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ricktig · 08-23-2019, 08:12 PM

My Xantrex ProWatt inverter is showing an overload condition when I turned it on today. It's been off for three months and I've been connected to shore power during that time. I only have a couple items on outlets that connect to the inverter, the largest being a 750W space heater followed by a 120W laptop power supply. This 2000W inverter should handle both even if shore power was off. I did disconnect the batteries and shore power to clean battery posts during this time and am wondering if the inverter sensed an input overload causing the error code? I'm working with Xantrex to get instructions on how to reset the unit but am hesitant to do so until I can understand the cause of the issue.

gpounder · 08-23-2019, 08:54 PM

I would start by either unplugging everything or turning off the breakers. Please know when you plug into shore power the battery charger in the inverter will turn on and charge your batteries. Lets just assume a 100 amp @13.5 vdc charge hits the batteries so that is 1350 watts. Add your other stuff and you exceed 2000 watts. If your system is adjustable then try setting max battery charge to say 50 amps and see what happens.

A side note, even a charged battery set may accept a 100 AMP charge but not for long as the voltage will rise quickly.

twinboat · 08-24-2019, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpounder

I would start by either unplugging everything or turning off the breakers. Please know when you plug into shore power the battery charger in the inverter will turn on and charge your batteries. Lets just assume a 100 amp @13.5 vdc charge hits the batteries so that is 1350 watts. Add your other stuff and you exceed 2000 watts. If your system is adjustable then try setting max battery charge to say 50 amps and see what happens.

A side note, even a charged battery set may accept a 100 AMP charge but not for long as the voltage will rise quickly.

The ProWatt is a stand alone inverter, no charger.

twinboat · 08-24-2019, 05:37 AM

The ProWatt doesn't have any reset switchs.

You turn it off and back on with the pushbutton on the front.

Make sure the house batteries are charged up, unplug the heater for now and turn it on. The display should indicate watts being drawn and battery voltage.

**Spdracr39** · 08-24-2019, 05:40 AM

[QUOTE=ricktig;4924239 This 2000W inverter should handle both even if shore power was off. I did disconnect the batteries and shore power to clean battery posts during this time and am wondering if the inverter sensed an input overload causing the error code? [/QUOTE]

The inverter is normally wired to only work when the rv is NOT on shore power. If you are getting an overload condition when plugged in it's possible it is related to pass through power which would be 30 amps. Yes, connecting and disconnecting batteries with electronic devices turned on can cause errors. Xantrex CS has been helpful when I called them in the past and I'm sure they can figure it out.

gatorcq · 08-24-2019, 06:16 AM

remove the space heater, that is your problem. You do not have enough battery to run it. then report back

bigchick · 08-24-2019, 03:05 PM

the xantrex prowatt inverter does not have an internal transfer switch. we do not know if you have an eternal transfer switch connected to the inverter or not. if the devices are plugged into the xantrex directly (ie into the gfci on the inverter face). they can only receive power from the inverter. many times the inverter is cabled directly to the batteries. there is probably a resetable circuit breaker in these cables. either remove the cable from the battery of or flip that circuit breaker. this should remove all power from the xantrex. incoming ac power does not go into the inverter. it is only present as output power produced by the inverter.

FatChance · 08-24-2019, 06:19 PM

You will probably have the same problem trying to run your air conditioner(s) with the inverter.

gpounder · 08-24-2019, 07:19 PM

It appears that this once worked. I like to look at what happened between the time it worked and did not. You said something about disconnecting batteries, It is not likely that did anything to the unit.

So go back to basics. Disconnect the 120VAC output to the coach and power it up. Put a basic load on it like a work light and then a heavier load like a portable heater. Plug these loads into the socket on the inverter. Make sure the battery cables are good measuring the voltage at the inverter under load. If this all works then the inverter is good.

This looks to be add on unit so I do not know how the coach is wired. Typically there is a transfer switch the toggles the generator and shore power and then another one built into the inverter when there is a presence of 120vac power. So without this second transfer switch how do you get power to some sockets?

When I installed a inverter I added a couple sockets dedicated to the inverter.

You have to dope out that circuit to find your problem.

bigchick · 08-25-2019, 04:55 AM

were you able to make any progress? we also have a xantrex prowatt 2000 but it is dedicated to the residential refrigerator. try to remove all loads from the inverter and turn it on. does it come on ok without the error indicator? then plug something small directly into the gfci on the inverter face. does it work? does the inverter display show input volts and output watts properly? then try just one of the devices you are trying to power. if ok add the other. if there is a problem try reversing the order. each time take note of the output watts the inverter is delivering (shown on the display panel). by starting with nothing plugged in and incrementally adding the load you should be able to identify what load is causing the problem. just to note again, this inverter does not have any input ac connections nor an internal transfer switch. plug directly into the gfci receptacle so you are only seeing the reaction of the inverter.

ricktig · 08-25-2019, 06:52 PM

I turned off all breakers and the inverter stopped displaying the error. I turned on each breaker one by one and checked the wall display each time. No errors occurred. I forgot that I had the dual fuel refrigerator cooling unit replaced two weeks ago and wonder if the repairman shorted out that circuit causing the overload. No breakers were in the tripped though. My house batteries are offgassing so I'm wondering if they're failing thus causing the input voltage to fall below what the inverter expects.

bigchick · 08-26-2019, 08:30 AM

i'm still a bit confused. that inverter only has a single 120 vac gfci receptacle on its face that is used to supply output power. it is not connected to any of your power panel circuit breakers (assuming no mods were done). so the overload condition would be limited to the inverter only and would not affect any of your power panel circuit breakers. it is possible to install the inverter so a device could receive 120 vac power either from the power panel or the inverter but to do so it would also be necessary to install a small external transfer switch that switches the powered device between the power panel and the inverter. xantrex makes these and do others. you have not said you have such a transfer switch plugged into the inverter so i have been assuming that you are plugging your devices (heater, laptop) directly into the receptacle on the inverter face. also, if your batteries were to get low on power the inverter should show a low power condition and status on the display. but it sounds like things are now working so let's hope it stays that way. but that inverter should power your devices just fine! as mentioned we have the same inverter and it has worked just fine for us.

Ray,IN · 08-26-2019, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpounder

I would start by either unplugging everything or turning off the breakers. Please know when you plug into shore power the battery charger in the inverter will turn on and charge your batteries. Lets just assume a 100 amp @13.5 vdc charge hits the batteries so that is 1350 watts. Add your other stuff and you exceed 2000 watts. If your system is adjustable then try setting max battery charge to say 50 amps and see what happens.

A side note, even a charged battery set may accept a 100 AMP charge but not for long as the voltage will rise quickly.

I have a Xantrex RS 2000, it will automatically reduce battery charging level to prevent that issue and stay within its capacity.