Thor Motor Coach CLASS B, Owner'S Manual

Page: 66 / 116

62
8
E L E C T R I C A L S Y S T E M
C U S T O M E R C A R E | 8 7 7 . 8 5 5 . 2 8 6 7
Load Sheading
Due to the high AC load when the microwave oven and the
air conditioning unit are being used, a load sheading circuit
is employed which temporarily cuts power to the air con-
ditioning unit while the microwave oven is in use. Power is
automatically restored to the air conditioner two minutes
after the microwave oven is off.
NOTE: Load sheading is active whether power is be-
ing drawn from an external source (shore power) or
from the on-board batteries.
OFF-THE-GRID POWER
When shore power is not available, power for both the AC
and DC electrical devices of the motorhome is supplied by
the on-board lithium batteries. DC power is supplied directly
by the 12 volt batteries and AC power is supplied through
the inverter, which draws its power from the 12 volt system
batteries.
While operating the electrical devices of the motorhome strictly
by the battery power system, being mindful of electrical loads
and power demands becomes very important. Load sheading,
as described previously, is employed whenever the microwave
oven is turned on; automatically cutting power to the air
conditioning unit. However, due to the limited availability of
power from the on-board batteries (200Ah maximum from
fully-charged batteries), one should always be conservative
with power use whenever shore power is not available.
NOTE: When operating off-the-grid, always take
advantage of the on-board solar charger, which uses
solar power to replace battery power consumption
.
System Monitoring
The 200Ah battery power system includes two devices that
provide power monitoring:
• MasterVolt Smart Remote:
monitors incoming and
outgoing power from the inverter/charger.
• Balmar SG200 Battery Monitor; monitors the charge
and discharge condition of the on-board batteries.
Operating the MasterVolt Smart Remote monitor:
• Pressing P1 (first button on left) turns the inverter ON/
OFF
• Pressing P2 or P3 reveals sub menus, where adjustments
to power sharing and other parameters are made.
• The readout shows the following conditions:
• Always install a safety relay, which disconnects the bat-
tery under abnormal circumstances.
• Installation and commissioning of the battery requires pro-
gramming of events in a MasterBus network. The installer
must be familiar with the programming of such events.
• Connections and safety features must be executed
according to the locally applicable regulations.
• Use cables and wires of appropriate size (gauge).
• Never use the Re(Li)able Battery system in situations
where there is danger of gas or dust explosion or poten-
tially flammable products.
• Protect the battery terminal connectors from moisture
and dust. Do not obstruct the ventilation openings.
• Protect the inverter/charger from moisture and water
intrusion.
• Switch off all charging systems and disconnect the batter-
ies from the electrical system during maintenance and/or
repair activities.
200 Amp-Hour (Ah) System Operation
SHORE POWER:
When shore power is available, 120 volt AC electrical devices
are powered by the external AC source. Incoming AC is passed
through the system’s inverter/charger, via an internal transfer
switch; then out to an on-board fuse/breaker panel, which in
turn, the electrical devices of the motorhome are connected.
DC powered devices, such as internal lights, awnings, and
device charging stations are powered by the system’s 12 volt
batteries. Electrical power for battery charging is provided by
the incoming AC power source.
If the AC load demand is high, the circuits in the inverter/
charger automatically reduce the power going to charge the
batteries, therefore making more amperage available for the
motorhome’s AC powered devices (up to the full amperage of
the incoming source).
If the AC load is still above the potential of the incoming
AC source, the inverter/charger will automatically augment
the AC supply by providing additional AC power from the
system’s batteries via the inverter.
NOTE: the AC load of the motorhome should never
exceed 40 amps. Exceeding 40 amps could damage
the inverter/charger.