Community Forums

rlwhite · 03-22-2023, 02:00 PM

I wanted to pass on some information, just in case anyone is not aware, on an issue I had with my Inverter. The coach was in storage plugged into a 120v GFCI outlet, which had tripped twice over the lat couple of months. This caused the batteries to drain so had to jump the coach to get it started again, then a couple of hours getting the batteries charged back up.

The inverter would not power on from the panel so I went below and tried the reset button to get it to power on. What happened then was i saw a spark then the inverter burst into fire. Talk about an adrenaline rush trying to crawl out from inside the bay, rush back to the front of the coach to grab the fire extinguisher, then crawl back underneath with smoke pouring out. Fortunately, I managed to get the fire out.

All this could have been avoided if I had know or read the instructions about disconnecting shore power:

Troubleshooting

Under some fault conditions (e.g., an internal fault), the inverter will need to be reset. Ensure all AC power (utility, generator, shorepower) is removed from the inverter’s input before resetting.
CAUTION:If AC is connected while performing an inverter reset, damage may occur

I hope no one else has to experience this as I thought I was about to lose the whole coach. Also, trying to find an inverter in today's market is very challenging.

brobox · 03-22-2023, 02:30 PM

Thanks for passing that on. That was and expensive mistake. Something I was not aware of either was disconnecting AC.

Nemisus · 03-22-2023, 02:34 PM

Dang, glad you're okay and the things didn't get out of hand.

Curious, what brand and model of Inverter is this?

If you're looking for a working inverter that isn't insanely over priced and will get there fast (still expensive) the Go Power on Amazon got me working again. I replaced an MS-2000 by Magnum Energy. I would have preferred another Magnum but so far the GP has worked quite well.

Good luck

Cheers

Nem

rlwhite · 03-22-2023, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemisus

Dang, glad you're okay and the things didn't get out of hand.

Curious, what brand and model of Inverter is this?

If you're looking for a working inverter that isn't insanely over priced and will get there fast (still expensive) the Go Power on Amazon got me working again. I replaced an MS-2000 by Magnum Energy. I would have preferred another Magnum but so far the GP has worked quite well.

Good luck

Cheers

Nem

This was a Magnum MS2812 Inverter. Since no one has any in stock, I have found a Magnum MSH3012RV-L, which has the dual in/dual out A/C that should work.

RVFunlovers · 03-22-2023, 07:57 PM

Wow, Thanks for sharing.

I had to reset the inverters on my 2017 B a couple of times. Not for dead batteries but for us overdriving the inverters with two many big power items on a that same time. Space heater, toaster oven, coffee pot, blow dryer, etc…

Crawling into the basement taught me to be far more careful with managing my power load on the inverters.

I never killed the shore power.

Good thing you were not hurt and acted quickly.

JES3 · 03-22-2023, 08:57 PM

Rob I replaced my Magnum 2812 twice in the last 4 months, once because the original one died and then an again because the brand new Magnum died within a month. I couldn’t have done this without the help of Chris from Tekris power in N.J. You can reach him at 888-483-5747. I have no affiliation with Chris other than he helped my get a new inverter two times and he is a wealth of knowledge. Good luck, Jim Stapleton

rlwhite · 03-23-2023, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JES3

Rob I replaced my Magnum 2812 twice in the last 4 months, once because the original one died and then an again because the brand new Magnum died within a month. I couldn’t have done this without the help of Chris from Tekris power in N.J. You can reach him at 888-483-5747. I have no affiliation with Chris other than he helped my get a new inverter two times and he is a wealth of knowledge. Good luck, Jim Stapleton

Thanks Jim, will keep them in mind if this doesn't work out.

Gary.Jones · 03-23-2023, 10:13 AM

Well there is another one of those issue where I have never had an inverter problem, but would probably have dealt with it as you had, so thanks for raising this issue for the group. This thread has now been added to my "Important Threads" file and it will remain there.

Did you get any explanation of what happened just because you hadn't disconnected shore power? What shorted or arced? Any ideas?

I'm pretty sure I have reset the breakers in the side of the Magnum several times due to overloading the current draw before I started paying much more attention to total current draw. Not totally confident I understand what you mean by "resetting the inverter".... Do you mean the two small circuit breaker buttons on the side of each inverter box (which are for 120 VAC output circuits limiters to your duplex sockets in the coach) or some main breaker switch for the inverter more directly involved with inverter input?

Glad you got it under control.

And I have three other slightly smaller fire extinguishers in my basement. One in the back passenger side compartment close to the Cummins, one just forward of the wheels near all my main power switches on the passenger side, and one on the driver side in one of the movable slides. IMO, can't have too many and you want them close at hand.

I also have a small extinguisher behind the television set in the bedroom of this 45B. My philosophy is that I don't want to go far to get my hands on an extinguisher if I need one

Gary

RVFunlovers · 03-23-2023, 06:06 PM

Good idea of the fire extinguishers Gary. You are ahead of me.
I do have one in the basement and one in the bedroom in addition to the one by the front door.

In the event of an inverter fire I would have likely ran to the one by the door though. It is the extinguisher I walk by all the time so in the ‘heat’ of the moment I would probably run for it.

rlwhite · 03-24-2023, 07:17 AM

hello Gary, Maybe reset is not the right wording like resetting the breaker. I was pressing the power on button on the front of the inverter to try and power the unit back up. Entegra support had me do this a couple of weeks before as I had the same problem. Unfortunately I don't remember if they told me to unplug from shore power first. Probably need to call Magnum back to get an explanation of why not to do what I did as the tech interrupted my explanation mid way through and said "were you still plugged into shore power". I'm assuming by holding the power on button down it lets too much current through the circuit board.
I did go to Costco and pick up a couple more of the larger fire extinguishers to keep on hand.