Converter Failure - RV-Dreams Community Forum

jjhoyle · RV-Dreams Community Member

Converter Failure

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Most people replace their converter when they get a 2000 watt inverter/charger so I would recommend wiring the inverter in to replace the converter.
If you can fix the converter hook it up to the batteries but not the distribution panel so you can use it on low power situations, like an extention cord from a house instead of hooking to shore power. Then you can run the microwave off inverter and the batteries will be charged. Also works in bad power situations like remote campgrounds.
Hopefully Jack Mayer will step in and give advice, he knows way more than I do.

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

With the inverter doing the charge (using a 3 stage) and the batteries providing 12v there is no need for the converter. Let the inverter handle it all. Apparently, if I read your post right, the converter is already wired out of the 12v circuit in order to allow the inverter to charge. Therefore, I am not sure what you are really trying to do.

Bjoyce has an interesting option, however, depending on your inverter model, it may be configurable for a low shore power feed (throttle back an option something like "shore pwr") hence there is no need to rig the converter for same.

BTW- The "float mode" charge in your WFCO is a conventional constant voltage "trickle" charge. Not ideal when connected to shore for long periods as it will still overcharge. You inverter may have the more sophisticated "float mode" (and truly 3 stage charge) that actually cycles on/off depending on battery voltage leakage. Another negative is the WFCO "float" is activated by time (48hrs) not by actual battery demand. Your inverter charger may also be programmable for the different battery types, the WFCO is not.

Frankly, I'd spend the converter money on an upgraded inverter if yours is not already programmable. Let the inverter control your 12v charge and your 120v supply fed right into your existing distribution panel.

If you replace the converter, you won't need to change the distribution panel if you stay in the same family of converters. The 8800 series is superseded by the 9800 series (35amp-75amp models) and is cabinet compatible. See the WFCO website for more details on your converter options.

-- Edited by RVDude at 16:35, 2008-03-04

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I probably should not have given the aside on the converter. If you hook up to something that can only give you 10AMPs of power reasonably, you can't run the microwave without disconnecting shore power and using the inverter, either directly or with a circuit breaker. Otherwise you blow a breaker or overheat an extension cord, which can be quite dangerous. But if you use the converter (or a dedicated three stage charger like a TrueCharge unit) and hook that to the 10AMP (or 5AMP) power source you can run the microwave and toaster, etc., off the inverter and your batteries get charged.
Plus the converters can handle lower and higher incoming voltages than the inverter/charger will like and still charge. Some friends say it works well in Mexico where it is not uncommon for the voltage to fluxuate from 95 to 140 volts and only have a 15AMP breaker. My inverter/charger will revert to inverting and not charging if it doesn't like the incoming voltage.

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

bjoyce - excellent additions... Having a secondary charging method (TrueCharge) is also a great idea.

Some inverters can also be programmed for a specific shore "low voltage cutoff point." That is you can set the low voltage point at which the inverter switches from shore/charge to inversion only. Note this is different than the "pwr shore" type of setting which causes the inverter to limit its amperage draw on the shore line.

My Magnum allows me to limit the shore amperage draw in 5amp increments and to set a shore low voltage cutoff as low as 60VAC and to also set a battery low volatge cut-off (as low as a battery destroying 9.0v!).

jjhoyle · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you for your replies.

Bjoyce, you gave me some good information on low power situations.

RVDude,

"With the inverter doing the charge (using a 3 stage) and the batteries providing 12v there is no need for the converter. Let the inverter handle it all. Apparently, if I read your post right, the converter is already wired out of the 12v circuit in order to allow the inverter to charge. Therefore, I am not sure what you are really trying to do."

When we bought the Fifth wheel it was wired with both the Converter and the inverter. The converter is pluged into an outlet in the basement, for it's AC supply and the output goes to the batteries. No one told us, or we didn't hear that we could unplug the converter, so it has been in use since we picked up the Fiver from the mfg., along with the Xantrex 2000 watt Inverter.

When we plug into a shore power stand the Xantrex will always go into Charge mode. Once it reached full charge we would turn off the Inverter charger and let the converter maintain the charge. I guess this has been the wrong thing to do and may have caused the converter to fail.

" depending on your inverter model, it may be configurable for a low shore power feed (throttle back an option something like "shore pwr") hence there is no need to rig the converter for same."

The Xantrex has a power share mode where we can select 50, 30, 20, 15, 5.
I assumed this was so that we could tell the Xantrex how much power is used to charge up the batteries, Right?

"BTW- The "float mode" charge in your WFCO is a conventional constant voltage "trickle" charge. Not ideal when connected to shore for long periods as it will still overcharge. "

This is probably why we bought new batteries after three years of Fulltime RV living. We do not boondock often so the batteries don't get true use like they probably should.

Thanks again for your information.

Jeanie and John Hoyle

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

I suspect the DOA converter might just be an internal fuse. Check out the documentation and look for a main fuse on the converter itself. A whole lot cheaper than a converter!

Running the converter to maintain charge won't hurt the converter, but it may have contributed to your battery replacement. Trojans should go much much longer than 3 years.

Power Share works like this. Set Power Share to match your shore power, lets say 30amp, and you are drawing 28amps for 120v appliances then this setting will only allow the charger to draw 2amps (in AC resulting in about 20amp DC charge) in order to avoid tripping the shore breaker. Because the inverter passes shore power directly to the 120v circuits and bypasses the inverter, any charger load is added to the total shore load and could thus blow the shore breaker. So, the 5amp Power Share setting is great if you have a tiny extension cord and just need to maintain battery charge while winterized, for example.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jeanie and John Hoyle: It sounds like your rig was set up just like I said so you can use a converter to hook up to weak or flakey power while still use appliances off the inverter.

The electric systems in RVs account for 1/3rd to half the technical discussions on many RV tech forums. They are complicated and the interaction between the 12volt DC and 110volt AC systems can get quite "interesting". Plus the systems in place in various RVs vary a lot, including number and type of batteries, inverters, inverter/chargers, converters with or without 3-stage chargers, solar, wind, size of generators, it all varies. All of this can baffle the most experienced RVers and completely overwhelm the new ones.

I sounds like you have a reasonable and common setup, 4 golf cart batteries and a 2000 watt inverter/charger so you should be good for most situations. You have enough inverter power to run the microwave off inverter when boondocking or stopping for lunch. You have a big charger that can bring your batteries back up fairly fast when you have drained them down.