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Old 10-31-2012, 03:20 PM   #1
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Question ACE Smart Converter/Charger?

Does anyone know what kind of Converter/Charger is in my 2013 ACE 29.2? Is it a Smart Converter that allows you to keep it plugged in for long periods of time with out damaging the battery? I've looked in the manual and also took the power panel off to look at the converter but I still can't tell what kind it is.
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Old 10-31-2012, 04:57 PM   #2
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I'd like to know too.

I plugged in my '13 29.2 for 10 days or so after I got it and when I checked the battery it was down--had to add almost 2 cups of water! My fault--I WAS warned by the tech at delivery that the charger would boil the battery away if left on for too long. However, since then I've had it plugged in for a week or more a couple of times and the water level is fine. Not having checked the battery myself at delivery makes me wonder if the battery was not topped off when I got it.
That's not my only electrical problem. My battery goes nearly dead after less than a week with the master switch off when it's not plugged in. So either the battery is bad or I have a large parasitic drain even with the battery on 'disconnect'. I have the battery (physically) disconnected at present.
BTW, when I dropped the extension cord into a puddle of water at the ext cord-shore cable joint when it was plugged in & it tripped my garage GFI. After resetting the GFI, my battery wouldn't charge. I called Thor and was told to reset the system with a button in a circuit box inside the engine compartment. That fixed it so it must be a kind of GFI for the charger.
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Old 11-04-2012, 06:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H3OHIO View Post
Does anyone know what kind of Converter/Charger is in my 2013 ACE 29.2? Is it a Smart Converter that allows you to keep it plugged in for long periods of time with out damaging the battery? I've looked in the manual and also took the power panel off to look at the converter but I still can't tell what kind it is.
We've been plugged in to shore power for up to 6 weeks at a time. I've never had an overcharging problem. I installed amp meters on both input lines (I converted the coach to 50 amp) and on Line 1, which feeds the original 30 amp side, I see sometimes 4.3 amp draw and sometimes 0.5 amps, with nothing else drawing 120v power. I'm concluding that this is the Converter cutting in and out to charge the batteries only when required.
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Old 11-09-2012, 10:16 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Joe View Post
I plugged in my '13 29.2 for 10 days or so after I got it and when I checked the battery it was down--had to add almost 2 cups of water! My fault--I WAS warned by the tech at delivery that the charger would boil the battery away if left on for too long. However, since then I've had it plugged in for a week or more a couple of times and the water level is fine. Not having checked the battery myself at delivery makes me wonder if the battery was not topped off when I got it.
That's not my only electrical problem. My battery goes nearly dead after less than a week with the master switch off when it's not plugged in. So either the battery is bad or I have a large parasitic drain even with the battery on 'disconnect'. I have the battery (physically) disconnected at present.
BTW, when I dropped the extension cord into a puddle of water at the ext cord-shore cable joint when it was plugged in & it tripped my garage GFI. After resetting the GFI, my battery wouldn't charge. I called Thor and was told to reset the system with a button in a circuit box inside the engine compartment. That fixed it so it must be a kind of GFI for the charger.
Safe to bet your battery wasn't topped off from the manufacturer / factory. I have recieved many batteries for my golf carts that are way low upon delivery. I would have never thought to check that until I noticed a couple low on one of my deliveries from Interstate Battery. Now I always check them. if your battery was that low and you charged it for days, it's very possible it damaged the battery.
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Old 12-27-2012, 08:06 PM   #5
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Does anyone know the brand or model of converter on these ace's? Also does it charge the chassis battery as well? Thanks..
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Old 12-30-2012, 03:39 PM   #6
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Does anyone know the brand or model of converter on these ace's? Also does it charge the chassis battery as well? Thanks..
I asked this exact same question on another thread about what brand of converter comes with the A.C.E. Apparently, no one knows...at least no one has answered.

