Mods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks: Turning off or not turning off conveter

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Turning off or not turning off conveter

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Forum Name: Mods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14953
Printed Date: 23 May 2025 at 6:47pm
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Topic: Turning off or not turning off conveter

Posted By: Tonii87
Subject: Turning off or not turning off conveter
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2021 at 8:50pm

Good evening,

You all have been so helpful the past weeks with my questions. I was looking online but I couldn’t find a direct answer. I have a 2016 R pod 183g. My question is about the converter that comes with the R Pod. Should I turn off the converter when not connected to shore power? Also some post said to turn it off when connected to shore power to only have it on when charging the battery? What’s the common opinion here?

Replies:

Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2021 at 7:08am

I have a 2019 179 and the converter that came installed in my trailer is part of the WFCO's fuse panel / breaker box and is permanently wired into that system. There is no off/on switch to turn the converter off or on. When you are connected to shore power the converter is finding out if the battery (ies) need to charged and if so starts charging the on board battery (ies). If the house battery (ies) are fully charged the converter does not charge them. So I don't think that there is an off/on switch for the converter. As a side issue if you want to know if the converter is currently operating, listen closely to the breaker box and when the converter is operating (charging the batteries) there will be a built in cooling fan running to keep the converter from over heating. Hope this helps.

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Jay

179/2019

Posted By: Tonii87
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2021 at 1:14pm

Thank you

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2021 at 1:19pm

There is a circuit breaker for the converter/charger so if you want it off while connected to shore power you can just shut that off. That being said, unless you think the charger is overcharging the batteries there is no need to shut it off. I did have one that failed to regulate properly and overcharged my batteries to about 15.5V if left on so I did shut that off with the breaker once my batteries were charged until I could replace it. Get a multimeter if you don't have one so you don't have to rely on the idiot lights to know your battery voltage/state of charge.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2021 at 12:37pm

Unless you have solar or are having overcharging issues as offgrid described, you should leave the converter on. A lot of devices in the Pod run on 12V and if you're not replenishing that energy, not only might you run yourself out of 12V power but you may also damage the battery.

I always carry a 12V battery charger with me as a backup.

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Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats