sgtjoe Report post Posted February 2, 2020 Shore power is 122 good or bad?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 2, 2020 120 is perfect. 122 is just fine! 120 +/- 10% is acceptable limit, so under 108 or over 132 is NOT acceptable. The closer to 120 VAC the better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 2, 2020 Thanks, I'll just try to kick back and wait for the Tech to come and check it all out. At least I know my shore power is good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 2, 2020 Reading higher than normal voltages is nearly always an indication that there is an improperly tightened ground/neutral before the first high voltage reading in an AC circuit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 2, 2020 On 2/2/2020 at 9:24 PM, kaypsmith said: Reading higher than normal voltages is nearly always an indication that there is an improperly tightened ground/neutral before the first high voltage reading in an AC circuit. Agreed, if on 50 amp shore power (two hots) as the neutral serves as the "reference" for voltage. On generator, really depends on the generator. Many are 120, not 240 VAC (one hot instead of two). In this case more likely to be the voltage regulator. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted February 2, 2020 If the inverter is tied in through the transfer switch, and the inverter was recently replaced, and if a loose connection can cause faulty readings, I'm wondering if all the symptoms are tied together? If there is a loose or bad connection between the inverter and the transfer switch, it could also explain why some circuits aren't working. Just a thought... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 3, 2020 On 2/2/2020 at 9:43 PM, wolfe10 said: Agreed, if on 50 amp shore power (two hots) as the neutral serves as the "reference" for voltage. I wasn't sure if the voltage at the pedestal was 122, but inside the coach 140 or not, if 122 inside also, then the loose neutral is out the window, that also would eliminate the transfer switch unless it is a 240 generator, if it is a 240 generator, could still be a loose neutral at the generator or gen connection at the ATS, just a few easy checkpoints. Easy to check if a 120 or 240 generator if no marking to indicate which it is, put the volt meter leads across the two hot outputs of the generator, if no voltage is read, then it is a 120, if 240 is read then it is a true 240 generator. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted February 3, 2020 Lots of generators have 120/240 output. Not sure of the make/model of the coach or of the generator. It would help to have that information if possible, or maybe I missed it somewhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 3, 2020 Too bad you all are so far away, it would be fun to have you all checking this out in person. Hang in there until Tuesday after noon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 4, 2020 The Tech showed up today and found the bathroom GFI was wired wrong. That would be me. As far as the Inverter power there are some questions he will be asking Xantraex and he will be back on Thursday afternoon. He is also thinking that perhaps National did not wire the fridge plug to the Inverter. His Grandfather's 2001 Dolphin (National) is not wired for Inverter. Stay tuned for the Inverter Saga Thursday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 Yes, no "here is how they are all wired". Some refrigerator outlets are wired for both sockets to be shore power/generator only. Some are wired for both sockets to be inverter OR shore power/generator (either ATS internal to inverter or on high end models, a second ATS) Some are wired with ONE plug shore power/generator AND THE OTHER inverter OR shore power/generator. Easy to check by plugging in any 120 VAC appliance to each socket behind the refrigerator with shore power and generator OFF. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 Glad that you're at least making a little progress with the GFCI. Hopefully the rest will be as simple. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 4, 2020 On 2/4/2020 at 9:28 PM, sgtjoe said: The Tech showed up today and found the bathroom GFI was wired wrong. That would be me. As far as the Inverter power there are some questions he will be asking Xantraex and he will be back on Thursday afternoon. He is also thinking that perhaps National did not wire the fridge plug to the Inverter. His Grandfather's 2001 Dolphin (National) is not wired for Inverter. Stay tuned for the Inverter Saga Thursday. Joe, Welcome to the learning curve that comes with every model and make of RV' on the market. LOL Then many of us up date what we have just so we can start the learning curve all over again. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted February 5, 2020 On 2/4/2020 at 11:01 PM, DickandLois said: Then many of us up date what we have just so we can start the learning curve all over again. Tell me about it. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 7, 2020 Well the Tech didn't make it yesterday he had a MH where it had been attacked by Rats. He's trying to locate and rewire all the chewed up wires. I found on You Tube some info about the battery Temp control wire. Xantraex says to remove it from the battery terminal and fasten it to some where else in the battery compartment. Seems it could send a false signal to the Inverter. This must be why when I got the new Inverter there was a new Temp control wire sent with it. I'm not touching anything since the Tech shut down all power on last visit. I told him about this and he thinks this might be what caused the old Inverter to fry one of the boards. We'll see next next Thursday on the 13th, hopefully it will be my lucky day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 13, 2020 The Inverter saga continues. Tech showed up today and checked ac power coming in to the inverter, it's good. The Inverter is humming, the Tech suggested when I took the 4 6v batteries out to be tested I put them back in the wrong place. For example if the batteries were marked 1/1 and the one behind it was marked 1/2 and the other two were marked 2/1 and the one behind it was marked 2/2 when I took them out to be checked and was told all 4 are good and I put them back into the MH I put 1/1 in front of 2/1 and 1/2 in front of 2/2 the batteries were not used to working together and this could be why I'm getting the humming noise and less then 120v on my meter readings when the inverter is turned on. What do you think Wolfe10, does this sound plausible? When I disconnect and remove my batteries I always make a drawing and as each post is disconnected I mark and secure the cables together off that post so I know where they go when I put the batteries back in. This time I will mark the batteries as to which side and front or back. I also have one battery that takes a lot of water (distilled) each month when I check them. He thinks this might be a bad battery. So I'm going to disconnect and remove the batteries tomorrow and let them sit (on wood) until Monday or Tuesday and then have them checked to see if each is putting out 6 volts. These were purchased on 14 Aug 2017 at Sam's Club. They are Duracell 6v GC2 Golf Cart batteries made in the US. