Converter

[cgaucho1981]

How does one know if the converter is working or not.Batteies slowly discharge, used to hear a fan come on when bathroom light was switched on but do not hear it anymore. Put 2 new batteries in today 6 volt instead of the 12volts, hooked up properly, but still does not seem to charge.
Can I hook up a 12volt charger to the 6volt batteries. my micro monitor only shows the batteries to be 2/3 full (new batteries come filled up already) or does it take all day for it to be fully charged. Thanks for any input
Norval

[Kamper Dave]

I am no expert! Does the converter have supply voltage?
I just trouble shot the neighbors converter. His batteries were loosing charge. He put on an external charger and got them recharged but it did not hold for long.
I crawled into his basement tocheck to output fuses, they were good. I had the owner turn off and then on the 120vac circuit breaker for the converter. The converter did nothing, not a beep, not a whine or any fan movement. There was no 120 volt supply to the converter. It turned out that the 120 vac receptacle was corroded and good contactwith 120vac supply was not being made.
We cleaned the plug and (turned off the 120vac power) burnished the receptacle contacts. When we re powered the converter the 12vdc lights brightened and soon he had full bars on the battery charge indicator. The receptacle will need to be replaced asap.

[cgaucho1981]

Thank You Dave
I checked plugin and all is OK there. I have 120 volts going into the converter. How do I check power coming out of the converter to the battery and what should the power read. Tried to overload it with putting all the 12volt lights on plus 2 Fantasic fans and not a beep from converter or fan. Thanks again
Norval

[hhh]

Check the voltage of the batteries with a digital meter..... should be 12.8 to 12.2 volts. Plug in the trailer and see if the voltage goes up, could be anywhere from 13 to 14.4 volts depending on the state of charge of the batteries.

[cgaucho1981]

I will go and buy a Digital meter tomorrow, Thanks

[Kamper Dave]

I am not sure.I do not know if is good for the converter to run without the batteries connected.
And I think batteries need to be tested under a load.
Sorry I am not of more help.
You have a good 120vac supply but not enough output to charge the batteries. Are all of the 12vdc connections clean and tight? If you have a battery disconnect switch, are it's connections clean and tight?
Best of luck.

[Chrisnan23]

This might help
Troubleshooting 8900 Series Power Center

If there is no DC output, first check the reverse polarity fuses on the front

panel of the WF-8900 Series power center. Then, visually inspect the fuses

for any breaks; if none are found, use a continuity tester to check for continuity.

If the reverse polarity fuses are blown, it means the RV battery was accidentally

connected in reverse, either at the battery or at the converter. Reconnect

properly, then replace the fuse with the same type and amp rating as the

original “Littelfuse � Type 257 automotive-style fuse.

IMPORTANT: These fuses protect the converter from damage in the event that

the RV battery is accidentally connected in reverse. A reversed battery

connection, even for a second, is the reason that these fuses will blow.

The fuse rating that the manufacturer suggests for the output fuses will be

marked on the unit. Replace only with same type and rating.

ATC style

“Littelfuse® � Type 257 fuse

Converter Operation Modes

All WFCO power converters are automatic three-stage switching

power supplies. The converter senses which mode it needs to be in by

checking the RV system voltage.

The three modes/stages of operation include:

Absorption mode/Normal operation

Nominal battery charge and supplies power to appliances

Bulk mode/Charge mode

Fast battery charge and supplies power to appliances

Float mode/Trickle charge

Trickle battery charge during storage

Absorption Mode: During this mode, the converter output is in the

13.6 Vdc range. This is the normal operation mode. This mode

provides the 12 Vdc and current required by the 12 Vdc RV appliances,

as well as slow charging the battery.

Bulk Mode: In this mode, the output voltage of the converter will

switch to 14.4 Vdc range for a maximum of four hours. If the converter

cycles between “Absorption and Bulk mode�, there could be a shorted

battery cell or other issues.

Float Mode: In this mode, the converter is charging the battery with a

trickle voltage of 13.2 Vdc. When the converter senses a demand (by

turning on lights), the converter automatically returns to the

“Absorption mode�.

Actual appearance of the front cover may vary.

