bchallal Report post Posted August 7, 2015 Two Questions: Can an inverter be removed from a motor home and the motor home still run? Can an inverter be replaced by a converter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted August 8, 2015 bchallal, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. More details would insure a better answer, but in general: An inverter is not needed for a motorhome to run. But most are inverter/CHARGERS. So if the batteries are charged, you can indeed start it. And the alternator will keep the batteries charged while driving. And, a converter, particularly a smart converter will keep the batteries charged, but will likely require some coach re-wiring as most coaches with inverter/chargers run certain circuits through the inverter/charger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted August 8, 2015 Our inverter is integrated into everything in our coach. I think that any attempt to remove it would result in significant re-wiring to get everything working properly. We replaced ours several years ago but use it continuously. We would never remove the inverter, it is one of the great conveniences of our coach. I'm sure the coach could be driven safely without the inverter being in the coach, the engine side of the system is separate from the house side which the inverter supports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted August 8, 2015 Two Questions: Can an inverter be removed from a motor home and the motor home still run? Can an inverter be replaced by a converter? Did your inverter/charger fail? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bchallal Report post Posted August 8, 2015 Thanks to everyone who replied. Yes our inverter did fail at the Madison rally. It was replaced by Camping World and then failed again on the way home. We are now home in Florida and will attempt to resolve the issue with the local Camping World. We were wondering what our options might be if we had problems with CW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted August 8, 2015 What make and model inverter? What is failing/not working? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bchallal Report post Posted August 9, 2015 What make and model inverter? What is failing/not working? The replacement inverter is a Xantrex 3000 watt. It is not charging the batteries and not allowing shore power to the outlets and microwave. The latter may be an internal transfer switch not working. It worked fine when first installed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted August 9, 2015 bchallal, Welcome to the Forum ! Have you tried to run the software reset funtion ?> Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted August 9, 2015 Have you verified 120 VAC in from the main breaker box to the inverter and inverter breakers reset? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted August 9, 2015 Do as Brett says, if you find all well, then the following may give you another avenue to follow. We have a Xantrex 3000W inverter. It is an older model. Ours was discontinued shortly after Camping World put it on special sale! Anyway, it replaced an older Xantrex that had failed after many years of service. It took several years and many visits to shops until I could find someone who could properly program the new unit to get the auto generator start function to work properly. It was all in the menu choices, not the wiring in our case. Techs would check the wiring but nobody looked at the settings in the programming closely enough to find the problem or it could be that they simply didn't understand the program settings. Yours may be a similar problem. I read the manual and with my understanding could not get the thing to work. There was one setting that was labeled triggers and I assume that meant things that would turn on the generator. Turns out it wasn't so and that setting was the problem. I talked with Xantrex, hours on the phone, went to several Xantrex linked repair shops, none of them could find and correct the problem. Camping World was useless. It was finally at the Monaco Factory Service Center in Coburg, OR that I got a technician who found the incorrect setting and got the auto gen start working. Once he told me what the problem was, it was so simple but I had no clue from the information in the manual. While our problems were different, I would spend some time with the settings that control the inverter. Start by resetting the unit. For ours it means pushing a red button on the unit itself. Then go item by item through the menu while you read information for that setting in the manual. If that is doesn't work, go to Xantrex for help. Be prepared to give them the model and serial number and be at the controls so you can have them talk you through checks and settings. Maybe they can identify the problem for you. The magic in my opinion is finding someone who really knows and understands the system and then being able to communicate to them the conditions that you see before you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bchallal Report post Posted August 14, 2015 Success! Went to the Camping World here in Cocoa, FL and they were able to fix the problem. The tech was very knowledgeable about inverters. It seems the problem was in the settings. It is now running properly. Thanks to everyone who responded. I soaked up enough knowledge to sound semi-intelligent when explaining the problem to the tech. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted August 14, 2015 Thanks for posting the results! Now you can offer some assistance on questions pertaining to your model inverter. The total of all the members and there experiences keep making the forum stronger, piece by piece. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