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 13, 2020 Just remove the one that's taking all the water and have it bench tested. Leave the others alone! Been me, I would get another tech, MHO! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 13, 2020 NO, changing where a particular battery is located in a battery bank will not cause your issue. Now, if they are not hooked up properly electrically, sure that would cause problems. But two (pairs of 6 VDC batteries wired in series) with each pair wired in parallel is very common and easy to verify. And any time a competent tech checking an electrical issue starts a sentence with "I THINK"..................... Sorry, you are only interested in FACTS. If wet cell batteries, spend less than $10 and get a battery hydrometer. Fully charge them and check SG. VERY easy and you will have the FACTS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 13, 2020 On 2/13/2020 at 3:42 AM, wolfe10 said: NO, changing where a particular battery is located in a battery bank will not cause your issue. Now, if they are not hooked up properly electrically, sure that would cause problems. But two (pairs of 6 VDC batteries wired in series) with each pair wired in parallel is very common and easy to verify. And any time a competent tech checking an electrical issue starts a sentence with "I THINK"..................... Sorry, you are only interested in FACTS. If wet cell batteries, spend less than $10 and get a battery hydrometer. Fully charge them and check SG. VERY easy and you will have the FACTS. So any thoughts as to the loud humming from the Inverter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 13, 2020 I just read this post from the beginning. Rich & Richard, alluded to poor ground connection being a culprit. I will add a question, is there any corrosion on the old cables or if tech changed them out with new cables, are they the same gauge wire? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 13, 2020 IMHO a Humming inverter is a sign that there may be a loose Ground. When ever I check my wiring, first I make sure all power is off then on each correction I will back it off a bit then re tighten each connection, then turn the power back on. As for the Tech telling you that you may not have put your batteries back in the same position as they were taken out of is wrong. The batteries are not bosom buddies and need to be holding hands. As long as they are wired correctly you should be good to go. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 13, 2020 SgtJoe, This is a link to one of the most popular charger / inverters in use for Mortorhomes. This manual covers a number of insulation options. To have on file. There are a few reasons the charger could be humming. Check the connections quality and for proper connections, much of that information is covered in the link below. The Drawings should match the method used in you coach. http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Inverter-Chargers/Freedom-458/Freedom458(445-0193-01-01_rev-2).pdf It is not real uncommon to have a cell or 2 require a more frequent addition of distilled water over time. Water evaporation is always greater in cold weather. Starting point for getting a good handle on there condition is to make sure all the connections and cables are clean and tight. Add water as needed, run a full charge cycle, Take a hydrometer reading of all the cell and make a chart of the readings. Depending on the age of the batteries, if they are more then 2 years old or have gone through a number of full discharge cycles. Run them through an equalizer cycle. Then read the voltage levels of each battery and a reading of the specific gravity again and see how the numbers compare to the first set. From this information you should have enough information to know what battery (s) are weak or bad . Manual Equalization-- Over a period of time, the cells in a flooded battery can develop uneven chemical states. This can result in a weak (undercharged) cell which, in turn, can reduce the overall capacity of the battery. To improve the life and performance of a non-sealed, flooded battery, the Freedom SW’s multistage charging cycle includes a manual equalize mode that can be used, if recommended by the battery manufacturer. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgtjoe Report post Posted February 14, 2020 I had a long discussion with Xantrex yesterday, first thing discussed was the humming from the Inverter, they told me this is normal while charging especially if the batteries are low. As they charge the humming gets quieter, so I just went outside to listen and although there is humming it is a lot quietter. A friend came over and measured the voltage on the Inverter out put and it was 121. The voltage from Inverter has to be done with a True RMS meter not a regular meter. Those meters run about $120 bucks, I'm cheap. So if it measures around 94 on a cheap meter it is good. So to all who are reading this would you do me a favor and those of you who have a Xantrex Freedom 458 2000 could you see if your Inverter is humming while charging your batteries and let me know if you hear anything. You'll have to open the compartment the Inverter sits in to hear it. I just checked mine while writting this and I had to open the compartment to hear it humming. One last thing I'm doing today is to clean all the battery terminals/connections and check the output of each of my 4 6v batteries. Then I'm going to put it all back together and relax. My batteries were purchased in August 2017 from Sam's Club at $90 bucks each, Duracell 6v Golf Cart batteries. Too bad there isn't a Sam's Club in Saint George, Utah. So let me know if your Inverter hums, thanks for all the input and suggestions and if any of you are ever in Saint George, Utah and need help on your Motor Home, give me a holler and I'll give you a great Diesel repair facility and a reasonable Mobile RV Tech contact. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 14, 2020 Joe, Thanks for the feedback. Glad that things are looking up and the readings are in the nominal range. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 15, 2020 sgtjoe. All's well that ends well...I just think that you should spend the $120, there is no guarantee that 94 is going to equal 121...what is the correct reading at 96 or 91? Running a DP is not for the "Cheap"! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