Breaker Filler Plates

Manufacturer

WFCO

Model/Cat. No./Type



FP-01 or FP-01B (Black)
Before checking the converter output voltage, it is necessary to

disconnect the battery cables at the battery . Make sure

the converter is plugged into AC source (105-132 Volts). Check the

converter output voltage at the battery with a voltmeter. Place the

probes on the disconnected battery cables; place the Positive (red) meter

probe on the + positive red battery wire and place the Negative (black)

meter probe on the -Negative black wire on the battery cable. Be sure you

have good connections at the cables. If the voltage reads 13.6 Vdc (+/-.2)



with no load, the converter is functioning properly.
If the converter output voltage at the battery reads in the 0.0 Vdc range,

or the battery is not charging, check for:

- an open inline fuse in the battery wire (if installed by OEM)

- an open wire between the converter and the RV battery

- loose ground connection



- improper torques

[cgaucho1981]

Thank you Chris, good reading will go now and work on it when we get a digital meter.

[cgaucho1981]

Bought a meter and went outside and witched off the breaker on the post, put the meter to the new batteries and it read 12.19 then turned the breaker back on and again put the meter to the batteries and the reading was the same 12.19. Tested at the 12volt connection on converter while plugged in reading O So I guess that means I must be SOL. THanks for all your help.
Norval

[cgaucho1981]

Called the dealer today to ask the price of a new converter, he said we have to bring the rig in so he can do a diagnostic test on it, 1 hr labor, I saidithas only 4 scews to take out, he said there is a lot of wires too, so it is not an easy job, so the quote is around 500.00. I hate to be overcharged (taken for a ride)is there anyone here that could give me a rough guess so as to keep me in the ballpark. Thanks

[Chrisnan23]

Can you do the wiring? If the answer is yes then I would look on line for a new unit to install yourself. Be sure to mark the wires as you take them off. PPL has them and ships quite quickly. It seems that the price quoted would be about double the regular retail price of the unit, which with installation is about right. Acouple of hours of labor at $100.00 per hour.

[hhh]

They are easy to install if you are handy. Maybe an hour, two at most. Check outhttp://www.bestconverter.com/, call them, tell them what model converter you currently have and they can give a recommendation for a replacement. The stock converters are pretty cheap, you can get better ones that have more features and will extend the life of your batteries.Both Iota and Progressive Dynamics are good, get the optional temperature sensor (or IQ4 depending on brand) that will attach to your battery so the charger can adjust it's voltages depending on what is needed.

Or..... I am going to change my stock one out. If you want a good 60 amp OEM unit, I'll have one for sale




Edited by: hhh

[fixit5561]

I changed mine myself to a Progressive Dynamics and love it! If you get one from this copmpany, make sure you get a model that has the charge wizard pendant on it. The pendant tells you what state the battery is charging in. It is a 3 stage with some extras that make your battery last longer too.



You just need to getone that is close to your current converters amp rate. My original was 55 amp converter, and I changed mine to, I think, a 65 amp model by Progressive Dynamics.



When it is in a trickle charge mode, if it doenst see any use at all on the battery for a certain time period, I think 21 hrs,it automatically goes into a high charge mode for a 15 minute period to desulficate the battery plates. What this does is make the battery last longer.Edited by: fixit5561

[fhenn]

Mine went bad while we were out and the traveling RV tech charged 600.00 dollars for it and it was an upgrade over what was in there. The extended warenty paid for all but 50.00 dollars

[ajlight]

You could unhook the batterieswith the unit plugged inand see if you have any lights. All of the light in ours are 12 volt. I have left the battery switch off on ours and the converter still supplies power for lights and the 12 volt appliances.

[cgaucho1981]

Thank you all so much for your input. TodayI went into the dealer and he said the converter was shot and put in a new one, The name is Parallax power 7455 an upgrade from what was in there. he did say the WFCO had a lot of issues so they moved to this one, much better results, also he put it on my extended warranty, which I had not thought about. I have never used it before. The dealers name is O'Connors in Chilliwack, BC, what agood tech, so experienced with all aspects of RVs. only wish I had bought my unit there instead of the dealer that I bought mine from. So with a new set of batteries and a new converter, now we are ready to go south, just hope my tires and shackles hold up (for the price that I paid that time) lol, Again thank you all for your help.hope someday we will be able to help someone else