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Old 09-26-2017, 09:49 PM   #1
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Inverter Display Battery 1 and 2

Hi folks, Wild Thing here, I'm at my first Walmart parking lot dry camping tonight day for in the trailer. I have a question about the inverter. I've been reading the manual and messing with the buttons and I'm a bit confused. As I read in the manual it says to toggle the be switch to scroll through the stats for battery 1 and Battery 2 when I hit the B switch repeatedly, the display scrolls through the three stats for battery 1 only... I never see battery 2... is that normal? In the manual it seems to indicate if I don't see stats for battery to that it's not connected.

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Old 09-26-2017, 10:05 PM   #2
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If you have the dual 6V batteries I'm pretty sure the inverter sees them as one 12V battery. So there is only Battery 1.
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Old 09-26-2017, 10:44 PM   #3
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I do have the dual 6V. That makes sense Mike. My brain is a bit mushy with all this new info and you have put my mind at rest. Thanks so much!

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Old 09-27-2017, 02:45 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
If you have the dual 6V batteries I'm pretty sure the inverter sees them as one 12V battery. So there is only Battery 1.
That's right. There are terminals on the back for multiple "arrays", but of course two 6V wired together in series is just one array. It's the same thing on the solar charge controller, if equipped.
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Old 09-27-2017, 09:18 PM   #5
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That's right. There are terminals on the back for multiple "arrays", but of course two 6V wired together in series is just one array. It's the same thing on the solar charge controller, if equipped.
Thanks so much!

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Old 09-27-2017, 09:47 PM   #6
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Further Newbie Questions...

I'm settling in and loving my new trailer but have a few questions...
1. I'm not sure how the Heating Pads work. I have them installed as an option and I can see that there is a breaker for them but can't for the life of me remember what was said on orientation about their operation. Where is the switch?
2. I'm still figuring out the brake controller. Do the trailer brakes only operate when the TV brake pedal is pushed or do the trailer brakes ever come on independently of the TV?
3. Inverter: It seems that the solar is charging whenever there is sun and does not need the inverter to be turned on for it to be charging the batteries, is that right? Does the inverter only need to be on when I need to have the wired plugs supplied with power?

I survived my first night dry camping at a Walmart and tonight am at the Merry Widow Health Mine in Basin, MT for 3 nights with full hook-ups again. Managed to back in a space with the help of my neighbors and have done a full hook-up and un-hook and by myself twice now. Feeling more and more confident all the time but want to nail down the details!

I have a leaky sink that I will have to fix when I get home. Have talked to Reace and he sent me a video of the fix. Seems they are using a new sink and sealed the metal drain basket mechanism into the metal bowl with silicone rather than the old Plumbers Putty. The bowl leaks down into the cabinet below when the sink is filled with standing water. Thankfully I caught it before the water damaged the cabinet and my friend Lucy suggested I get a plastic sink basin anyway so I have a workaround until I can get home, disassemble the sink, and add the plumbers putty to properly seal the drain basket to the basin.
Thanks in advance for your help.
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Old 09-27-2017, 10:03 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Sisababe View Post
I'm settling in and loving my new trailer but have a few questions...

2. I'm still figuring out the brake controller. Do the trailer brakes only operate when the TV brake pedal is pushed or do the trailer brakes ever come on independently of the TV?
3. Inverter: It seems that the solar is charging whenever there is sun and does not need the inverter to be turned on for it to be charging the batteries, is that right? Does the inverter only need to be on when I need to have the wired plugs supplied with power?.
I don't have any idea on the heat pads, since I don't have them. I'm sure someone will chime in on that.

On number 2, the brake controller activates the trailer brakes when the tow vehicle brakes are applied. Assuming your controller is a proportional type (better ones are), the harder you brake, the trailer brakes are applied proportionally. To adjust force to match the tow more closely, you adjust the "gain". The higher the gain, the harder the braking on the trailer when the tow vehicle brakes are applied.

You can also apply the trailer brakes manually without applying the tow vehicle brakes by using the lever or button control on the front of the brake controller. A use case for this would be something like bringing a swaying trailer back into control.

On number 3, the inverter does just that. It INVERTS DC power (12V) to AC power (household type power). There is no need to turn on the inverter unless you need AC power and are not connected to a 30 amp pole.
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Old 09-27-2017, 10:15 PM   #8
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Believe heating pad switch is under driver's side dinette. We have a 21' but you have the same from door back. Unless they moved it. You should be plugged in to use it.
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Old 09-27-2017, 11:21 PM   #9
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From the description you made in the original post, I believe you may be confusing the inverter with the solar controller.

Escape is currently using a GoPower solar controller that incorporates a button to turn off & on the GoPower inverter. Under most circumstances, you won't see the inverter - in the 21 it is under the passenger side of the rear dinette seats & I suspect it is in the same location in the 5.0TA.

