Xantrex Inverter trouble

[Larry Fisk]

Well, after 14 years it appears our inverter is toast. No 50 amp power to the coach so we can’t run the AC’s. Inverter is not charging the batteries. It makes a clicking sound every 15 seconds or so like it’s trying to do something but nothing changes. I ran an extension cord to the fridge to make sure it stays cold. I also hooked up a battery charger to the house batteries. Now it’s sit and wait until Tuesday for a shop to open. I tried the Xantrex reset procedure suggested on here but it made no difference. It also appears the inverter keeps tripping a 30 amp, push pin breaker on the unit. Anyone know what this breaker does?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Larry Fisk

[Fred Brooks]

    Larry, Based on your statement "no 50 amp to your coach" it sounds like your issue is before your inverter/charger. The inverter/charger is getting its power from a 30amp circuit breaker inside the main panel breaker box in the closet or bedroom. The fact your air conditioners are not working suggests there is no 120 volts at the transfer relay or the power cord or pedistal. Fred

[Larry Fisk]

Thanks Fred, to clarify I do have 50 amp service at the power pedestal. The Aladdin indicates, "shore power selected" and 120 volts, but shows no amps draw. When I start the generator the Aladdin shows the transfer to the "gen-set" took place and also indicates 120 volts, but zero amp draw, which of course indicates power is present but not being used. I have checked all the breakers, 50 amp and the 30 amp panels. There are two breakers on the 30 amp panel that will not reset. But all other breaker are fine.
Also I thought power for the Air Conditioners did not pass through the inverter, so I can't understand why my AC's have no power?
Larry

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Larry,
What 30 amp CBs don't reset? It sounds like you may have a transfer relay issue.
Steve

[Mike Shumack]

here's the power flow ==

[Gerald Farris]

Larry,
From your description, the inverter is not your problem. You need to check for power at the transfer switch output, and if there is no power there, you probably have a bad transfer switch. When it comes to the breakers that will not reset, some breakers will not reset if there is no power to them which could be related to a bad transfer switch, but a short circuit will also cause a breaker to not reset, so carefully check for power along the power flow that Mike provided before you replace anything.

Gerald   

[Fred Brooks]

   Larry, You state that you have power to the air conditioners but they don't work. Have you checked for 120 volts at the circuit breaker? Is your coach 12 volt turned on? The thermostats need 12 volt to operate. Still sounds like a transfer relay issue. Fred

[Larry Fisk]

Hey Friends, Sorry, I wandered off and didn't come back until now. Well, the problem has been solved and you were right! Today a repair tech tore into the transfer switch and Inverter and said both were damaged by what appeared to be a large power spike. The insulation on the wiring in the transfer case was melted. They were having power issues at the RV park we were at last weekend and brought in a large, CAT Generator. When I asked if that could have caused our electrical problem they said it did not affect the area of the park we were staying in. I think they were wrong. So, they are now installing a new transfer switch and Magnum Inverter. The transfer switch they are installing is the Surge Guard 41260. It does not interface with the Aladdin and that bugs me. Should I have them upgrade that transfer switch to one that works with the Aladdin? What do you think? I am going to try and add a picture of the fried transfer switch with this post. Thanks again, everyone for your Input!!
Larry Fisk

[Bill Sprague]

What part does not work with the Aladdin?  Our amp sensors were behind the circuit breaker panel in our '04 Monterey.  They were protected by the tiniest fuses I've ever seen.  Maybe those fuses blew.

[Larry Fisk]

The Surge Guard 40250 has a data plug in to interface with the Aladdin system. The new transfer switch does not have that feature, so you can’t see what power source is active or the volts and amp draw in the different legs. I could very well be wrong about this. I was just guessing that’s what the data port was for on the surge guard. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Larry

[Mike Shumack]

I would stop the repair shop now and have them get the SurgeGuard 40250-RVC unit. The 41260 does not have the same level of "protection" as the 40250- and there's the lack of the data connection to the Aladdin you already know about.

[Fred Brooks]

    Larry, The original is now a 41260-001 and retail is 343.99 and has only 2,600 joules of surge protection. the 40250 RVC has been replaced by the 40350-RVC and is 896.99 and also requires you change the remote panel read-out (40299) 100.69
The park may give you some push back unless you can prove you require the better model, I am not sure where the Aladdin
interface is located. Fred

[Fred Brooks]

   Foot note: After looking at the old transfer relay, If the park sent power down the "neutral" there could be some collateral damage in your coach. Make sure they inspect the air conditioners, televisions, microwave and anything that has a PC board in the loop when on shore power. Fred

[Larry Fisk]

Thanks! I am going to ask them to replace the transfer switch with the upgraded one. Thanks again for all your help.
Larry

[Mike Shumack]

On the Aladdin sensing - The two interface drawings I have show one with the "data cable" to the Transfer Switch, and the other interface looks to go to a separate box with voltage/current sensors.

It shows the first type (data cable style) goes to the Aladdin "ATS" box, and the other style goes to an Aladdin "AC" interface box.

To add to the confusion, my coach has the "ATS interface" module, but I don't see (can't find) a Data cable coming out the Transfer Switch.

So, I think it is a good idea to have the "full protection" SurgeGuard unit, but you may not need the data cable to have Aladdin read the voltage/currents in the Transfer Switch (do you have this data cable now)?