Finally, I think I've got it! My fading brain cells just don't work as well as they used to. Somehow, I thought you had no 12V DC with the generator hooked up. What you just posted makes perfect sense - you are using the generator to provide 120V AC power and your trailer battery is handling the 12V DC stuff.

It takes very little 12V DC to lower the top. You basically just have to have enough to open the lowering valve. Raising the top, on the other hand, takes a lot of Amps - I seem to remember it being around 55 Amps.

- Jack

Yes, sometimes you have to raise it enough to get it off of the safety bar. I had that happened once. Could not lower it down because it was latched on the bar. Would not go up because the cylinoid on the pump went out.

You have not said what the make, model or ampere-hour capacity of the "Solar Generator" that you have. Most are designed for light loads, not microwave ovens. I will thell you this, if you plug in your shore power cable to it without disabeling your 12VDC converter/charger, it will be drained rather quickly. If you do disconnect the converter/charger, the 120VAC wiring in the trailer will act as a multi-outlet extension cord. The converter/charger in my Hi-Lo is a plug in device, but access is not that easy. Make sure that any undesired loads are turned off. I wish you luck.

Nothing is on the system, when I plug my solar battery in, the only thing is the fan on the solar battery runs. I am not sure what the amp-hours are. I don't usually plug in the AC unit even if I am on shore power unless really need it, a fan is good for me. And yes if I don't unplug the charger/convertor it uses like 70 watts even though the battery is fully charged.

As long as the converter/charger is connected, it will draw power to maintain a floating current to a "fully charged" battery. You might consider putting a switch in the 120 VAC line that feeds the C/C. Also, if you happen to use any of the 12 VDC lights, etc, the C/C will attempt to feed them also. If the C/C is disconnected, the battery will handle that load. What make and model "Solar Generator" do you have? The specifications must have a capacity rating someplace, weather in Ampere-hours or Watt-hours. In any event the "Generator" cannot work wonders.

It is a Geneverse One 1000 watts. I don't mind using the generator just for 110, there were too many wires and some underneath the charger/converter to put a bypass on the 12-volt system.

ok to try finalize this. I was just at Midget RV in Bellville, ohio getting work done on our Hilo and I mentioned to him what you are trying to do to not go thru the converter. He said and I agree that cannot be done. In my opinion you need to do this .
If you have 2 batteries then put a cut off switch on the 2nd one and then hook your solar direct to the other battery and it will supply what you need .
Now I would position the switch inside the compartment but down at the front access so you can reach it at any time. Also on ours I put a battery jumper block I can jump the battery with a charger etc. and I mounted it also at the front access. from Amazon Fastronix Red and Black Premium Battery Charging Posts with Heavy Duty Mounting Plate

Sorry - he CAN do what he says he's doing. You, Midget, (and me for a while) were operating under the assumption that the converter was connected the way HiLo did it when they made the trailer. However, it seems that (maybe) a prior owner replaced that pile of junk converter with a new one that is NOT hardwired into the trailer's electrical system and it is not connected to the Shore Power cord.

Instead, the converter is simply plugged into an AC electrical outlet in the trailer and it receives Shore Power that way. If he unplugs the converter, then it can no longer power anything, but he can plug his shore power cord into the generator and it will send AC 120V power to the remaining electrical outlets and any AC powered appliances, because the wiring in the trailer was changed to do this. His 12V DC powered stuff will continue to work directly off the battery because the wiring was again changed to do this.

Nothing is really being powered by the converter when it's plugged in. Its only purpose is to charge the trailer's battery. For all I know, his "converter" is actually just a battery charger.

Yes, you are correct that your trailer (and mine) would not work this way, but his will.

- Jack

You are correct, I am not sure if the charger is a converter also. It might just charge the battery when I use the 12-volt power. Not sure about that. It does not look like a afterthought with the plug, but maybe it was. The outlet plug is on the floor inside the cabinet next to the charger. Mine is a 1994 22FL FunLite.

The Hi-Lo manual refers to this unit as a "converter". It converts 120 VAC into 12 VDC. As such, when connected to "shore power" (120 VAC), it carries the 12 VDC load (up to it's rated capacity), in the trailer as, well as charges the battery. That is why some refer to it as a "Converter/Charger" or "Charger/Converter". Take your pick. A rose by any other name smells as sweet.

DunhamsDen, I agree - the factory unit IS a "Converter", and it "passes" 120V AC current into the trailer as well as transforming it into 12V DC current that can power 12V devices and it can charge the trailer's battery.

