I thought a separate thread was in order for this - might help others. If this belongs in electrical, please move it.
Note: I did talk to Go Power about this and was told Detail A is how they say to wire it and claim that shore power is dominate.They say when Shore power is off then the inverter can be used. But as pictured the solenoid is always energized using shore power and generating heat. There is no big heat sink either. I asked what happens if the solenoid fails and was told it wont. If solenoid fails only the inverter can be used. However the controller (battery charger) will still work and provide 12V to the battery. I am going to call their expert on transfer switches Monday to verify
So being the conservative engineer I am I am not a fan of the solenoid being energized when shore power is on. In my electronics classes I was told the less time a solenoid is activated the better. GP wiring diagram suggests the opposite
I need the electrical gurus to way in on this. I got out my trusty 50 year old Craftsman analog multi-meter. The diagram above is how GP says to wire the relay. In this configuration the relay solenoid is always on when shore power is on. If relay fails shore power is turned OFF The solenoid power is off of connections 5 and 6 so when they are hot the relay closes. In my mind this is how not to wire this. GP says the relay is designed to be powered 24/7. Not buying that.
Testing
7 and 3 are connected (solenoid off) Same for 8 and 4 With solenoid closed they are open. This verifiers the normally closed status,
5 and 3 are open as are 6 and 4. When solenoid is closed they are closed. Power to the solenoid comes from 5 and 6
Now in the owners manual page 5
2.5.2 INSTALLATION BETWEEN POWER CORD AND GENERATOR (CONFIGURATIONS A, B)
1. Connect the power cord leads to terminal 7 and 8 (on the narrow end of the relay); these are the normally closed (N.C.) contacts. (See Diagram 1 on page 6 for numbered locations).
2. Connect the generator leads to terminals 5 and 6 (on the shoulders of the relay); these are the normally open (N.O.) contacts.
3. Connect output to panel to terminals 3 and 4 (on the wide end of the relay). The TS-30 is designed with a time delay module to provide generators a brief warm-up period before supplying the load. See Diagram 1 on the next page
Source https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/c...N_GP-TS-30.pdf
Diagram 1 is same as above. But does not match the description in 2.5.2
In this case (description in 2.5.2) shore power is tied to 7 and 8 and passes through to 3 an 4 without the solenoid powered. The converter would also be tied to 7 and 8. It would be on when shore power is on. My inverter (treating same as generator would be connected to 5 and 6. When turned on relay closes sending power to 3 and 4. With relay closed, 7 and 8 would still power the converter unless shore power is OFF. However if shore power does happen to be on, the converter is still on, but should not interfere with the inverter as it is not interconnected to it circuit wise. Inverter would provide AC and not be powering the converter. Also shore power is disconnected from the distribution panel
Bottom line I think I need to wire per 2.5.2 and not the diagram above. Or am I worried over nothing?
If I use 2.5.2 and wire shore power to 7 and 8 then the if solenoid goes bad shore power will always work. Inverter would be wired to 5 and 6, When inverter is on solenoid gets power and disconnects 7 and 8. To me this saves wear and tear on the solenoid and does not waste power. (solenoid always on)
Let me know folks how these are normally wired in your systems. I know Victron has them built in, but when is the solenoid activated. While it drove me nuts, the testing was actually fun.
Thanks
Keith - Have a great weekend folks
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