Community Forums

chuckwoo · 11-19-2021, 11:56 AM

When plugged into shore power the charger won't turn on and charge batteries. None of the lights on the front are on, I tested the terminals on the front they have 11.2v and both the AC out 1 and AC out 2 breakers are good. the 25a push fuse seems good too. Any tips are appreciated.

AZ-Safari · 11-19-2021, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckwoo

When plugged into shore power the charger won't turn on and charge batteries. None of the lights on the front are on, I tested the terminals on the front they have 11.2v and both the AC out 1 and AC out 2 breakers are good. the 25a push fuse seems good too. Any tips are appreciated.

Not sure I have the answer as my problem was different in that the inverter was not getting enough voltage from the batteries.
Are the batteries good? Can you load test them? (bad batteries often will not take a charge)
There is a 200 (or 250 amp) amp fuse that is between the positive battery cable and the inverter. Mine was behind a plastic panel in the same compartment as the inverter. You should have the same voltage on both sides of the fuse and the cable to the inverter.
Test voltage at the batteries and at the inverter - are they the same? Test both plugged in and unplugged. If there is a difference it could be bad cables, which was my problem.

A mobile tech diagnosed my inverter as bad, but a new one had the same issue, so I am positive my extra Freedom 458 is good. If all the above suggestions don't work, I have a Freedom 458, I would like to sell.

Lowell

andy29847 · 11-19-2021, 03:52 PM

If the batteries get too low, then the inverter will not charge them. I'd check the water levels and then charge the batteries with a car style battery charger. It may be that when the batteries get charged back up, they will be OK for a while longer. I bought an Everstart Maxx 50 Amp Automotive Battery Charger last summer at Walmart to keep in my coach. My house and chassis batteries are all more than 5 years old and I expect the load I was putting them under while traveling, and especially when setting up the jacks and slides, was causing the voltage to drop too far for the inverter to bring them back to full charge.

In my coach, the batteries are the sole source of DC power. The Freedom 458 inverter/charger charges my batteries, but does not power any DC equipment. Most of the systems in the coach need 12v DC from the batteries for control regardless of whether or not you have AC power, so low batteries is a show stopper. I made this illustration of how power works in my coach. Your coach may not be the same, but it shoul dbe close.

Argosy · 11-20-2021, 03:49 AM

Have you used the outlet with the RV and Freedom 458 successfully before? Reverse polarity will prevent it from working.

chuckwoo · 11-20-2021, 11:20 AM

good call on the fuse, swapped it out and charged them on a trickle over night and everything works great again, thank you guys.

Persistent · 11-20-2021, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckwoo

When plugged into shore power the charger won't turn on and charge batteries. None of the lights on the front are on, I tested the terminals on the front they have 11.2v and both the AC out 1 and AC out 2 breakers are good. the 25a push fuse seems good too. Any tips are appreciated.

Lots of good advice posted above.

11.2 volts DC is probably too low. The inverter has a low voltage cutoff. It will refuse to invert and may refuse to charge.

You can use any means available to boost the voltage.

1) The inverter charger may charge for a brief moment when it is first turned "on". Restarting it multiple times may boost the battery enough to start charging.

2) You did not post your RV make and model. If it is a motor home, you may be able to charge from the engine for awhile. Or, jump charge it from your tow vehicle for a while.

3) Any other kind of battery charger could be run long enough to trigger the inverter charger to start charging.