-
Inverter and shore power issues
if you look in the electrical forum you will see I have been posting for a week on an inverter issue.
i ran the generator for four hours going to James Island County Park. I am connected to 50 amp shore power . This evening all of my interior lights started turn off. I get nothing from my internal power switch to any lights inside.
I have the generator running to keep things going inside the coach. I dropped the bumper and tested the inverter batteries which are new ones from Napa. Sunday the batteries tested at 12.6 V each. This evening they are testing at 6.6 V each.
I am not sure how long the camp ground will let me run the generator. I could use some assistance in resolving this issue.
If I am connected to 60A service why am I losing electrical inside the coach? Please help.
Ron
864-752-7679
-
18 Replies
-
Without knowing anything about your conversion or how it has been set up what leaps out at me is that the batteries are not getting charged.
I do not know what devices are separate from the inverter circuits but my guess is when the generator runs or you are on shore power they work OK. But anything run from house batteries, including devices run through the inverter are drawing down house battery power and for some reason the inverters are not charging the batteries.
If everything worked OK prior to changing house batteries then it is probable something was misconnected during the intallation. You don’t indicate if you have a 12/24 house system or if it is a 12 volt. You do not indicate if the inverters are receiving power what the output to the batteries is. Problems could range from a wiring issue with the battery installation to a bad inverter to a bad battery all of which are going to require a systematic check, starting with checking inverter output when on shore or generator power. How many inverters and if multiple are they connected or independent? Lots of questions.
May we assume if you run the bus engine such as a long drive the house batteries are recharged, and if so are you inverting?
-
One Xantrex freedom sw 3012. 12V. When last checked power getting to inverter. Batteries on Sunday were 12.6V each. New NAPA 9275 date congratulations de 06/19.
Inverter shows inverter enabled on the front. From talking with a few people I need the system control panel to actually turn in the inverter. I should have a new system control panel delivered late this afternoon and will see if it turns.
In the mean time, I have the coach running to bring up the batteries.
-
When you say SCP, are you referring to the remote panel or the control panel that’s built into the unit itself? Are you saying the built in control panel is in-op?
Do you have battery voltage in
Do you have AC out
Is the charge function working when on shore or gen
Are your house lights on an Inverter leg
Napa batteries under the bumper, what size and how many
Where is your inverter located and is there a cut-off switch for the batteries
Have you verified power is passing through 12 or 24 cut-off
Troubleshoot with manual: 3012
-
One inverter makes your trouble shooting relatively easy.
With power to the inverter verified, then the next step is to determine if you have power to the batteries for charging and if you have 120V AC power to your electrical panel.
Output power to the batteries from the inverter should be at or slightly above 14VDC. Output to the house electrical panel should be 120VAC.
Start there. You do not need any panel but you do need to use a multi-tester to verify power output.
If you are getting power from the inverter as above, it could be a battery issue, but before jumping ahead into alternate causes take it one step at a time.
-
I was on the phone with Xantrex for a long time late this afternoon to early evening. I am getting 12.6V from the batteries. I am not getting anything from the batteries to the inverter. Isolated, at least for today, a 250 bus bar, does not look like a breaker to me, that is bad. She had me test both legs and said that Spears to an issue.
I am in no way qualified to be changing that 250 bus bar out. What really said to let someone qualified do it. It will have to wait until I am back in Greenville tomorrow afternoon and Friday.
Ron
-
Ron,
I have no idea what you talked about with the inverter folks, but your battery voltage is irrelevant.
What is important to know is:
You verify you have power of 120VAC into the inverter.
You measure the inverter output to the batteries when you are sure you have voltage to the inverter. (Should be around 14VDC) This will indicate if the inverter is charging the batteries or at least has output to charge the batteries.
You measure the 120VAC output to the house electrical panel when you are sure you have voltage to the inverter. This verifies the inverter is passing through incoming voltage to the house 120V electrical panel.
What this information provides is an understanding of if the inverter is working and the problem is elsewhere or if it is related to the inverter.
-
Thanks, John. I am surely a dumb axx
-
You are definitely not dumb. Our coaches are complex, and to an extent they are different. They all accomplish the same thing, but not always in the same manner. Rather than trying to theorize what the problem is and then seek to verify it I try to start at the beginning, assuming nothing and trying to find where there is a gap in the operating system.
Since you indicate running the coach charges the batteries, it strongly suggests the problem is somewhere between where the generator and shore power enter the coach (transfer switch) and where the charging current enters the batteries. It likely rules out defective batteries, but that is getting ahead of ourselves.
So my way of seeking the problem is to start at the beginning which is as mentioned above to determine if the inverters are getting power, and then if that is correct to determine if power is leaving the inverters.
If there is a problem related to the inverters that is how you will find the problem. If on the other hand you can verify output power is where and at the level it needs to be you can move on to the next section of the system or device.
Trying to look at an entire system to me is confusing and I cannot look at the total system and start poking around randomly. So I try to do exactly what I do when chasing level low system problems and that is start at the beginning with the electric commands and just keep moving down the system following the air. In this case you will be moving down the system following electric.
-
Did this ever get resolved? I was following along with interest.
-
Repairs are done to engine after removal. Back on the road tomorrow. Fyda Freightliner/DD, Jimmy, did the work. Excellent shop. Road test checked out A+. “You’ll never have a problem with this engine again” they say. I’ll post in a couple of days if we have problems.
Lesson. You need a bunch of $$$$ up-front nowdays before work even starts. These shops say they have problems with ‘gentlemen’ who buy cheap financed trucks, they breakdown, then they disappear without paying.
-
Been going on forever Doug, owner operator buys a cheap truck, gets a few loads under his belt, has no money is broke to start with, truck takes a crap and it’s all over.
-
Thanks for the update. All’s well that ends.
-
Wait a min. Did the threads get crossed? I was checking to see whether Ron ever figured out his inverter / batteries issue; and Doug posted an update in here about his engine repair near Pittsburgh.
Anyway, glad you got back on the road Doug. Still wondering about Ron’s batteries.
-
I too was following closely and it’s crossed up with something!
-
Mark,
Send me an email and I can give you an update as of today.
Ron
Log in to reply.