Xantrex Inverter Connection Questions

[Darrell Terry]

We have an Xantrex RV 2012 M on our 04 Monterey.
This Inverter has 2 AC Inputs and 2 AC Outputs although currently we are only using AC-1.
I contacted a Xantrex Authorized Service Center near Sacramento as I have burned out 2 space heaters and 1 toaster this year and was questioning whether Inverter was bad.
Advised by Service Center that Inverter may have bad relay or circuit board.

They also questioned why I only have one leg of AC power connected to the Inverter. They suggested connecting both AC legs ( 1 leg to AC-1 input and the other leg to AC-2 input) as with current connection it is quite easy to pull too much power as I only have a 3000 watt limit when only using 1 leg of the AC.
Does anyone have this Model Xantrex or similiar with 2 AC inputs?    are you connected to both AC inputs?
If so how is that working and is there a downside in making that connection?

Thanks for any and all responses
Darrell

[Bill Sprague]

I had a Xantrex in our '04 Monterey.  They are "modified square wave" instead of the "sine wave" inverters.  They work for most things, especially things that have "power supplies" like computers, TVs and microwaves. 

They don't work on everything.  I burned up a spiffy blender and doorbell before I figured it out. 

I wouldn't be trying to re-engineer the Beaver wiring system.  It is complex enough.  As I recall, you only have one circuit you can use out of the inverter.  Hooking up two "legs" does not make sense to me. 

[Darrell Terry]

Bill,
 Not really re-engineering but considering utilizing the Dual AC Input- Dual AC output function of my Inverter.
I have attached a link to Xantrex Freedom SW-12 installation manual which has the same DI-DO function as my RV2012.

http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Inverter-Chargers/Freedom-SW-NewGen/97-0020-01-01_Rev-E(artwork).pdf

See page #11 and #12 regarding DUAL AC.
With single AC output as I currently have, I max out at 30 amps. If connected to both AC outputs that are on my Inverter I can max out at 60 amps.
That would certainly give me some headroom with electrical loads.
I'm sure my sub-panel would need to be reconfigured and additional wires pulled from Inverter to Main panel.
This configuration was highly recommended by Mark Snyder Electric who are the Authorized Service Rep's for Xantrex in Calif.

CALIFORNIA

Mark Snyder Electric     *24 Hour Service for Emergencies*
5840 Gibbons Dr., Suite H
Carmichael, CA 95608
Ph. 619-992-5932
Ph. 858-748-4612
CALIFORNIA

Mark Snyder Electric     *24 Hour Service for Emergencies*
12900 Brook Printer Plc #200
Poway, CA  92064
Ph. 619-992-5932
Ph. 858-748-4612

Darrell
2004 Monterey

[Gerald Farris]

Darrell,
I will have to agree with Bill on this one. The circuits leading into and out of your inverter are both only rater for a 30 amp load. So if you rewire the inverter input to deliver 60 amps into the inverter, you still only have wiring on the output side that is rated for a maximum load of 30 amps. Therefore, to benefit from the increased through put capacity, you would also have to wire additional circuits for the inverter output side that a 2000 watt inverter could not satisfy when on batteries. You are talking about an investment of a lot of time and money for very little if any benefit.

The appliances that you described as failing were all resistance heaters, and as such, they are not very sensitive to "dirty" power. So I would doubt that their failure was related to the inverter.

Gerald   

[Edward Buker]

Darrell,

Beyond the excellent advice both Gerald and Bill provided there is the issue of electric heaters themselves. These heaters are heavy continuous loads and when it is cold outside and are typically pulling close to 15 amps continuously. While the inverter pass through relays are supposed to handle 30 amps, they contain a relatively light duty set of contacts, and in my opinion you are asking for trouble loading them with resistive heater loads. These Xantrex units are not easily repairable.

I would consider turning off the AC breaker to the inverter and testing outlets for power. The ones that are still active do not go through the inverter and you should restrict your heater usage to those outlets if possible. If the outlet locations do not work well for you, then you could have a small breaker box added in the bay that is fed from the transfer switch line and an outlet added from this breaker box into the main living space.

As far as these units burning out, they may have solid state safety devices or solid state thermostat switching and with the heat involved they are probably just committing suicide on their own without any external help.

Later Ed