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Old 06-15-2016, 09:50 AM   #1
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New Outback inverter issue?

Long story question at the bottom...

I just picked up a 2017 Keystone Outback travel trailer. literately have had it 2 days. I have had the TT setup in my driveway since I got home as we go through things and load it up for camping starting next week. This morning when I went out I noticed the interior (led) lights weren't working as were some of the other electrical components like the AC, awning etc. However other things like the TV and microwave were.

I checked the A/C connections and fuses/breakers (currently plugged into a 20Amp circuit), all seemed good. Checked the battery and it was very low only about 9 volts....

Put my car charger on it and everything came back up....charged the battery for a while got it up to 80%. I started to load the battery and sure enough the volts dropped below 12 and my electrical issues started again.

I called the dealer....spoke to the service manager and he basically said it could be a bad battery and or running on the 20 AMP circuit. I had my old TT plugged in for months on the same circuit and never had this issue so I doubt it was the 20AMP circuit.

I started to really suspect the inverter...for one thing I never heard the fan kick on when you put 12 volt load as all my TT inverters did before. I told the service manager this and he said it will only kick on when its hot....I call BS on that....

Okay so not being one to let things lie I began to look at the wiring schematic for the inverter. Seeing where the battery is connected I checked the connections...low and behold one was a bit loose. I plugged the shore power back in and guess what. The fan on the inverter kicked in and the batter now read 13.5 volts across the terminals. So all seems well now...

So after all that explanation....WHY when the battery dropped below 12 volts some of the A/C powered devices like the AC stopped working???? My guess is the thermostat controls runs off the 12 volt system.

Thoughts? anything else I should check?? thanks for listening.
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Old 06-15-2016, 10:46 AM   #2
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Fridge , furnace and A/C need good 12 volt power to operate.

High resistance of the poor connection , fooled the charger into thinking the battery was fully charged.
The charge function reads ; resistance to charge; to monitor battery state of charge. High resistance= fully charged.
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Old 06-15-2016, 10:55 AM   #3
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Fridge , furnace and A/C need good 12 volt power to operate.

High resistance of the poor connection , fooled the charger into thinking the battery was fully charged.
The charge function reads ; resistance to charge; to monitor battery state of charge. High resistance= fully charged.

Thank you, that makes sense and explains a lot.
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Old 06-16-2016, 03:59 PM   #4
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Well it looks like my issue continues. It seems the inverter has stopped charging the battery again. I went to check it this afternoon and the volts had dropped again. Battery was showing 3/4 full on the gauge in the coach. Meter at the battery read 12volts, once a load was applied it dropped to about 11.5. The fan on the inverter never came on. When the inverter was charging it read 13.3 volts which is what it should for charging. Clearly its not charging the battery or providing 12v power. Everything seems to run off the battery until its dead. I can charge the battery using a charger so I don't think its the battery. Any advice is appreciated.

Looks like I will have to take it in to the dealer 1.5 hours away....
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Old 06-16-2016, 04:27 PM   #5
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Sweet talk your dealer into letting you just ship the converter to them to have it warrantied out.
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Old 06-16-2016, 04:51 PM   #6
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Sweet talk your dealer into letting you just ship the converter to them to have it warrantied out.
I suppose I can try but I have a feeling that may be futile. The good news is I can replace the whole converter myself for $150 which may be the way to go since I will burn almost that much in fuel!
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Old 06-16-2016, 05:04 PM   #7
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You might contact the manufacturer of the converter itself. You might be able to just work with them directly.
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Old 06-16-2016, 05:26 PM   #8
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You might contact the manufacturer of the converter itself. You might be able to just work with them directly.
Yes I plan to do that in the morning..

I am convinced the issue is the inverter itself. I tested the lead going to the circuit board read 120V, tested the DC output side and I get zero. With the battery sitting at 11.5V the inverter should kick on. Heck it should kick on as soon as a load is put on it.
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