30A shore power for A/C unit and Inverter for Microwave/outlets; at the same time?

[rcashion]

Essentially, I'm looking for a way to augment capacity when on 30A shore power. I have a 2024 295RL and have installed a 3000W Renogy Inverter and transfer switch on the Inverter Prep loop, 600Ah of LiFePO4 batteries, and 540W of Solar panels. If I am connected to shore power (30A) and I turn off the 1st Inverter Prep breaker so no power is being sent to the transfer switch, is there an issue with turning on the Inverter to send power through the transfer switch to the 2nd Inverter Prep breaker, thereby energizing the Microwave, General and GFCI breakers on the subpanel section. The Inverter shouldn't be able to back feed shore power because the inverter prep breaker is turned off. My goal when connected to a 30A circuit is to be able to run one A/C unit from shore power and use the inverter to handle all the other AC loads (outlets, TV, microwave, etc.). I know the inverter can handle that load based on a few boondocking trips I've taken. But as we are in the heat of the summer, I'd like to be able to run the AC as well. I'm reaching out to see what else I may not have thought about before attempting to test this. Do I need to worry about the ground wires in the breaker box as I assume they are not isolated between main panel and subpanel section? Also, should I turn off the Converter breaker and just use solar when running like this? Any and all feedback welcomed.

 

[Bungy]

Essentially, I'm looking for a way to augment capacity when on 30A shore power. I have a 2024 295RL and have installed a 3000W Renogy Inverter and transfer switch on the Inverter Prep loop, 600Ah of LiFePO4 batteries, and 540W of Solar panels. If I am connected to shore power (30A) and I turn off the 1st Inverter Prep breaker so no power is being sent to the transfer switch, is there an issue with turning on the Inverter to send power through the transfer switch to the 2nd Inverter Prep breaker, thereby energizing the Microwave, General and GFCI breakers on the subpanel section. The Inverter shouldn't be able to back feed shore power because the inverter prep breaker is turned off. My goal when connected to a 30A circuit is to be able to run one A/C unit from shore power and use the inverter to handle all the other AC loads (outlets, TV, microwave, etc.). I know the inverter can handle that load based on a few boondocking trips I've taken. But as we are in the heat of the summer, I'd like to be able to run the AC as well. I'm reaching out to see what else I may not have thought about before attempting to test this. Do I need to worry about the ground wires in the breaker box as I assume they are not isolated between main panel and subpanel section? Also, should I turn off the Converter breaker and just use solar when running like this? Any and all feedback welcomed.

Why don’t you just turn off the ac while you’re using the micro?

 

[traveldawg]

Lotta work just to power a microwave. I'm sure you hate to turn off the AC in this heat, but that whole "work around" you described seems like a lot of 'ifs'.

I'm sure the inverter can power what loads you have. What about the convert trying to charge the batteries? Is that another draw on the 30 amp input.

When we're on 30 amp power we always select which appliances we run and turn off any we won't need while the other takes up a bit of load.

 

[rcashion]

Thanks, that's exactly what I will do if this doesn't work or if this turns out to be some sort of safety issue. Basically asking the question to see if there are other considerations I hadn't thought of or if there are any technical/electrical reasons I shouldn't do it. What got me thinking about this was researching the Power Assist feature in the Victron Multiplus inverter/chargers.

 

[alias100]

We have a Victron inverter and it has a feature that will pull power from the batteries to supplement shore power when needed. This can be turned on/off in the settings (as far as I remember). You might check and see if your Renogy inverter has this feature

Edited to add that I was typing my reply when you posted that you knew about this feature in Victron inverters.

 

[rcashion]

[MENTION=11038]traveldawg[/MENTION] good points. I would probably turn off the converter breaker in that case and rely on solar to recharge similar to boondocking. I'm just trying to see what I could do safely. It may very well turn out I'll just turn loads off and on when on 30A depending on what we are doing. Appreciate the input.

 

[rcashion]

[MENTION=39976]alias100[/MENTION] Thanks. I admit I probably should have just bitten the bullet and gone with a Multiplus right off the bat, but this is my first foray in RV/Solar/Inverter setups and this seemed easier to implement given the inverter prep loop. I may upgrade to a Multiplus sometime in the future, but for now just trying to make the most out of my setup. Thank you for your input.