Xantrex

chris cratch · 08-25-2009, 12:39 PM

Having problems with rs 2000. I have contacted xantrex 6 times by both e-mail to customer support, tech support and called the 800 number, all I get is a case no. or rma and told to take to a rv dealer and pay several hours of labor. With the help of aca members in conversation with a xantrex authorized service ctr. This service ctr. said they did not believe a computer software would help, they recommend replacing unit. Xantrex would not allow me to stop in Elkhart Ind. and have them service unit. So do I replace with a rs3000 as some alpine owners have or go to a different brand that will provide customer support.

dgerstel · 08-25-2009, 01:03 PM

Chris,

What year is your coach? What kind of problem are you having? Why were you thinking of a 3000 instead of the 2000. It is probably easier? to stick with the Xantrex due to the control panel and AGS (if you have it). Xantrex's service does suck. Maybe someone else has changed to another brand and can comment.

gjstacy · 08-25-2009, 02:26 PM

Chris,

I'm going to send you a PM with a name and phone number to try. This individual always represented Xantrex at our rally gearhead sessions and was very helpful for our problems in our '04.

Gail

sdcyclist · 08-25-2009, 04:20 PM

Chris,
I had some problems with my RS2000--caused cycling of the genset and intermittant dropout of AC power. It could be resolved by pushing the red re-set button on the Xantrex but would eventually happen again. I live in San Diego and had the local Xantrex rep come out to "re-program" the RS2000. It lasted about a month before the same problem occurred. I got fed up and replaced it with the RS3000 (has a higher capacity charger). No problems since.

sdcyclist
2006 36FDDS

Chuck & Marca · 08-29-2009, 10:52 PM

Not sure why Xantrex Technical Support would tell someone that Elkhart, IN facility would not talk to them. This certainly was not our experience.

After 15 months of owning coach and three Xantrex repair facilities unable to diagnose and fix problem with RS2000, I contacted the Elkhart office for an appointment. Armed with information we had gathered, they checked the inverter and found that it was indeed malfunctioning. We found them to be very courteous and helpful. Problem fixed!

By the way, during those 15 months, numerous calls were made to the Xantrex Technical Support "helpless" Desk.

wa8yxm · 08-30-2009, 09:58 AM

Well, first, I can understand why Xantrex would not let you stop in Elkhart (Indiana) to have it serviced, the Elkhart office is a store and it sounds like you need the factory.

When I had an issue with my Xantrex Prosine.. Customer service was dang near the greatest I've ever encountered.. Only Workhorse has topped it.. and with Workhorse it was a special case (actually 2 special cases) so they do not really count. I'd give Xantrex customer support "Five Stars" as AAA says of hotels and such.

Old Scout · 08-31-2009, 08:17 PM

Ref my earlier entry, our RS2000 has always been a bit of an enigma to me--it seems to work OK but sometimes things dont act quite right. During a recent session with Xantrex "customer service," I learned a couple of new things from the service tech. Take then for what they are worth:
1) there is a "reset factory defaults" selection buried in the menu--think its in the "converter/AC config config menu. This option is a total "reboot" and appears to provide a more comprehensive cleansing than the "red reset buttom;" and
2) he suggested that the RS2000 seems to prefer the default setting of 440AHrs over the other options on the menu. Dont think leaving it on 440 hurts anything except that your bats may charge more slowly--tech didnt think it made much difference in charge times.

EngineerMike · 08-31-2009, 09:31 PM

Scout- the 440 takes my 6 house plus 2 chassis batteries down to a max of around 18A charge rate. Don't know why. If they are half way down, they never reach float stage. I find I need a setting around 680 or 690 to break into a high enough charge rate to get the job done. By rights I should set it at ~800, but that yields a charge rate that would cook the batteries (way over 150A).

I recommend tweaking the AH setting 20A at a tweak till you get a charge rate that works.

Old Scout · 09-01-2009, 09:37 AM

EM--most interesting--the enigma continues. As the service tech indicated, I really dont see any difference with our RS2000 set at 440AHrs. When I connect to shore power, the charger immediately goes to 120 or so amps and declines as the bat go thru the 3 charge stages. Over time, our RS2000 had slowly got to the point where it wouldnt charge more than 20-25 DC amps but the factory default reset menu option solved for that.
On the surface, you would think the AHRs setting would "bend the curve" on temp and amp flow to ensure smaller bat banks wouldnt over heat. Not sure why even two bats couldnt take 120 amps at the beginning of the [bulk] charge cycle. Also curious about 150 amps plus charge output from an RS2000--do you have an RS3000?....
Some days I wonder why I swapped out the old Heart inverter in our 2003 and went with the RS2000. The Heart was getting a bit smelly during the charge cycle and I wanted a true sine wave but atleast I understood what it was doing. The good news is that I kept the old Onan Auto-genstart which still works just fine.

dgerstel · 09-01-2009, 02:17 PM

Max charge rate on the RS2000 is 120 amps, on the RS3000 is 150 amps. If you look in the owners manual, under battery charging reference, you will find the charge algorithm section. At the end of that section you will find that the charging current is a set percent of the battery bank Ah that you set in the control. My manual (RS3000) shows, for bulk charge, 20% for flooded cell batteries. If default setting is 440 Ah, then 20% would be 88 amps.

Mike,
The manual states:
"Battery Charger Interruption
If battery charging is interrupted in bulk charge (for example, AC is
disconnected, or a fault occurs), the unit will return to bulk charge when
battery charging resumes.
If battery charging is interrupted in any stage other than bulk, the unit will
go to float charge when battery charging resumes.
However, if any of two conditions occur, a new bulk charge cycle is
initiated when battery charging begins:
• the battery drops below 12.5 VDC for 15 minutes (VF2). The 15
minute countdown is independent of mode: inverting, bulk charging,
float charging, for example.
• 21 days have passed from the time the charger completed Absorption
(∆TF)."

As you will note, if your system doesn't meet these requirements it will start in float and you will not get the full amps available. I talked to Xantrex about this about a year and a half ago and was told that they were updating the software to address this issue. I have not been able to find out if they have done this or not. You also may just need a software update

Chris,

If you have any success getting a hold of the person who Gail gave you, please let me know, I have had no success.

Dale777 · 09-01-2009, 10:11 PM

If anyone needs any Xantrex manual, check this link for a comprehensive list that can be downloaded:
Xantrex Technology Inc. - Document Library

takepride · 09-01-2009, 10:49 PM

eMike:

What batteries do you have? I'd think you'd have about 660 AH (maybe a bit more with flooded) with six 6-volt batteries. The calculation for the Xantrex setting is, of course, just for the six house batteries.

Old Scout · 09-02-2009, 07:44 AM

Fortunately, I got all the ops manuals when I bought/installed the RS2000--problem is, the inverter doesnt always seem to operate the way the manual describes--go figure?