Coachman Inverter Upgrade

[Val]

Hope you enjoyed the fish and chips.
I switched on the inverter, after a couple of attempts, The reading shows 14.4.
But, the fan came on soon after and running continuously!!
What do I do?

 

[Val]

Use the inverter to charge the battery for almost the whole day. It did not work went back to where it was before as per photos sent earlier. Does that mean the battery is not keeping a charge? Does the Battery need to be replaced?
Question - does one need the battery, if the converter is hooked up to shore power?
Thanks

 

[Rich W.]

Use the inverter to charge the battery for almost the whole day. It did not work went back to where it was before as per photos sent earlier. Does that mean the battery is not keeping a charge? Does the Battery need to be replaced?
Question - does one need the battery, if the converter is hooked up to shore power?
Thanks

If you are hooked to shore power you dont even need a converter unless you have stuff that you need that only runs on 12v. Did you try running on just shore power with both your inverter/charger and UPS off?

I think you said earlier you have an electrician coming this week. Thats a good starting point. If you end up abandoning your inverter and UPS and want to restore the coach in a more or less OE condition, discard the aftermarket stuff, install a new converter, and live off shore power.

There are lots of converter options available but I found Randy at Best Converter reliable and easy to work with. Go to BestConverter - Converters, Inverters, Electrical Supplies, Electronics and click “Ask Randy” at the top left corner of the screen.

 

[Rich W.]

Hope you enjoyed the fish and chips.
I switched on the inverter, after a couple of attempts, The reading shows 14.4.
But, the fan came on soon after and running continuously!!
What do I do?

The fan running would be normal because the unit is doing work - charging your batteries. 14.4v would indicate bulk charging. But if it smells like an electrical fire don’t use it.

Charging info:

Battery charging - what do bulk absorption and float mean? - Leading Edge Turbines & Power Solutions

As batteries are charged they go through 3 different states - bulk absorption and float. Here's what is happening at each of these stages and a quick overvi

www.leadingedgepower.com

 

[Val]

I don't have anything that only runs on 12V, the fridge control panel and the lights does that count?

I have the the inverter off, but, the UPS cannot, as it is somehow hooked up to the 120V and when its off/unplugged there is no power in the RV.

Thanks for the charging info.

 

[Rich W.]

Yes, I think you need 12v to run your fridge on propane. It will probably also run on 120v in which case you wouldnt need 12v, but I don’t know enough about your set-up or what type of fridge you have.

A converter/charger will do the job supplying 12v as needed, and it will keep your house batteries topped up. A good converter/charger will also charge at all three levels (bulk, absorb, and float) and will not boil your batteries. So if you go that route be choosey.

I have no idea how your UPS is wired but from what you’ve said here, I’d eliminate that and the solar/inverter/charger. Given your situation as full time/stationary, all you need is shore power and a converter, and maybe not even a converter.

The rest is a creation by a previous owner and it may have suited his/her purposes, but its causing you unnecessary problems and you don’t need it so I would have it removed, have the electrical supply returned to OE status, and live worry free about all this.

 

[Val]

Thanks Rich
Much appreciated.

 

[Val]

The fridge, is 3 way, gas,120V and 12V. (don't use the gas at all). The 12V, I presume is for the Dometic fridge control panel? What about the cabin lights would that need the battery?

The Power Converter Panel is in the corridor/passage of the RV, direct oppersite the fridge. Would the Converter be somewhere there located?

 

[Rich W.]

Some Rv refrigerators actually run on 12v; most are either propane with 12v controls or 120v. Yours could be either but since you aren't using propane, you wouldnt need 12v for that. But you will for lights, so a conventional converter and house battery bank is what you’ll need. The converter is typically built in to the electrical panel at the bottom. If you have a vent at the bottom of your electical panel, there is probably a converter/charger behind it. It might even still be there, in good condition, but abandoned in favor of the current set up. If thats the case, your electrician (or well qualified fix-it person) could put it back to the OE configuration fairly easily and inexpensively. A picture of your electrical panel (breakers and fuses) would help. Also what model coach do you have? Something like a M-3610?

 

[Val]

Hi
I have attached the photos of the converter. Not sure what the other power board is?
I see the charger is off and there is writing to say to leave it off?. Not sure why that is???

I have a 2003 Ford Coachman Rendezvous (photo attached)

 

[TheLooks]

You should always have a good battery inline with a converter. They are not meant to provide high current draw and are chargers and supplemental for the battery. In units with no slides or high current draw devices, they work.
The writing is probably from whomever installed the other device and should be followed. At least until the other unit is removed and the rig is returned to factory condition or some other device is put in and verified for operation.

 

[Rich W.]

