Automatic switch over from eletric to gas

[JessiR]

So I have a Keystone Springdale with no owners manual. Trying to survive the winter after loosing home to Forrest fire in n. Cali.
Power surged and damaged breaker box to mynpower supply. So I'm on a generator just enough to keep battery charged. Because I have eletric ignition on furnace. Only problem I'm having is after running generator the furnace, frig and hot water heater do not want to start up. Only thing is to repeatedly turn the systems on an off. This process is getting less and less responsive. I have never owned a travel trailer before, this is only my second winter and I have no manel for the opporating systems. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ME SEARCHING FOR HOW TO LIGHT THE pilot! Please be kind the struggle is real. Any tips or advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

I've been running a generator because electricity surged and burned up the breaker box that I'm plugged into and for some reason after I shut off the generator the automatic switch over to propane as far as the furnace the hot water heater in the refrigerator goes it's not wanting to do it I bought my Keystone Springdale last year after losing my home in a forest fire in Northern California it came with no owner's manual so the learning curve has been very steep and I don't know what I'm doing wrong why these systems seem to have to be turned off and on for it to switch over to propane from Electric I am completely new to this whole scene and any advice would be greatly appreciated

[NH_Bulldog]

Without a specific year or model we are not going to be able to help much. The fact that you mention a pilot light tells me you have an older model trailer, or simply went looking for a pilot light that doesn’t exist. Can you share some additional information, like brand/model of the appliances?

For general purposes, the water heater and refrigerator could run on gas or electric or both. I would not try to operate the water heater on electric while on the generator. The furnace is gas-only. All three appliances require 12V DC (battery power) to run their control circuits.

[JRTJH]

Several things come to mind that could be causing your problem...

You say the electricity in the community "surged and burned up the breaker box"... I'd guess you mean the breaker box on the campground pedestal ??? Otherwise, trying to run a generator to power the trailer would seem dangerous or impossible...

Next, you say that you're "running a generator just enough to keep the battery charged"

Then you say, "after running generator the furnace, frig and hot water heater do not want to start up"

All these statements lead me to believe you have multiple issues.

First, if the surge burned up a breaker box AND the trailer was connected to that breaker box at the time, then I'd guess you also have things "burned up in the trailer"...

Next, you say that you're running a generator for limited amounts of time, "just enough to keep the battery charged" and that after turning off the generator, the furnace, frig and water heater do not want to start up".

That would lead me to believe that the generator is not adequately charging the trailer battery for some reason. I'd guess that the converter in the trailer has been damaged by the surge and is no longer charging the battery and that leads to inadequate 12 volt power when you turn off the generator, causing those items to not have enough "battery power to operate".

So, the FIRST thing you need to do is find someone who knows about RV wiring and have them check the trailer 120 VAC electrical system AND the trailer 12 VDC system for any damage. My guess is they will find the converter to be damaged and not working properly.

Next, check the trailer battery by load testing it. I'd guess that it has been completely discharged and subsequently damaged and can no longer be properly charged/will no longer accept a charge.

Finally, I'd suspect that not only is the converter damaged AND the battery damaged, but also you risk other damage to the trailer power center as well as any 120 volt appliance that was connected to the system when that "surge caused damage to the breaker box".....

With what I suspect to be your limited knowledge of electrical systems, I'd urge you to get someone qualified to assess the damage and get your trailer operational again. And, to help prevent any future damage from similar situations with the commercial power grid, I'd urge you to get an EMS (electrical Monitor System) to install between the grid and your trailer. That device will "shut down power to the trailer" if an unsafe or damaging condition occurs, protecting your trailer from being "burned up by faulty power from the grid".