Setting your Trace Auto Gen Start Parameters

[davidbrady]

Al,

The dual Trace inverters get even more interesting when you're traveling with the generator running and all the Cruisair AC's running. In this case you may notice some strange amperage draw from your inverters when one is in Float and the other is in Bulk. Before I travel I'll often set the Bulk/Absorption timers in both inverters to something extraordinarily high like 8 hours, or my expected daily driving time. This way both inverters will stay in Bulk for the full duration of my driving and generator runtime for the travel day. Keeping them both in Bulk means that they try to keep the battery bank voltage at 28.6V which is also what the 50DN alternator is doing, and more importantly it means that the generator is fully supporting the load of all the air conditioners. If you don't do this what you'll find is one inverter in Float and the other in Bulk. The one in Float wants to pull the battery voltage down to 26.6V but the 50DN and the inverter in Bulk are happy to keep the battery bank at 28.6V. An inverter can attempt to pull the battery bank voltage down by powering loads. Since you have plenty of loads, 4 cruisairs, the inverter can easily accomplish what it wants, so what you'll find is a positive inverter amperage on the inverter that's in Bulk and a negative inverter amperage on the inverter in Float. IOWs, the generator isn't powering all the air conditioners. You'll see that the Float inverter is actually powering one or more of the air conditioners using battery power. Confusing, I know, but when you see it you may now have an idea of what's going on.