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Originally Posted by rainman
Had problem w/boiling batteries, failing to switch to shore power, and overall power uncertainty. Took to Lazy Days... tech says inverter and control panel needs replacement... with labor $2300. Does anyone have similar replacement and did you stick with Dimensions or go substitute? Need input to help make decision. 2004 Winnebago Vectra
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rainman,
While you don't say what length your Vectra is, we have the basic sister ship to your coach. Ours is an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT. It too had the Dimensions "Quasi-wave" 2000 watt Inverter/Charger. Now, one of the first things you need to understand is, just how that Dimensions unit actually works. It, like many Inverter/Chargers, has a staged battery charging system.
That is, when your house batteries are very low in voltage, and you plug your coach into shore power, that Dimensions unit goes into action. It sees what's needed to really get those batteries on the way back up to full voltage. The first stage of charging is the "Bulk" charge. In that stage, it's putting out about maximum voltage and amperage that the batteries will take. Once those batteries have risen to a level that is acceptable to the paramerts of Bulk charging, the charger goes to the next lower level and, that is the "Absorbtion" charge.
That is a mid-level charge and charge rate. It will continue to bring them up to a level that will be basically be what's considered to be topped off. Once that level is achieved, the charger enters what's called the "Float" charge rate. In that stage, it's simply maintaining your batteries because, they no longer need any other form of charging.
Now, one thing more. The Dimensions unit also has what's called an "Equalizing" stage. If you don't know what equalizing a battery is, it's simple. A battery, automotive type, wet cell, will eventually develop sulfation on the plates of the cells. That is simply deposits created by normal cycling of battery charging and discharging.
Well, equalizing, as far as I understand it, is basically a high voltage rate and amperage rate that cooks off the sulffation off the plates and, makes all the cells equal in charging and discharging. Experts on this stuff should chime in here if my description is off.
But, that Dimensions unit WILL go into that equalization faze, when every "5th" cycle of all the cycling of rates of charges have been completed. That is, when it charges at all charge rates, Bulk, Absorbtion and float, for five times, that sixth time, the Charger side of that Dimensions unit AUTOMATICALLY goes into that equalization mode. It will remain in that mode for a given amount of time. I forgot what that time frame is. It's in the description of the operation of the Dimensions Inverter/Charger 2000W.
But, and here's where things can get messy. If, at any time, one of your house batteries develops a bad cell or, a shorted one, that Charger doesn't know how to handle that. What it will do is, go into a charge rate that it thinks it needs to bring "them" (all the batteries) back up when in fact, all the charging will be actually directed to that faulty cell. When that happens, the temperature skyrockets in that battery.
Since the cell is shorted, it doesn't have the ability to charge to an accepted level so, the charger just continues to charge, indefinitely. Not good.
Now, there's other things that happen to those Dimensions units. The charger side of that inverter/charger can simply QUIT. When that happens, there are two remedies. One, thow it out and get a new Inverter/Charger of your choice. Two, it can be rebuilt with new and more modern logic systems that will handle more situations than the original programming can. The last time I checked, it was about $550 to send the unit back, get it rebuilt and sent back.
In reality, that's not a bad price since the cost of a new, say, Magnum unit of equal performance, hovers around $1,000 to $1,100 or so.
So, you need to explain more of what's going on with yours for us to give more applicable answers. Good luck.
Scott
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