Xantrex Inverter/charger

[nelsokelso]

I purchased a 2006 Country Coach Intrigue in January 2014 and it has a RS2000 sine wave inverter/charger that buzzes 24/7 when plugged into 110 v power. I know the charger is working fine but the buzzing noise is very annoying. Any advice on how to reduce or eliminate the buzzing.

[dickandlois]

nelsokelso, How is it mounted and where? The buzzing can be acoustically coupled if the unit is fastened directly to an interior surface and if installed in a bay close to one of the supports for the floor or wall.

I need to look up some information on your unit to see if there might be a software issue.

Rich.

No, Software up date information listed on line. The RS 2000 has been discontinued, the RS 3000 is the only unit that has the same functions that where in the RS 2000.

[BillAdams]

Where are you hearing the buzzing noise?

[hermanmullins]

nelsokelso,

Do you know where your inverter is mounted? The reason for asking is it may be something else. Your inverter should be in one of your bays. Some are mounted in plane sight while others almost seem hidden. If you find it then you can determine if it is the inverter and go from there.

Herman

[nelsokelso]

Unit is mounted in bay above house batteries but not connected to interior wall. Volume of buzzing is enough to hear plainly outside the coach, especially with bay door open. I have been turning the charger off remotely at night, but this is only due to the noise.

.

Contacted Zantrex in February but they didn't offer any solutions only the unit is old and the transformer electrical plates are vibrating due to breakdown of the connecting varnish (glue).

Due to the heat emitted by the inverter, I don't want to insulate totally.

[kaypsmith]

Can the unit be mounted on some type of foam rubber mount? It could be fabricated with a little thought put into it. This probably will help isolate the noise away from any soundboard that is now attached to. Also you might consider using a much less expensive converter to charge house batteries, and continue using the Xantrex to invert to 120 volt.

Kay

[nelsokelso]

Both good ideas...will take a good look at both. However, it seems a shame to spend that much money on a upper end coach and have to modify a battery charger that's built in.

[dickandlois]

nelsokelso, Google isolation mounts rubber, to see what is available. Need to consider the weight of the unit and the clearance around it. You need to keep it mounted so there is good air flow and rubber mounts should provide a reduced noise level inside the coach and out, but you will still hear it.

The fact that the lamination material (glue) has failed on the main transformer will sure cause them to buzz. Thing is they will continue to work for a long time.

Rich.

[huffypuff]

Xantrex repair centers

http://www.xantrex.com/contacts/authorized-service-centers.aspx

[nelsokelso]

Thanks for the advise. I looked at isolating the base but the left side bolt flanges are trapped under a sheet metal shelf and any increase in height would require a rework of that retainer shelf. There doesn't seem to be a simple solution to this noise problem. The unit is hard mounted to a steel shelf and therefore makes a good sounding board. Poor design in my opinion.

Haven't given up yet...need to look at other options. A new unit is out of the question. Too bad the remote system does't have a feature to turn on/off the charger at specific times. I don't need the charger on during the night or early morning. I do this manually now with the remote to stop the noise.

[ronnielee]

I have a Zantrex Inverter/charger Freedom 20 and I think its a goner. I was plugged into shore power and my wife ran a lot of stuff and the main breaker tripped. I went out and the cord was melted from heat.

So I got a new plug and plugged it back in and it would read 90 amps on the panel and after a minute it would trip the overload on the Freedom 20. So I turned it back on with everything off and unplugged and still 90 amps. So I went to the meter and it was spinning so fast i could feel my wallet get lighter so I direct wired the ac and put in a car charger as a converter. Has anyone come across this because I can't put out for a new one and fixing it still runs too much.

[dickandlois]

ronnielee,

Welcome to the FMCA forum!

The unit you have charges the batteries and supplies 120 volts when the inverter is running.

How old are the batteries? and have you measured the the voltage across each one?

Think you should check the condition of the batteries, to see if you have a shorted cell(s) in one or more of them.

That would put a sizable load on the unit.

Rich.

[wolfe10]

Ronnie,

Let's concentrate on the 120 VAC side of things for a minute. You mention twice that you measured 90 amps. Are you sure this was not 90 VOLTS?

And what type of connection are you plugged into-- 15amp, 30 amp or 50 amps?

What does voltage measure at the outlet? If 120 or close, then check at the ATS and/or 120 VAC main breaker box (assuming you are safe working around 120 VAC).

If outlet around 120 and inside coach around 90, you have a serious issue= RESISTANCE. A bad connection, melted plug, etc is the likely cause.

Let us know what you find-- you can also turn off the breaker on the main breaker panel for the Freedom. Recheck voltage.

Be aware that if you are on 15 or 30 amps, you will need to reprogram your Freedom to only allow it to use the available amps-- easily done from the dip switches (older models) or remote panel (newer models).

[dickandlois]

Good Point Brett!

Think I need to remember that not everyone has lived with a meter in hand for over 50 years ! LOL

Rich.

[ronnielee]

Yes I'm sure the panel read 90 amps. which was odd because it usually sits around 10. The batteries were refurbished but they hold a charge so i don't think they are shorted. I am plugged into 30 amp mains the voltage reads 112v . The resistance I thought came from the Xantrex because as soon as I disconnected it and rewired the main shore power the meter was slowed down to normal again.

Where do you reset the dip switch at?

[wolfe10]

I think I understand the confusion here. You were not reading a 90 amp load on the 120 VAC system-- impossible, since a 30 amp can only provide, well, up to 30 amps. You were reading 90 amps charging into the batteries.

What was the voltage reading on the Xantrex remote panel at this charge rate (again, voltage of the batteries)?

90 amps times 14 VDC (clearly, 90 amps would be bulk charge rate and therefore should be 14+ VDC)= 1260 watts divided by 112 VAC= 11.25 amps of 112 VAC. With efficiency loss in the inverter, likely it was pulling about 13 amps of your 30 available. So, with wife "running a lot of stuff" it is easy to understand that the 30 amp breaker tripped. And, yes, an additional 13 amp load will cause your shore side meter to run a lot quicker.

As I mentioned above, the location of the programming feature of your inverter depends on how old it is:

Oldest ones had dip switches on the unit itself.

Newer ones had dip switches on the back of the remote panel.

Newest ones are programmed from the front of the panel.

Your Xantrex owners manual will tell you. You can download them from Xantrex's website. You could also look at your remote panel. If you can not program from the front of it, remove the 4 screws and pull it out far enough to see if there are small numbered switches in a hole in the back. No remote panel, it will be on the inverter itself.

Concerning the batteries-- fully charge them (Xantrex or portable charger). Then, load test them. Bad batteries, or even one bad battery in a multi-battery bank can cause severe overcharging.