Hybrid 7.2kw shutdown

[SuperGracing]

Connected my F150 hybrid 7.2kw to 30a Airstream camper. Running Dometic Penguin II AC/Heat Pump unit and one 32" Samsung TV simultaneously. Connected wattage displays 2100w. Well below 3600 A or B output limit. Outdoor temperature 91 degrees F and truck in full sun. After a few hours, generator shuts off and displays, Pro Power Onboard currently unavailable. See owners manual for details. Try to reset and get same message. After about 5 minutes, system resets.
My guess is, the lithium ion battery or some other component in the system is overheating and a built-in safety circuit is shutting it down. Seems to only happen on very hot days. Not exactly the performance of uninterrupted power on a tank of fuel that Ford touted in their advertising campaign. If this happens in FL or TX, where heat is an issue, this will be a deal breaker for construction crews or campers relying on the generator for uninterrupted power.

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[xtraman122]

Could be surge when the AC kicks on pushing it over the current limit, this has been commonly reported by people and the easy solution is to get a soft start device for the AC.

 

[SuperGracing]

Could be surge when the AC kicks on pushing it over the current limit, this has been commonly reported by people and the easy solution is to get a soft start device for the AC.

I start the system in the morning and it runs for 4 or 5 hours and then out of the blue, it shuts down. It didnt start doing this until about a week ago.

 

[christophers]

Your AC doesn't run for 4-5 hours straight, the FAN may run for that long, but the compressor does not. It could have easily started and caused the trip. Soft start device would be beneficial for numerous reasons, and the first thing I would try with this.

Source: I have a Caravel 22 on this truck

 

[xtraman122]

The "breaker" on the ProPower system isn't like a traditional home circuit breaker that can take quite a bit of surge current to get things going for about a second before it actually trips. Ie a 20A breaker will be able to supply I believe close to double its rated capacity for a half of a second to a second before it trips off, which is great for things like motors that often pull a bunch of extra current when they start up.

The system on the ProPower setup detects anything over its limit and will protect itself in a much quicker fashion than a traditional circuit breaker though, and as a result there have been several people reporting (running) loads that shouldn't exceed the capacity of the circuit they're using on the ProPower, but still intermittently experience what you're seeing. In at least 2 different cases I've seen the soft start device resolve it all, it helps "soften the blow" of the startup process for the motors in a power tool or AC compressor and smooth out what the ProPower system ultimately sees as a draw.

 

[Shooter56]

My experience: camping in Texas. Temperature -90ish. Put the dogs in the travel trailer with the AC set at 78 and then went out onto the lake. I checked the pro power every 15-30 minutes on the Ford Pass app. After around 4 hours I got a notice that the pro power shut off due to exceeding the limit. Went back to the trailer, hit the reset button and was good to go. It did not happen the next day in the same conditions. Pro power has never tripped while starting the AC previously. I’m pretty sure starting the AC did not actually exceed the 3600 watt limit. Could it be that in the heat and constant stopping and starting the Dometic 15000btu randomly uses more watts than normal to start up?

 

[Snakebitten]

If you monitor your propower gauge on the dash, you will very likely see the bank you have the RV plugged into PEG for the few seconds your AC compressor kicks in. Sure, a few seconds later you might be at 2000KW with the AC on and think nothing of the load and wonder why later in the day your Propower shut down. As others stated, a soft start device on your RV air-conditioner is way to treat both your AC and your Powerboost kindly. Those RV units are built to a price point and they aren't the best they COULD be. I really wish one of the manufacturers would start offering a "softstart model" and market it for all the advantages it brings to the boondockers.

 

[xtraman122]

My experience: camping in Texas. Temperature -90ish. Put the dogs in the travel trailer with the AC set at 78 and then went out onto the lake. I checked the pro power every 15-30 minutes on the Ford Pass app. After around 4 hours I got a notice that the pro power shut off due to exceeding the limit. Went back to the trailer, hit the reset button and was good to go. It did not happen the next day in the same conditions. Pro power has never tripped while starting the AC previously. I’m pretty sure starting the AC did not actually exceed the 3600 watt limit. Could it be that in the heat and constant stopping and starting the Dometic 15000btu randomly uses more watts than normal to start up?

It's entirely possible, yes. As heat increases inside the AC, so will resistance. Could be the one random time it kicks on more frequently than others, it has some "bad spot" on the compressor that takes a surge of current to get past that it only hits 1 in a 100 times, etc etc.

It's entirely possible it's not related to needing a soft-start device, but for the relatively small cost and ease of installation, it's definitely worth a shot as the first troubleshooting step.

 

[Shooter56]

Sounds like this is the way to go. I will research soft start products. Any suggestions on brands, models, etc.?

 

[Rich55Marshall]

Thanks, everyone. I'm waiting for my Airstream Basecamp 20X to arrive in October, and I plan to use my ProPower Onboard in much the same way. Looks like I oughta but a soft start module for my A/C before the camper even arrives.

 

[Rich55Marshall]

Sounds like this is the way to go. I will research soft start products. Any suggestions on brands, models, etc.?

Here's what I've found from TechnoRV:

 

[Shooter56]

Another issue with tripping the pro power circuit. Pro power tripped upon initial plug in. I wasn’t really paying attention to the plug in and power up sequence at that time so I can’t be certain. But I think I plugged in to outlet and trailer and then hit “power to outle” on the display. Is there a proper sequence for starting pro power?

This is the start up sequence I have settled on and which seems to work.

I seems to remember a post on this, but can’t find it. By daemonic? Maybe?

1. Plug in to 240v/30amp (trailer) or 120 outlet (power tools and other) on bed wall.
2. Press yes on dash display to put power to outlet.
3. Then plug into trailer or device.

Any suggestions or tips on this?

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