stating the obvious but just to clarify for me: With my 280RS setup I will not require any devices other than the WFCO T30 (to match the 30amp inverter rough in breakers) to tie in my 2000w PSW Inverter (which shuts down at 10.5v low voltage from battery). Also no rewiring of the OEM converter is necessary as it is on the left side of two 30A pre inverter breakers in panel so will be bypassed when power switches to the inverter feed (which only powers the last two breakers to the right side sub panel)?

Yes I believe that you have it figured out.

Brian

[Jomani]

Hello, I have a 280RS and have just completed the installation of a inverter and a transfer switch to my unit. Before I go into the details I wish to point out that the 160 watt solar package that is preinstalled is only to support the 12 VDC refrigerator. If you use the 12 Volt system of other items in your unit and you are not connected to shore power, you will most likely wake up to a dead battery. My package included a standard flooded cell deep cycle battery, if you run this type of battery down below a 50% charge, it will damage the battery and will shorten its life. The roof mounted solar panel is just enough to keep the refrigerator happy but nothing more.
So if you are going off grid you will need to spend some money and upgrade your solar installation. I purchased qty 2 200 Amp Hour lithium batteries and two additional fold out 100 watt panels. After using my system I will be adding a third 100 watt panel soon. I went with the fold out units because they are more flexible to setup and capture more of the sun rays during the day. Roof mounting your panels is good if you always go to the same location and can tilt them up to capture the sun, but when boon-docking you may not always be able to park your rig in the ideal location to capture the sun.
Getting back to the inverter prep that GD did for these units. The circuit breaker panel is actually broken down into 3 sections. The Line 1 50 amp, the Line 2 50 amp, and the "Inverter Prep" 30 amp section. The factory wired a orange romex cable to the first Inverter Prep 30 breaker and then looped it out to the front battery compartment, and then back to the second Inverter Prep 30 amp breaker that feeds the 3rd sub panel. To install a inverter into the system, you must cut the cable located in the battery compartment. Then you need to identify which is the power source side and which is the power return side to the breaker panel. You can do this in several ways, the easiest and is not recommended for beginners is to use a voltage detection device that you can buy at home depot that is used to verify hot outlets. Apply power to the shore input and let the tool tell you which side of the cut cable is hot.

Next you need to install a a transfer switch. I used the Go Power model TS-30 and it provides a AC power cord with a 3 prong connector to connect the inverter output to. Follow the manufactures wiring instructions and connect the shore power to the cable identified in the previous step and the Load outputs to the other half of the romex cable that you cut in two previously. The most difficult part of this job is bending the romex into position in the transfer switch as it a very rigid wire to work with. Take your time and insure that the ground wires are routed so as not to touch the relay during travel. I have attached a schematic diagram to support this job.

klwagner52 I realize this is an older thread, but I found it very helpful in finally understanding the factory installed inverter prep on my 2022 Reflection 303RLS. Thanks for your work on this.

It took me a while to understand how GD managed this in a single panel. Other sources reference a sub panel but that is not the case here. (you mentioned split busses in your post but I wasn’t getting it without actually seeing it) I am a visual person so I wanted to add some pictures as it may be helpful to others here.


With the panel removed, you can see the 2 orange 10awg Romex cables that run up to the front battery compartment then loop back to the panel. The two 30 amp breakers (Inverter Prep Circuits) can also be seen in this picture. The three 15 amp breakers to the right of them are for microwave, GFCI outlets and standard outlets.


The 30 amp breaker shown above (Line Power) sits on the L2 bus and, when plugged into shore power passes 110v through the first 30 amp breaker, out to the front battery compartment, and back into the second 30 amp breaker. The second 30 amp breaker (Isolated Inverter Circuit) back feeds through the breaker and powers the three 15 amp breakers (microwave and outlets).


This picture shows the isolated bus bar with the breakers removed.

It is important to understand that this is what it looks like on a 2022 Reflection RLS and most likely is different on other models.

[CKorn]

Do you need a transfer switch if you wire the inverter directly to the battery or a shunt for the input 12v and the output to the input side of the romax (the side with no power when cut) and turn the inverter on when needed. I don't need it to auto switch power.

[Jomani]

The correct answer is yes. I believe there are people out there who connect the inverter directly to the AC circuit and get by with it. If you happened to forget to switch off the inverter and plugged into shore power bad things will happen.