GATJcampers
CA
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I have on 08 tahoe 26fs that came "inverter ready". I purchased a xantrex pro series xm1800 watt inverter. I hooked it up and it works great, i thought. It is wired to run two tv's and an outlet by one of the tv's. At this time i only have one tv in the trailer. The inverter runs the tv and an xbox console no problem. I tried to plug in a cofee maker and it shuts off, vegtable steamer and it shuts off, a toaster and it shuts off. I am not up to speed on what amps and watts are but i thought an 1800 watt inverter would be able to run a coffee maker? I have two 6 volt batteries in this set up. Did i assume incorrectly about what this inverter can run? It doesn't seem to run anything but the tv and xbox. I would appreciate any advice or ideas. Thank you
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Hi,
Two questions.
One is are you sure that the "Converter" or factory installed battery charger is not being fed from the inverter power? It might be the battery charger is fed with power from the inverter, that will quickly discharge your batteries.
2. If the batteries are low, then drawing 100 amps to run the coffee maker or steamer will cause the battery voltage to drop further, and might activate the low voltage shutdown feature.
The inverter should run the microwave and steamer fine (at seperate times). But both are significant loads, and can draw a lot of power from the batteries.
The pair of golf cart batteries will hold 2,500 watts between them, so you are supposed to be able to run the microwave for about 1 hour (or steamer). It would be better to add warm or hot water (heated on the gas stove) to the steamer, so it does not use significant amount of electrical power to heat the water the first time.
Check your battery meter. If plugged in and the inverter is off, the voltage should reach 13.5 volts or a little more. It will also read full or good, on a lower cost meter. If you unplug, then it should stay in the good or 13.0 area. Turning on the inverter might activate the battery charger (if it is fed from the inverter) and will indicate a rapid decrese of battery voltage. If the battery charger is fed from the inverter, unplug it at once! Then figure out a way to power the battery charger form a circuit not fed from the inverter, or remember to always unplug the charger before turning on the inverter.
If the battey voltage stays stable, then the charger is probaly wired correctly, and not fed by the inverter. Try this test at home. With the charger plugged into an extension cord, then turn on the inverter, and plug in the toaster to any inverter powered circuit. It should run. With the battery charger supplying most of the power, it should run for 5-10 minutes without significant discharge to the batteries.
Then try the microwave and steamer. (seperate times).
If it works while the charge is plugged into shore power, then consider the battery condition. Is it full of water? Add only distilled water if required.
Is the wire size correct? undersized wire can cause the inverter to shut off on low battery voltage when over 100 amps is pulled out of a small wire. You will need #00 wire to get the best performance from this inverter (or larger wires). If you are using #2 wire, then it might be best to use 2 runs of #2 wire for both the +12 and negative 12 volt lines. Each #2 wire is good for about 100 amps, or about 200 amps between them.
Next test at home is to recharge the battery to full. Then measure the voltage at the batteries with a accurate meter. Lets say it reads 13.5 volts Unplug the charger and run the toaster via inverter. If it reaches less than 12.0 quickly, then you probably have a battery problem. If it reaches 11.4 volts before the toaster shuts off, then you need new batteries. After a 5 minute toast cycle, the batteries should return to about 12.5 volts within 10 minutes. That would indicate good batteries. Less than 12 volts (after making 1 batch of toast) would indicate a need to replace the batteries. You should be able to run the steamer for about 30 minutes (starting with cold water for this test) without depleting the battery to the low voltage shut-down level.
After running the steamer for 30 minutes, the battery might indicate 11.5 volts or higher (if it is good) and if it is good with everything off for about 30 minutes the voltage should go over 12.0 volts at the batteries, indicating that only about 50% of the power has left the batteries. (assumes that you started with 13.5 volt batteries).
My personal guess is that the factory installed charger might be plugged into a receptacle powered by the inverter. If this is the case, unplugging the charger will improve your results. If this is not the case, and the inverter does not power the factory installed battery charger, then you will probably need new batteries (or larger wires).
Fred.
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traveln_circus
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What you are not telling us is the current draw of the Coffee maker , Steamer and toaster. 1800 watts is prob. max so lets say 1500 normal. The formula you need to use is volts x amps = watts ( 120 (Volts) X 10 (Amps)= 1200 watts. All you have listed above are power pigs (excludung the tv and xbox). Your problem will be that if you get and inverter big enough to do this heavy work you will kill your batteries. Sounds like you need a generator over 2000 watts. If your batteries are not at peak voltage and power it will effect your inverter output also.
