BAC Forum

General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Becky Layton on February 07, 2015, 05:40:14 PM

Title: Electrical
Post by: Becky Layton on February 07, 2015, 05:40:14 PM

We keep losing our programmable coffee makers.  This seems to happen when we disconnect the coach from electricity.  Any suggestions.

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Dick Simonis on February 07, 2015, 06:33:14 PM

By losing, do you mean they die or just lose their program?

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Jerry Carr on February 07, 2015, 06:46:14 PM

you do have your inverter on? you need 110 volts so plug in or inverter will supply this

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Bill Sprague on February 07, 2015, 09:25:56 PM

Hi Becky!

Some of us have "modified square wave" inverters and some of us have "pure sine wave" inverters.   The "modified" kind can screw up some electronics.  When we first got our motorhome I bought a really cool blender loaded with electronics, programming and drink recipes.  The first time it "saw" modified square wave" power it quickly croaked permanently.   I had to get out the old Mr. Boston book.   BJ had a fancy espresso machine that made weird noises the first time it saw "modified" power too.  We kept it off when we were not plugged in to shore power or had the Onan running so it lived long enough to rust a hole in the boiler.

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Becky Layton on February 07, 2015, 10:52:36 PM

The coffee machines croak as someone put it. 

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Joel Ashley on February 08, 2015, 11:03:16 PM

Bill's right.  You didn't say what coach you have, but if it's old enough not to have a pure sine wave system, then some newer electronic gadgets may not do well.  You may lose more than just coffee makers.

Leave these things unused when not plugged in;  if your inverter is on all the time it may be taking over when you unplug from the external power source, and jeopardizing some sophisticated electronic devices.  Turn the inverter off so it doesn't automatically kick in when you unplug.  Then be careful about what is plugged in when you deliberately turn on the inverter in the future.

An expensive but best fix is to install a modern pure sine wave Magnum inverter.

Joel

Title: Re: Electrical
Post by: Bill Sprague on February 09, 2015, 04:14:48 PM

Quote from: Joel Ashley on February 08, 2015, 11:03:16 PM

An expensive but best fix is to install a modern pure sine wave Magnum inverter.

Joel

Joel,

I've been putting that off for 10 years!  Anything with a "power supply" is fine.  Apparently sensitive electronics like TVs, stereos, computers and phones all have them.  On laptops and phones it is the brick in the cord or plugged in the wall. 

The only thing that croaked was my blender.  And, we do keep the current coffee pot unplugged if the inverter is running.

Bill