converter woes

papa2 · 05-01-2011, 02:04 AM

Lost my 12 volt system this weekend. 110 amp is fine. Interesting, lost lights, then the reefer (controled by 12 volt panel), LP sniffer went bonkers. No 12 volt at all this a.m.

Battery 1 yr old with plenty of water. Hooked the truck up and recharged the battery. Seems to hold the charge fine. Can't find a breaker for the inverter, nor a specific fuse for that matter. Fuses all looked fine. Guessing the inverter went bad.

No doubt not cheap and I'll have to hire someone to replace it. Can't catch a break.

Edited by: papa2

fhenn · 05-01-2011, 06:58 AM

Al mine went bad last year while out. Got a battery charger and kept the battery and 12V working that way changing the converter is not that big of deal I did it Up graded at the time if I recall right ran about three hundred dollars. I could have gotten it a lot cheaper on line but was in a hurry so bought it from a RV dealer

Edited by: fhenn

fixit5561 · 05-01-2011, 08:19 AM

I also changed mine out it wasnt that big of a deal. I did upgrade to a Progressive Dynamics 60amp converter with charge wizard pendant.

I did have to do some drilling of rivets to get the PD to fit into the space where the old converter was. Here is a link to do just that http://home.earthlink.net/~whemme/

You will probably need to get an converter that has a little more amps thatn what you currently have, dont worry it is fine to upgrade to a larger unit, I checked on this and researched it quite a bit before attempting to replace mine.I upgraded mine from a 55 amp to a 60 amp. I bought mine from ebay and had really good luck with it here is a link to the ebay sellers http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=progressive+dynamics+converter+&_c qr=true&_nkwusc=progressive+dynamics+inverter& amp;_rdc=1

Get the converter with the charge pendant also make sure it is a new converter. Here is a link to a good one as far as I can see http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Inteli-power-60-amp-Converter-w-charge-wizard-PD9260C-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a10355050QQitemZ18066 0555856QQptZMotorsQ5fRVQ5fTrailerQ5fCamperQ5fParts Q5fAccessories

Its not that big of a job with the detailed instructions that I posted above it can be done in a few hours no problem. I think it was only about 6 wires that you had to disconnect and reconnect to the new converter.

Heck Al if you didnt live on the other side of the state Id help ya do it!!

Edited by: fixit5561

papa2 · 05-01-2011, 09:53 AM

If you ever see me with a tool in my hands RUN .... for your own safety. I'm bloody dangerous (1/2 truth)

Thanks for the input. Glad to know it's not going to break the bank. I may be using the charger for awhile as my expenses this month are approaching the cost of my daughter's weddings. Gah! I am a little confused ... 30 amp service but upgrade from a 55 amp to 60 amp? I take that even though i have 30 amp service the inverter/charger is rated higher??

fixit5561 · 05-01-2011, 09:57 AM

No you can go with the 30 amp Progressive Dynamics if you want to. My converter in my trailer was a 55 amp originaly so I figured yours was the same. You can go with the 30, 45 or 60amp if you wanted to.

Dayle1 · 05-01-2011, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papa2

If you ever see me with a tool in my hands RUN .... for your own safety. Â*I'm bloody dangerous (1/2 truth)Â*

Thanks for the input. Â*Glad to know it's not going to break the bank. Â*I may be using the charger for awhile as my expenses this month are approaching the cost of my daughter's weddings. Gah! Â*I am a little confused ... 30 amp service but upgrade from a 55 amp to 60 amp? Â*I take that even though i have 30 amp service the inverter/charger is rated higher??

30 amp service is the AC service, 30 amp @ 120V. The converter is 12 V DC and it's amperage is higher in order to recharge the battery and at the same time supply 12 V DC to all the items that run on 12 V DC.

papa2 · 05-03-2011, 09:09 AM

Called the dealer where I purchased my unit from yesterday. I was originally told the inverter was a simple plug in, but the service manager called me back to let me know that my unit has a converter unit (inverter/control panel in one unit). The part cost $122.xx & about 1 hour in labor to install.

Then he was nice enough to go through a check list of what I had done. When we finished he said "You checked all the blue fuses, but did you check the orange ones?" Hmmm, honestly, I had not. These are the fuses for the inverter. Would have been nice if they had been labeled as such. When asked what can cause the inverter to go bad, he said one of the reasons was an arc/spark at the battery. I dimly recall that happening when I brushed the white wire against the positive pole.

Have to go back up to the trailer and check those orange fuses (40 amp). Apparently it is an 80 amp inverter. Hoping it was an idiot move and dirt cheap repair, rather than converter replacement. Either way not as bad as I thought.

fixit5561 · 05-03-2011, 10:32 AM

Just a technicallity, but you keep calling it an inverter, it is actually called a converter.

Yes that would be alot better if it was just a fuse, I will keep my fingers crossed for ya!Edited by: fixit5561

papa2 · 05-06-2011, 01:22 PM

Thanks for the education. Updated the thread title to show converter.

Just call me arky sparky. Turns out I blew two 40 amp fuses on the converter. Replaced them and everything is back to normal now.

fixit5561 · 05-06-2011, 01:25 PM

Thats a whole lot cheaper than a new converter, thats great when that kind oif news arrives!!

bandb · 05-12-2011, 07:03 AM

Hi Al,

Had the same problem. My trailer had the + battery cables going to thermal circuit breakers and then on to various applications in the trailer. The breaker that handles lites, refrigerator etc. (really all but the slide out) went bad due to corrosion. There are 2 of them and replaced both. They cost $7.00 each. Mine were mounted on a cross frame member right under the front of the trailer.

Hope this helps, B&B

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