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mwilliamsmd · 03-30-2015, 07:57 PM

Got my AS home today, noticed my inverter was not on??? Realized I had crossed a wire in the battery compartment. Once that was fixed the inverter fired right up. It seems to be "running" continuously. Essentially I can hear the cooling fan running/humming. Is it suppose to make a continuous noise? I have all the cushions etc out of the trailer. So everything is accentuated. Is this normal??

idroba · 03-30-2015, 08:06 PM

No,your inverter should not be running constantly. It takes about 1.7 to 1.9 amps just to be on, and will kill your batteries quickly unless plugged in so the converter/charger takes up the load.

Sounds like a trip to the dealer for warrantee service is in order.

Landrum · 03-30-2015, 08:14 PM

Do you mean converter? If you do mean inverter do you mean it comes on without you turning the switch on?

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mwilliamsmd · 03-30-2015, 09:24 PM

When I corrected the wiring, the 1000w pure sine wave inverter kicked on. The remote inverter switch on the wall came on and the green light turned on. the inverter has a hum to it, just like a cooling fan. That's what I'm curious about. I don't recall hearing that last year.

idroba · 03-30-2015, 09:52 PM

The sine wave inverter should not be on unless you deliberately turn it on.

Again, sounds like warrantee work is in order.

RVDreamer · 03-31-2015, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwilliamsmd

When I corrected the wiring, the 1000w pure sine wave inverter kicked on. The remote inverter switch on the wall came on and the green light turned on. the inverter has a hum to it, just like a cooling fan. That's what I'm curious about. I don't recall hearing that last year.

Yes, that is normal. It makes a fan sound and hum. It is fairly noisey.

You should be able to turn it off with the inverter switch. If you can then it sounds like it is working normally to me.

mwilliamsmd · 03-31-2015, 08:05 AM

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm a newbie so I'm still learning. The inverter turned off with the remote switch as it should. I was wrong in that I thought the inverter had to be on for the batteries to charge - my bad. I will only use the inverter if boon docking and need to plug in something not in the circuit. God I'm glad spring is here

idroba · 03-31-2015, 08:28 AM

Ah, all is well that ends well. The learning curve can be steep with a new complex product with electronics like the Airstream. Glad you found the on/off switch....LOL.

joshjack · 10-16-2016, 10:36 AM

Similar deal here - just got home with my 2016 International Signature 30. I assumed the batter disconnect switch would cut the inverter off too; but it doesn't.

hissilver · 10-25-2016, 05:13 PM

We tried out the inverter switch tonight with our single use small Kerig coffee maker. We checked the battery level, switched on the inverter, made one cup of coffee, turned off the coffee maker and turned off the inverter. When I checked the reading on the monitor we had used .5 amps on the 12 amp system. Is this level of cumsuption in line with what others have found?

hissilver · 10-25-2016, 05:14 PM

Oppps I meant consumption....sorry for the typo

lewster · 10-25-2016, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hissilver

We tried out the inverter switch tonight with our single use small Kerig coffee maker. We checked the battery level, switched on the inverter, made one cup of coffee, turned off the coffee maker and turned off the inverter. When I checked the reading on the monitor we had used .5 amps on the 12 amp system. Is this level of cumsuption in line with what others have found?

0.5 amps for a single cup of coffee????

Sounds like your batteries are not holding charge, as they should definitely NOT get depleted that quickly by such a small load.

Was that the voltage reading right after the inverter was turned off, or was it the reading after giving them time to recover from the large transient loads that inverters will place on your battery system during use?

If it was a reading after allowing them to 'rest' a bit to recover, then I would have them checked ASAP.

joshjack · 10-25-2016, 07:45 PM

So I'm not sure what's going on here. Amps are an instantaneous measure of power flow, not a measure of consumption. In the common plumbing analogy, amps is the amount of water flow at any given instant.

Now we talk about battery capacity in units of Amp-Hours which describes the ability of a battery to maintain a certain flow rate for a certain amount of time.

So I'm not sure what's being measured here. Did you measure 0.5Ah? So you used half an amp for an hour; or more likely something like 2 amps for 15 minutes? Or are we talking Volts which is the normal measurement of battery status? In that case a drop of 0.5V doesn't really tell us much of anything.

lewster · 10-25-2016, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshjack

So I'm not sure what's going on here. Amps are an instantaneous measure of power flow, not a measure of consumption. In the common plumbing analogy, amps is the amount of water flow at any given instant.

