Inverter Not Working With Motor

[Sammy C]

Hi all,
I have a 2002 Fleetwood Revolution 38B. My inverter works on shore power and works with the generator, but it does not work when the motor is running (with genie off). This issue just started happening. Any ideas what I could check?

TIA

[Skip426]

Do you have info on the inverter ?
Make and model ?

[wolfe10]

The inverter portion of the inverter/charger is ONLY needed if no other source of 120 VAC. So, with shore power of generator, the inverter is not needed.


Now, it should work when no other source of 120 VAC is available. If not, first thing is to check the on-inverter breakers.


Assume the charge function of the inverter-charger is still working.

[deandec]

You did not mention if the Invertor worked with no 120v Shore or Generator power available except for the Invertor drawing on the batteries to step up the 12v battery power to 110v. This is its main function.

On my old rig, the reasons for no inverted power could be:

House battery is dead or disconnected.
Breakers turned off in the House Electrical panel.
Breakers near the invertor location turned off. (We have two of them).
Inline 300A fuses blown between Inverter and Batteries (we have two of them).
Inverter has failed.

[Sammy C]

Originally Posted by Skip426

Do you have info on the inverter ?
Make and model ?

Thank all,
I just put the RV in storage, but it's nearby so I'll check on the questions everyone has asked.

What I recall is that it's a Xantrex Freedom inverter. The breakers (on the inverter) are set to 'on'. The breaker marked 'inverter' in the panel under the bed is set to 'on'. The charger does work.

When the motor is running. The inverter light (on the display panel) blinks slowly. It used to be solid when the inverter worked.

I will check to see if the inverter works without the motor running and no other 120v source. I will also look for fuses between the inverter and the batteries.

I'll report back on Monday

[2004Horizon]

When any AC source is charging your house batteries, you will see 13V+.

The inverter will turn-at at any voltage above 11.8V (typically).

OP: With no shore power connection, and the generator turned off, you can do a few things:

* Measure the house battery voltage. If it is below 11.8V you need to check water levels.

* If you measure above 12V and your inverter starts, the next question is if it will run on a load. I.e., sulfated house batteries will still give you 12.6V, but when you run your microwave the whole system with "go down." This is where you should do a few things:

1) Buy 6V Deep Cycle House batteries if these will fit your battery tray.

2) Stop charging your house batteries using your old charger (inside your inverter) and install a Victron AC-DC 17A or 25A charger.

This Victron is bluetooth enabled and you will find you only need to add water once every year, which tells you this Victron knows how to properly charge, maintain and condition your house batteries much better than you old charger, which you can turn-off at your power panel, probably to never be used again. ...And this way, you can keep using your inverter as-is.

$145 on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Energ...2-63e904010ad0f

You also can use this Victron as you battery maintainer when you put your coach in storage. And I have found you do not need to change any parameters. I.e., just use the same charging settings all year long. However, if you have solar on your roof, when in storage, just unplug the Victron and let the solar controller do all the house battery maintaining. ...This is why I also like using the Keyline VSR to combine my house battery to my engine battery, because this this little device you charge both battery banks at the same time. (When on alternator, shore power, or solar power.)

Check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Battery-...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Skip426]

Here's some info I have on the Freedom converter .

[deandec]

The battery LED blinks when equalizing.
See page 14 for discussion of the theory and
procedure for battery equalizing.

If this is the LED you see blinking, your Inverter may be set to Equalize the Batteries. You would need to cancel the Equalize mode.

The manual provided above should give you the info.

I do not know why it would blink only with the Engine running. The engine alternator may be trying to charge the house battery causing a conflict with the Equalization mode.

Others will be more helpful on this topic.

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by Sammy C

Hi all,
I have a 2002 Fleetwood Revolution 38B. My inverter works on shore power and works with the generator, but it does not work when the motor is running (with genie off). This issue just started happening. Any ideas what I could check?

… Xantrex Freedom inverter. The breakers (on the inverter) are set to 'on'. The breaker marked 'inverter' in the panel under the bed is set to 'on'. The charger does work.

When the motor is running. The inverter light (on the display panel) blinks slowly. It used to be solid when the inverter worked.

I will check to see if the inverter works without the motor running and no other 120v source. I will also look for fuses between the inverter and the batteries.
TIA

There should be 4 LED lights on the remote panel. Which one is blinking. See page 11 of the manual for blinking light code.

#1 When shore power or generator power is "ON",
120 volts is passed through the inverter/charger.
Charger is "ON" and charging the battery.
Inverter function is "OFF".

#2 When shore power or generator power is "OFF",
120 volts is generated by the inverter from the batteries.
Charger is "OFF".
Low battery voltage will shut the inverter "OFF" and cause “BATTERY” LED to blink.
High current draw from the battery will cause “OVERLOAD” LED to blink.
See page 11 of manual.

#3 When vehicle motor is running and shore power or generator power is "OFF",
The engine alternator may be charging the batteries.
120 volts is generated by the inverter from the batteries.
Charger is "OFF".
For the inverter, it is the same as #2 above.
Low battery voltage will shut the inverter "OFF" and cause “BATTERY” LED to blink.
High battery voltage will shut the inverter "OFF" and cause the “BATTERY” LED to blink.
High current draw from the battery will cause “OVERLOAD” LED to blink.See page 11 of the manual.

LED lights steady mean other things. See page 11 of the manual.

[Sammy C]

Update: Fixed

My inverter does not look like the one in the manual that was attached to this thread. I have a Xantrex Freedom 458 inverter.

Today, I checked voltage on the house and engine batteries and they were fully charged (12.9 vdc). I also checked the in-line fuses between the batteries and the inverter and they were good. So I went back to my Xantrex control panel (inside coach by front entry door) and pressed the 'inverter' button. The LED next to the inverter button started to blink and there was no 120v power to anything. I then pressed the 'set-up' button on the Xantrex panel for a few seconds and the 'set-up' LED began to blink. I then pressed the inverter button and I heard the microwave beep indicating power. The set-up light went out and the inverter LED was solid and 120v power was restored via the inverter. I assume this process re-set whatever was wrong and it seems to be working now.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I learned a lot from your responses.

2004Horizon - I like the dual battery maintainer and plan to incorporate it into my coach in the near future.

Thanks again everyone!
Sammy

[deandec]

Your update post will help others in the future.