But, I'm pretty sure tcongdon does not have the factory Converter in his HiLo. It is NOT passing any 120V AC power from the shore power cord. The shore power cord in his trailer appears to be connected directly to the 120V circuitry in his trailer. He then plugs his battery charger into one of the 120V AC outlets in the trailer and it transforms and sends 12V DC charging power directly to his battery. His device does not seem to power any 12V DC items in the trailer, it just charges his battery. As such, it is NOT acting as a Converter, but only as a battery charger.

What he has does not seem to be the unit you and I think of that is referenced in the manual. The wiring in his trailer appears to have been modified to not use a Converter/Charger.

- Jack

All the 12-volt systems do work. If I am plugged into shore power everything works. But if I am not plugged in I can still use 12 volts. But no 110, so my solar generator will supply just about what I need, but if I use the converter/charger it pulls about 76 watts, so that is why I unplug it from the plug and then my solar generator only supplies 110 volts.

This is going round and round. The point that I am trying to make is that a 76 Watt continuous load will suck up nearly 8% of the "Solar Generators" capacity that is for naught, as long as it is connected. I would think that you would want it to last as long as possible, . If the battery is not fully charged the active C/C will take more power due to recharging the battery.

In my Hi-Lo 2401TD, guess what? The device is wired with a plug and is connetected to an outlet in the compartment. That is the stock configuration. I recently converted to a LifePO4 battery and new C/C for the proper charge voltage. That C/C too came with a short cable equipped with a plug. If the battery is being charged, by any means, as long as you have the 12 VDC active in the trailer, the charging source will be giving power to the 12 VDC devices as long as the master switch is on. If the refer is in the DC mode, that will also want power. Disconnecting the AC to the input of the C/C puts all 12 VDC on the battery and allows the solar generator handle only the AC outlets.

With my current setup I have 2 ea. 315 Watt STC PV solar panels on the roof and a 300 AH LifePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery. As the lithium battery does not like to be at full capacity for an extended period of time, and requires no "float" current, I have installed disconnect switch for both the C/C as well as the solar controller in order to stop all charging if I wish. The battery manufacturer recommends that if the battery is unused for any extended period of time, that the battery be stored at 50% of its capacity. With that much solar the battery would about ALWAYS be at 100%. This is unlike lead acid batteries which must be kept at full charge to increase their lifespan. Hense the use of "trickle" chargers.

I hope that I have made my logic in reference to this use of the solar "generator" clear and apologize for being so wordy.

73, N7FAD

I think I understand your point and I believe tcondon is using his solar generator in a manner that doesn't waste any of its power. I wonder if there was a model year group that used plugin Converter/Chargers rather than the hardwired ones like mine?

It sounds like the 120V AC shorepower does not go "through" the C/C like it does in mine, but bypasses it to deliver power to AC devices. However, it DOES go into the C/C to power the charger and possibly to deliver power to the 12V DC devices? Or does it simply replenish the charge in the battery that is being used to power those things?

Mine delivers power to the DC devices and, on a separate circuit, delivers charging power to the battery.

I know we've beaten this thing to death, and I'm sorry for any confusion I've contributed.

- Jack

Well, the C/C just simply converts 120 VAC to a proper DC voltage output profile to charge and maintain a lead acid battery. In essence, it is just a battery charger. Why it is referred to a converter is beyond me. I believe that it is an effort to simplify things for some folks, but to me it just complicates things. However, if there is NO battery and shore power is connected, it's converted to 12 VDC!

The Converter portion of mine has separate circuits to power all the 12V DC equipment. These run through the 15 and 1 Amp fuses in the converter's fuse panel. These circuits are hardwired to the devices that are powered this way. Those devices draw whatever Amperage they need to function, and the Converter does not control this Amperage. It delivers this power at a fixed DC voltage.

Then, it has a completely separate battery charging portion, that delivers its power through two 30 Amp fuses that are not part of the DC equipment panel. This portion is hardwired to the battery. It has special circuitry that controls battery charging voltage and Amperage to properly maintain the charge state without boiling the battery, in three different charge states.

AND, 120V AC power comes into the converter box through the shore power cord that is hardwired to an AC buss in the box. The buss then feeds a 30 Amp main Circuit Breaker as well as four other AC circuit breakers that deliver power to the devices that need 120 V AC. The output of that main 30 Amp CB powers the Converter and Battery Charger.

Now, if your plugin Converter/Charger has internal circuitry like this and its output is hardwired to the devices that I've described, then our two units are functionally identical. Is the AC receptacle that your Converter plugs into isolated from the rest of the AC circuitry in the trailer? It would have to be to be like mine.

- Jack

I don't think it is. It might have a separate breaker but it all hooks to the shore power cord.