In any case, there are 4 buttons on the GoPower solar Controller. From left to right, the first is the switch for the inverter. The second is the "boost" button, which causes the controller to run another absorption cycle, useful if your batteries are low & you have lots of sun. The third (A) is mostly used to make selections during set up & to choose between scrolling information or manual selection of what appears on the display. The forth (B) is used to manually page through the display if you have chosen manual using the A button.

It is a bit confusing, but the manual covers both operation & set up.

As Robert (rbryan4) noted, there is no need to turn on the inverter unless you want 120V power when not connected to a power pedestal. Be careful using the inverter - it is easy, particular if you use 120V devices that produce heat, to run down your batteries. If the GoPower display shows less than 12V (with the inverter shut off) it is time to stop using it until the solar (or a connection to a power pedestal or driving a good distance) recharges the batteries.
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Old 09-27-2017, 11:32 PM   #10
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Thanks so much. I was confusing that switch under the driver side bench (unlabeled) with the electric switch for the hot water heater that is accessed outside.
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Old 09-27-2017, 11:56 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
From the description you made in the original post, I believe you may be confusing the inverter with the solar controller.

Escape is currently using a GoPower solar controller that incorporates a button to turn off & on the GoPower inverter. Under most circumstances, you won't see the inverter - in the 21 it is under the passenger side of the rear dinette seats & I suspect it is in the same location in the 5.0TA.

In any case, there are 4 buttons on the GoPower solar Controller. From left to right, the first is the switch for the inverter. The second is the "boost" button, which causes the controller to run another absorption cycle, useful if your batteries are low & you have lots of sun. The third (A) is mostly used to make selections during set up & to choose between scrolling information or manual selection of what appears on the display. The forth (B) is used to manually page through the display if you have chosen manual using the A button.

It is a bit confusing, but the manual covers both operation & set up.

As Robert (rbryan4) noted, there is no need to turn on the inverter unless you want 120V power when not connected to a power pedestal. Be careful using the inverter - it is easy, particular if you use 120V devices that produce heat, to run down your batteries. If the GoPower display shows less than 12V (with the inverter shut off) it is time to stop using it until the solar (or a connection to a power pedestal or driving a good distance) recharges the batteries.
Thank you Jon, that helps clear things up. I understand now that there is a separate inverter device that I can use the GoPower solar Controller to turn off and on. Can you help me understand what the three values displayed when I toggle the B switch mean in layperson terms? The voltage you indicate should be above 12V if I plan to use the inverter so I see that the first value is the voltage I could use if I turn on the inverter. The second value expressed in % is the "battery state of charge". Is that just a more precise expression of the battery levels as shown on the main indicator panel (the one that also shows the trailer fluid levels)? The third value looks like the number of amps being produced by the solar panel for use in charging the batteries. Am I close?
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Old 09-28-2017, 12:10 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
On number 2, the brake controller activates the trailer brakes when the tow vehicle brakes are applied. Assuming your controller is a proportional type (better ones are), the harder you brake, the trailer brakes are applied proportionally. To adjust force to match the tow more closely, you adjust the "gain". The higher the gain, the harder the braking on the trailer when the tow vehicle brakes are applied.

You can also apply the trailer brakes manually without applying the tow vehicle brakes by using the lever or button control on the front of the brake controller. A use case for this would be something like bringing a swaying trailer back into control.

On number 3, the inverter does just that. It INVERTS DC power (12V) to AC power (household type power). There is no need to turn on the inverter unless you need AC power and are not connected to a 30 amp pole.
Perfect, that helps so much!
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Old 09-28-2017, 12:28 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Sisababe View Post
Thank you Jon, that helps clear things up. I understand now that there is a separate inverter device that I can use the GoPower solar Controller to turn off and on. Can you help me understand what the three values displayed when I toggle the B switch mean in layperson terms? The voltage you indicate should be above 12V if I plan to use the inverter so I see that the first value is the voltage I could use if I turn on the inverter.

The solar controller shows what is at the battery side of the unit. If there is sun on the panels, it will show the output of the controller (What it is applying to the batteries). The only way it will indicate the actual battery voltage is when the sun goes down (and you are not plugged into a power pedestal).

The second value expressed in % is the "battery state of charge". Is that just a more precise expression of the battery levels as shown on the main indicator panel (the one that also shows the trailer fluid levels)?

Sorta. It is an indication of the state of charge of the batteries, based on the voltage, however it isn't all that accurate. Again, it is most accurate after dark, when the panel is not producing voltage.

The third value looks like the number of amps being produced by the solar panel for use in charging the batteries. Am I close?
Right On!
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Old 09-28-2017, 12:33 AM   #14
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Right On!
Thank you! Im getting there!

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