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72chevy4x4 · 03-06-2022, 08:08 PM

I have an 2005 Discovery 39L and trying to find out what's wrong with the electrical system. I have no 120vac and no 12vdc in the coach except for the fridge and some receptacles at the front of the coach.

I traced it down to the Xantrex Freedom 458 inverter/charger. The panel on the inverter showed it was charging the batteries (solid green) but did not have 12vdc at the battery terminal (of the inverter). After removing the cover on the inverter I found smoke/melting damage inside on a circuit board.

trying to figure out why this happened. Inside the EMS (Intellitec model 900) I found the 30A output going out of the breaker to the switching relay was bypassed-which would constantly send 30A to the inverter.

Any clue what could have caused the charging portion of the inverter to crap out?

how does the inverter decide when it draws from the batteries to create 120vac or when it charges the batteries w/ 12vdc?

72chevy4x4 · 03-06-2022, 08:14 PM

forgot to mention the coach is new to me-just purchased in Nov 2021.

the inverter was installed in Aug 2021 by the PO and has a manufacture production code of Mar 2021.

dcfleetwood · 03-08-2022, 11:15 AM

From what I understand, you have both a charger and inverter in one. While in invert mode it takes 12v and converts it to 120V and while plugged in it takes the 120V in and charges the batteries at different rates which is set at the remote panel if you have one. Hopefully you have a owners manual to read, if not it's available on line and describes in full how the inverter/charger works. You may have to verify how the PO installed and if it's wired correctly. Hope this gives you something to help get this fixed. Also calling Xantrex could be helpful.

islandbob · 03-11-2022, 09:45 PM

I have a 2003 disco with the same inverter. The first thing you should do is disconnect the remote on/off switch plug from the unit and never use it again. You do not need it. Transient voltage from some where in our travels has fried the inverter control circuit twice but not since the remote switch has been disconnected.
Your inverter gets its a.c. from a breaker in you main a.c. panel. Some circuits the fridge for theice maker and some around the kitchen and maybe the bathroom. The two breakers on the inverter control those. The rest are controlled by the other breakers on the main panel.
I recommend you unplug from shore power and open up your power panel and tighten all connections. A wonky neutral can cause a lot of issues.
If you do not use a good surge protector such as TRS or progressive GET ONE they can save you thousands,!
The Zantrex is not fancy but is durable and does the job. I have had 10 years trouble free since unplugging the remote switch circuit.
Good luck