Inverter is dead

[Brian Sexton]

Hello all, having an issue with heart interface freedom combi inverter.  all 6v batteries showing 6volts, but no power to my board inside motorhome.  also no lights on inverter either.  while driving last inverter was shutting off ans on.  none of my 110 outlets connected to inverter are working while connected to shore power.  what could be the issue?  2000 beaver contessa

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Sounds like you are not getting 12V to the inverter, but first reset your inverter. Some have a reset button, others you just need to turn off then back on after about 10-15 seconds. That might solve it.
Steve

[Brian Sexton]

dont have a reset, so i  turned  breaker off and back on,
no change.  how can you tell if the inverter goes bad?

[Gerald Farris]

Brian,
First check to make sure that you have 12V at the battery input for the inverter. Next check to be sure that you have 120V coming into the inverter when on shore power. If these two things check OK, disconnect shore power and house battery cables for 30 seconds or more, then reconnect everything. If the inverter is still dead after this, start shopping for a Magnum inverter.

Gerald  

[Brian Sexton]

Gerald, have 12.60 at the inverter, did the disconnect, panel inside flashed, and went off completely again. Still no power to the oulets in MH connected to the inverter.  i guess i am shopping for a new magnum.  Can i go higher than the current 2000 watt? Best to go pure sine, correct?

[Dick Simonis]

Brian, I just replaced my Zantrex with a Magnum 2020 PSW and, while I like it a lot can not tell any advantage with the PSW over the MSW.  Everything runs the same as far as I can tell.  Would I do it again??? Perhaps on a just in case basis.

You will find the 4 stage charging real interesting.  I was a bit skeptical at first now I like it at lot.

One bit advantage was that the Magnum has 20 A breaker vs. the 15 A on the Zantrex which means I can run the microwave and my coffee pot at the same time.  This was not possible before.

[Brian Sexton]

Gerald, one thing you said did confuse me.....i confirmed the shore power from the post was good 220 from both legs and 116 and 115 fron indivdual legs.  was i supposed to see 120 on the inverter, same place I saw the 12 V? still get 12V dc on inverter with shore power plugged in.

[Edward Buker]

Brian,

The inverter has both a 12V input that it uses to feed charge back to the batteries and obtain 12V power to convert to 120V. There is also 120V power that comes from the transfer switch through the coach main breaker panel that feeds the inverter. When 120V is being fed in there is a relay that sends that power directly out to a breaker panel in the bay. When that 120V is absent it can create 120V from DC and send it out over that same cable. The 120V that Gerald was talking about is a separate wire feed from the 12V feed.

Later Ed

[Brian Sexton]

Where would you test for the 120V?

[Edward Buker]

Mine is a 2.5k Xantrex and the DC cables go in on the lower left of the unit and the AC wires go into a black box on the bottom right. I have not had to go into that box so beyond that I cannot describe the layout but I would assume that there is labeling at the connection point to the Xantrex. From a visual I think this is the layout but a look at your unit manual should clarify this futher.

Later Ed

[Brian Sexton]

Dead Inverter update....turns out inverter is fine.  when i unplug the remotr TSC cable the inverter kicks right on.  Question now is what does this indicate, ans how can the problem be remedied?  Other problem that exists now that inverter is back on is the remote panel has no display at all.  Any suggestion or remedy for this issue?  Thanks for all your input, at least my wife is happy she can make her coffee inside now.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Brian,
Not sure where you unplugged the remote cable. If at the inverter, then suggest removing the remote panel and ensuring the telephone type plug is inserted securely into the connector.
Steve

[Edward Buker]

Brian,

You could get a shorter cable with the same ends, think it is a simple phone cable, and pull the panel and connect it in the bay. That would rule out the cable.
I would also turn off the AC feed to the coach, then turn off the house battery switch for 30 seconds and power back up. Sometimes this will reset the logic back to working.

Later Ed

[Wayne Tull]

If you decide to go with eliminating the cable to the remote panel to check it out, make sure you check the orientation of the wires in the plugs of your test cable with that of the existing cable before proceeding.

[Joel Weiss]

Brian, I just replaced my Zantrex with a Magnum 2020 PSW and, while I like it a lot can not tell any advantage with the PSW over the MSW.  Everything runs the same as far as I can tell.  Would I do it again??? Perhaps on a just in case basis.

You will find the 4 stage charging real interesting.  I was a bit skeptical at first now I like it at lot.

One bit advantage was that the Magnum has 20 A breaker vs. the 15 A on the Zantrex which means I can run the microwave and my coffee pot at the same time.  This was not possible before.

I replaced my Xantrex with the Magnum MS2812 PSW inverter because running the larger inverter at a lower percentage of its rated output significantly improves its efficiency.  The 2812 running at a few hundred watts is >90% efficient.

As for going from the 15A breaker to the 20A in your Magnum (the 2812 doesn't have a built-in subpanel) I hope you verified that the wiring in your coach was rated for it.  I was able to verify that my coach was wired with 12 AWG cable even though one of the inverter circuits was fused at 15A; otherwise I would not have made the change to 20A.  Since none of these coaches are all that consistent with respect to how they were built, I urge you to confirm, for your own safety, that you have 12AWG wiring and not 15AWG.