You’ll find the original converter/charger behind that panel by removing the four phillips screws at the bottom (second pic) but you should be able to leave it alone and just reimplement it. My guess (and that's all it is) is that whomever wrote “leave off” did so after installing the after-market inverter/charger and UPS. So it probably still works - they just didn’t want it interfering with their wonderful high-tech mods.

As per TheLooks comment above, once you junk all that other stuff, you will probably be able to use the OE converter/charger to keep your battery bank up and perform all 12v functions as intended. But you need to enlist the help of a qualified electrician to get it all set up correctly because the previous owner might have made some wiring changes. But it looks to me like you wont have to buy anything new.

Here’s some info on converter (the 7300 has been superseded):

8300 Series – Parallax Power Supply

parallaxpower.com

 

[Val]

Thanks for the wonderful advice, much appreciated it.
In the meantime, I will get a cheap battery charger to keep the battery charged. It seems the converter is doing its job, by keeping everything else working.
Thanks

 

[Val]

Hi
The electrician checked it out. Whoever wrote “leave off” did so after installing the after-market inverter/charger and UPS. The charger/converter is working fine and charging the battery. Its reading now 14 DC. Is that fine? They just didn’t want it interfering with their wonderful high-tech mods. The "green thing" is off and will stay off!

Can I leave the charger on?, and it won't overcook the battery?

 

[TheLooks]

14 is a little high but it is probably trying to bring the batteries back to life. Remember, there is bulk charge, absorption charge, and float charge.

How To Maintain Batteries - Deep Cycle Battery Store

THE BASICS ON BATTERIES *Important Items Highlighted/Colored First things first. A 12-volt battery is not a 12-volt battery. Twelve volts is just a nominal, convenient term used to distinguish one battery from another. A fully-charged 12-volt battery, allowed to “rest” for a few hours (or days) with

deepcyclebatterystore.com

 

[Rich W.]

Hi
The electrician checked it out. Whoever wrote “leave off” did so after installing the after-market inverter/charger and UPS. The charger/converter is working fine and charging the battery. Its reading now 14 DC. Is that fine? They just didn’t want it interfering with their wonderful high-tech mods. The "green thing" is off and will stay off!

Can I leave the charger on?, and it won't overcook the battery?

All as expected (hoped) - glad it worked out. I’d sell the green thing on ebay for whatever you can get for it (make sure to charge for shipping - I’m sure its heavy), but hang on to the UPS as it may come in handy and should be easily combined with the existing system.

Converters have evolved a lot since 2003, so I would also consider an upgrade, although if your’s functions well and provides the correct charge levels for bulk, absorb, and float, it should be fine as is. Watch your house batteries for signs of over charging.

 

[Val]

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

 

[Val]

Hi
The DC battery level has not moved from 14, so switched the charger off, just in case it overcharged the battery.

Question is the charger not functioning properly, the converter/charger needs to be upgraded or the battery is dead. While the charger is off (overnight and the rest of the morning) the battery level is 12.3. Does that mean the battery is ok?

 

[Rich W.]

It sounds like the system is operating normally although not optimally. The battery is getting 14v from the converter/charger when plugged in/turned on, and it will settle down to about 12.6 (fully charged) about an hour after the charger is turned off, and go down over night X amount depending on what is on and using 12v. 12.3 is is 50% so that’s not bad after being used overnight.

The only issue I see is that if the converter/charger is staying at 14v while plugged in and not dropping down to a reasonable float charge level, it could be over charging and damaging your battery. A modern converter/charger will detect the charge level and provide the apropriate amount of charge for the condition of the battery.

If you want to replace your converter with a modern version that will deliver the proper charge for bulk, absorb, and float, contact these guys: BestConverter - Converters, Inverters, Electrical Supplies, Electronics

To learn all about batteries and charging read this:

How To Maintain Batteries - Deep Cycle Battery Store

THE BASICS ON BATTERIES *Important Items Highlighted/Colored First things first. A 12-volt battery is not a 12-volt battery. Twelve volts is just a nominal, convenient term used to distinguish one battery from another. A fully-charged 12-volt battery, allowed to “rest” for a few hours (or days) with

deepcyclebatterystore.com

Hope this helps.

 

[Val]

Hi Rich
I have turned off that inverter (the green thing) which also had a solar controller and battery charger) which was over heating (my initial enquiry),But, have switched off the inverter. Recently switched off the converter, (Tripping the mains). So nothing is charging the batteries.

But, strangely my batteries are somehow charging to full charge. I am thinking its from the solar panels. Its been very hot and sunny. IS THAT POSSIBLE?

And would I need a solar controller to prevent the batteries from overcharging?

I have 3 solar panels and 2 x 12V AGM Deep Cycle house batteries.

Thanks
Valtyn