I doubt very much that it would charge the chassis battery...only the house battery(ies). And I doubt it's a charger. The A.C.E. is an entry level motorhome, so I'd be willing to bet that the converter is your basic run-of-the-mill converter.

If we go ahead with a purchase of this motorhome, we'd either replace the converter with a 3-stage charger/converter or an inverter/charger. The purpose of which is to quickly charge the batteries from the generator.
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Old 12-30-2012, 05:20 PM   #7
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Does anyone know the brand or model of converter on these ace's? Also does it charge the chassis battery as well? Thanks..
The chassis battery is definitely charged by the converter. I have been parked for 2 1/2 months now, using the dash radio and 12v outlets and the engine still fires up first turn of the key. Also no boiling problems with house or chassis batteries. It's definitely a smart charger.
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Old 12-31-2012, 09:05 AM   #8
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Can't tell if anyone actually answered this guys question .. the converter is a .. Converter model# WFCO model WF8955PEC w/ 5100 auto transfer switch/relay…. located under bed.


It is supposed to be a multi stage charger .. that means it detects the "need" and adjusts the charge accordingly.


If .. your batteries have the fluid to the correct level and the charger "boils" them down .. it's ( converter ) not working correctly.


But .. this is a VERY common problem with all combo converter / chargers so you should use your disconnect switches when storing the RV.


I'm going to try and attach a copy of the manual for the converter...
darn .. won't let me .. says file too big ( 4.8 M .. pdf ) .. oh well .. try google.


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Old 12-31-2012, 09:58 PM   #9
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Thank you for the info on the converter. I was debating leaving it plugged in for storage or using disconnects. It seems the jury is still split on the issue, I think perhaps i will just plug it in occasionally to keep the batteries up. Thanks again all. Happy new year!!
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Old 01-15-2013, 03:04 PM   #10
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29.2 converter manual can be found at:
http://americanrvcompany.com/assets/images/wf8900.pdf

I need some advise. Since the specs show the converter is a 3-stage and I found my battery 2 qts down after only 10 days of shore power, it must have been low at delivery. I've now diluted the acid considerably by topping it off. In retrospect, should I have added acid instead of water and did i compromise its future effectiveness?
Thanks, Harry
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Old 01-16-2013, 03:15 PM   #11
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The chassis battery is definitely charged by the converter. I have been parked for 2 1/2 months now, using the dash radio and 12v outlets and the engine still fires up first turn of the key. Also no boiling problems with house or chassis batteries. It's definitely a smart charger.
I finally got around to looking at my converter and I have the WF-8955PEC and it is a 3 stage charger. I also confirmed that mine also charges the chassis battery while plugged into shore power. It only took me 4 months to find time to check all that out. We're looking forward to our first trip for this year, we're heading to the Cherry Blossom Festival In Washington DC over Easter weekend
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Old 01-16-2013, 03:24 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Harry Joe View Post
29.2 converter manual can be found at:
http://americanrvcompany.com/assets/images/wf8900.pdf

I need some advise. Since the specs show the converter is a 3-stage and I found my battery 2 qts down after only 10 days of shore power, it must have been low at delivery. I've now diluted the acid considerably by topping it off. In retrospect, should I have added acid instead of water and did i compromise its future effectiveness?
Thanks, Harry

Only the water boils off, not the acid. Never add acid as it will increase the acidity and cause problems.
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Old 01-22-2013, 09:16 AM   #13
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Thanks for the link to the manual, but that now leads to another question. The manual indicates there's an automatic transfer switch, but doesn't detail how it operates. Does the presence of a transfer switch indicate that it's safe to leave the bus hooked up to shore power when exercising the genset?
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Old 01-22-2013, 05:00 PM   #14
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I cannot leave shore power hooked up and run the generator in my '12 ACE 29.2. It blows the shore power circuit breaker everytime the DW tries it when she wants the air conditioner to run in the summer (the A/C won't run on a 20A shore power circuit). I think the phases may not align properly running the generator while plugged to shore power.
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