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SPRey
Orange County, Kalifornia
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My first impression...you got 2 things going--watt demand might be too much--and check the cabling.
Inverters are finicky and like their 12v cables to be short and jumbo. Also...add up the wattage of all the appliances--if you are over 1800 then there is part of the answer.
In my case--I decided to "re-cable" my TT and got the thickest cable at Home Depot (3/0...about as wide as your baby finger) and ran everything so the distance between my inverter & batteries was less than 4 feet. Had to hammer the 3/0 cable in my vise to make bends. Crimped & soldered the lugs--heat shrink tubing on the ends to make it pretty.
The thinner the wire/cable...greater is the drop in voltage/amps.
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DaveMac
Citrus Heights, CA, USA
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Start your vehicle engine and assuming you have the usual 100 amp plus alternator then turn on the appliance.
You need four batteries, fully charged to run hig current appliances.
Also #4(or larger) gauge wire from batteries to inverter will help.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Many electronics do not play well with modified sine wave. I suspect the tvs and xbox have a brick and actually run on 12 to 20 volts DC. And the items that do not work are electronically controlled. If you plug in an old toaster from the 60s that has no electronics I suspect it will work just dandy. Time to go to some garage sales or check ebay.
Now if the inverter was the item shutting off I would suspect low voltage. My Prosine 1800 says 400 amp hours minimum is recommended.
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Electronpusher
Southern Oregon
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As others have pointed out wire size and length are very important to inverter performance--
It sounds as though your trailer was pre-wired for maybe only a 300 -600 watt inverter-- That is all that is needed to run a couple of TV's and a DVD player , etc.--
Your Xantrex installation manual will specify input wire size and length limits-- (most inverter web site tables will recommend 4/0 cable and specify less than a ten foot length)
My guess is that Xantrex will recommend at least 2/0 (not #2) and 4/0 would be much better-- It is always better (and cheaper in the long run) to use larger cable.
(BTW Inverter cables are generally extremely flexible-- They are actually used primarily for welding and are comprised of hundreds of individual strands-- )
If the input cables are too small or too long the voltage drop across them will such that even though the batteries may be at full charge there will be insufficient voltage available for the inverter--
The suggestions to check your existing converter/charger configuration are valid also-- If the Xantrex is an inverter/charger then you could simply un-plug the converter/charger-- If not it must be un-plugged or switched off when using the inverter and re-connected when you are charging the batteries.
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2oldman
WA
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Not enough batteries for those bigger loads.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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You said "Xantrex Pro Series" Did you mean "Xantrex Prosine?"
If so then the line about many electronics not playing nice with inverters does not apply The prosine line's output is as good as or better then what comes out of the hole in the wall at home (Mains power)
Flip your coffee maker over and read the label.. Figure it has a surge that may be as much as 1.5 to 2 times it's operating needs.. My Prosine 2.0 (2,000 watts) runs my coffee makers no sweat.
NOTE also that there is more than just the inverter
Your batteries: Charged or 70% or 50% (if they are down a bit there is not enough there to run the coffee maker and the inverter shuts down)
The wires, 4/0 ga 4ga 6ga, for the coffee maker you need BIG wires
How far from battery to inverter (Wire run) 4' 10' 20' Shorter is better
When you call for nearly the full capability of the inverter, it's gonna suck amps from the batteries. To estimate how many just turn the coffee maker over and read the wattage, divide by 10.. That's a lot of current 130 to 150 amps, and that takes some BIG wire. My guess is your don't have big enough wires on the 12 volt side of the inverter
I stress.. THIS IS A GUESS... I've not nearly enough info to make an educated guess.
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bananadanna
Cambridge, MA
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So you probably have about half the recommended battery bank for that size MSW inverter.
The batteries should be able to handle the 1800w load but you won't get their full amp-hour rating at a draw that large. Still, it ought to work.
As noted, the msw inverter might have trouble with devices that want a psw. Motors, microwaves fall into that category. Small draw electronics usually convert it ac back to dc so they're not too sensitive to the waveform. You'd think a resistive item like a toaster or coffee maker would not care. But to do their job as fast as possible they typically will want many watts.
I agree that an undersized battery cable would be the prime suspect. Running the alternator might provide enough voltage boost to stop the inverter from shutting down from the voltage drop. But undersized cables should be replaced promptly.
Dan
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