Thor Forums

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Machinetools1

GMC. We are home from our trip and had a fantastic time. Now I need to find the problem of not charging the batteries when the generator is running. I did not check the voltage coming out of the converter but I am confused. A converter converts AC to DC and an inverter converts DC to AC. when you turn the inverter on to watch tv it powers all of your 120 componates so you can watch t.v. would that not 've the job of the converter and not the inverter.

With the generator on I should be getting 13 volts out of the converter and the batteries. How many volts should be coming out of the inverter.

Glad you had a great time!

The converter as you said converts 110v AC to 12v DC... It is used to provide 12v to the coach when shore power/generator power is present - and of course also charges the coach batteries (and chassis on most class A's)
The inverter converts 12v DC to 110v AC - Typically the inverter powers only a few items in most RVs - residential fridge if present, TVs are another common one... (Large diesel pushers power virtually everything...)
The inverter typically has an internal transfer switch - so if 110v power is available from either generator or shore power - it just passes it through... It only 'inverts' 12v to 110 when no 110 source is present.

So with generator on - the output of the inverter should be the 110v from the generator.

With the generator off/shore power disconnected, the output should still be 110v, but would be the result of inverting the 12v input.