Community Forums

Exfireguy · 03-01-2012, 05:22 PM

I have read the manual and am not completely clear about how this thing wants to be configured. I know that when not hooked up to power I can use the inverter option to run things in the coach. (Within the limits of the unit) But when I am hooked up to power, especially for extended times, what should my switch settings be? Charger on? Inverter on? Both? This became an issue lately when my Norcold frige started acting up. The tech said that I have excessive D.C. ripple on the 12 V and this causes the control circuit in the Norcold to shut down. 100 mv ripple was measured. Is this actually enough to cause problems?

powerboatr · 03-01-2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exfireguy

I have read the manual and am not completely clear about how this thing wants to be configured. I know that when not hooked up to power I can use the inverter option to run things in the coach. (Within the limits of the unit) But when I am hooked up to power, especially for extended times, what should my switch settings be? Charger on? Inverter on? Both? This became an issue lately when my Norcold frige started acting up. The tech said that I have excessive D.C. ripple on the 12 V and this causes the control circuit in the Norcold to shut down. 100 mv ripple was measured. Is this actually enough to cause problems?

i leave my magnum set as the following
charger ON
inverter ON

ripple in dc is usually caused by.......low water in your batteries, which causes the charger to try to CHARGE alot.
loose battery connections or corrosion on the wires and posts
loose connections at the fridge 12 side on the plug in connector
loose grounds on the 12 volt appliances, even a light-bulb loose in a socket will cause ripples, as will the water pump if its cycling on off on off

loose 12 volt plugs and connectors can give you fits, I would check as many as i could find.
i am pretty impressed with my magnum setup.
make sure the setup have the correct batteries, and loads, as well

**RV Wizard** · 03-02-2012, 02:28 AM

Although I do not have the Magnum inverter, I left mine on (charger and inverter) 24/7 for years when we were full time living in the coach. Another source of bad DC voltage is florescent light ballasts. They are notorious for sending dirty DC ripples up and down the DC circuits. Try turning these kind of lights off and re-try refrigerator operation. Let us know what you find.

Exfireguy · 03-02-2012, 08:26 AM

I do keep the battery terminals clean and the water level up. I work on golf carts in the summer and have seen what bad connections will do. But I will now start digging through the DC circuitry. For another clue, this coach has had a 60 cycle hum in the radio since I've owned it. It's a 2007 Monaco. The selling dealer and another service dealer couldn't fix it. Maybe I should have started at iRV2 from the beginning!

Perry White · 03-02-2012, 08:37 AM

I leave my inverter on if it's just overnighting. I hate reseting the clock on the Microwave.

There is no load on the inverter because the transfer switch in the inverter is disconnected when on shore power, but the charger is working.

Dave78Chief · 03-02-2012, 09:34 AM

If this truly is 60Hz ripple, then this can also be a 110VAC wire running next to a 12VDC wire transferring energy to the 12VDC wire like a transformer. Could be a wire that was installed by the coach mfg or a poorly designed device that uses both AC and DC voltage (fridge, EMS board in AC distribution panel, AC unit, etc.). Remove all DC panel fuses then see if it is still there. If so, then it's on supply side of DC distribution panel. If not, then re-install fuses one at a time to determine which DC circuit it is on.

Dave

Exfireguy · 03-02-2012, 05:17 PM

Wow! I wasn't kidding when I said that I should have gone to iRV2 first. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that most dealers (or techs) have. And my noise problem in the radio is really 60 cycle hum. I verified this with an o-scope before I left on this winter trip. Never had a chance to investigate anything but now I am in the hunt. Thanks guys. I think that the way to cure stuff like this is to run seperate circuits directly to avoid cross-talk between the different circuits. Hey, 10 GA wire is cheap compared to to on-site service charges.

JimM68 · 03-02-2012, 06:47 PM

100mv of ripple is BS. And it's not causing your problem. This isn't the '70's when a power supply a tenth out of spec made everything go to he!!. Modern electronics can take a lot of crap, including a few tenths of a volt of ripple, and a 12 volt supply that could be anywhere from 10 to 18 volts....

Our magnum inverter is always on, both charger and inverter. I't just quietly does it's thing.

TheArnolds · 08-01-2012, 07:00 PM

I hear people say to keep the inverter/charger on all the time and it will do its thing regardless if you are plugged into shore power or not or the genset is running or not but what about driving down the road for hours what keeps the house batteries charged? When I turn on the inverter it automatically power all of my electronics including my residential frig which will drain the batteries unless they are being charged by the engine as I drive? What about when I park it in the storage lot for a few days between trips, do I leave the inverter/charger on? Would I not return to dead house batteries?