Now we talk about battery capacity in units of Amp-Hours which describes the ability of a battery to maintain a certain flow rate for a certain amount of time.

So I'm not sure what's being measured here. Did you measure 0.5Ah? So you used half an amp for an hour; or more likely something like 2 amps for 15 minutes? Or are we talking Volts which is the normal measurement of battery status? In that case a drop of 0.5V doesn't really tell us much of anything.

After re-reading my post, my slight confusion with the previous post is evident. Allow me to clarify.........

The poster said that he noticed a 0.5 AMP drop in his 12 amp system. I assume that he meant his '12 VOLT' system. He did not state what the amp/hour capacity of his battery system is, so in that light, his 0.5 amp use might actually be a system VOLTAGE DROP of 0.5 VOLTS. If one sees a voltage drop of 0.5 VOLTS after the minimal inverter load of making a single cup of coffee, then it would appear that his battery bank's health is in question. The only problem is that he said AMPS in his posting.

Unless he has a shunt-based battery monitor system in place, he would have no way to determine how many amps he has used from his inverter load. Voltage levels are much easier to read and measure.

We definitely need a clarification from the poster in question.

hissilver · 10-26-2016, 05:45 AM

So it is clear I don't know what I am talking about...let me try again. I uncoupled the camper from the shore power...checked the display monitor for battery power.. the display read 13.2. Then I turned on the inverter, plugged in the coffeee maker, made one cup of coffee. I unplugged the coffee maker, turned off the inverter, and then checked the monitor again. The reading this time was 12.7. Therefore, I noticed a drop in .5 on the reading. It appears that The process consumed a considerable amount of my battery power. I need some advice to understand just how much power loss is acceptable and, using a Honda 3000 generator, what would be the expected recovery time (recharge of the battery).

lewster · 10-26-2016, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hissilver

So it is clear I don't know what I am talking about...let me try again. I uncoupled the camper from the shore power...checked the display monitor for battery power.. the display read 13.2. Then I turned on the inverter, plugged in the coffeee maker, made one cup of coffee. I unplugged the coffee maker, turned off the inverter, and then checked the monitor again. The reading this time was 12.7. Therefore, I noticed a drop in .5 on the reading. It appears that The process consumed a considerable amount of my battery power. I need some advice to understand just how much power loss is acceptable and, using a Honda 3000 generator, what would be the expected recovery time (recharge of the battery).

You have nothing to worry about!!!!

Here's why...............

First, you are looking at the battery VOLTAGE. The 13.2VDC that you saw is called a 'surface charge' and is usually higher that what a full, resting battery will show, as you are seeing some of the residual 'charging voltage'. Your liquid lead acid batteries are at 100% at 12.7VDC or above.

When you used your inverter, you removed this surface charge and you are now looking at the actual battery voltage level.

If you had started at a full, resting battery of 12.7VDC and then dropped to 12.2VDC after making a single cup of coffee, THEN I would be concerned.

Enjoy your trailer!!!!

xrvr · 10-26-2016, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewster

You have nothing to worry about!!!!

Here's why...............

First, you are looking at the battery VOLTAGE. The 13.2VDC that you saw is called a 'surface charge' and is usually higher that what a full, resting battery will show, as you are seeing some of the residual 'charging voltage'. Your liquid lead acid batteries are at 100% at 12.7VDC or above.

When you used your inverter, you removed this surface charge and you are now looking at the actual battery voltage level.

If you had started at a full, resting battery of 12.7VDC and then dropped to 12.2VDC after making a single cup of coffee, THEN I would be concerned.

Enjoy your trailer!!!!

Great response! Cleared a few things up for me, also.

i2oadRunnei2 · 11-01-2016, 04:46 PM

Thank you Lewster! I was searching for thread of the type of volt meter brand/model and ended up here. This is a better answer than my search

Now, I do still need to find a recommended volt meter brand/make....my search continues

joshjack · 11-01-2016, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i2oadRunnei2

Thank you Lewster! I was searching for thread of the type of volt meter brand/model and ended up here. This is a better answer than my search

Now, I do still need to find a recommended volt meter brand/make....my search continues

I'm a huge FLUKE fan. I have a Fluke 115 that does everything I want and is small enough to stow easily. I have a few different leads for it too.

You might want to go up a little and get one with a frequency analyzer if you use a generator regularly.

lewster · 11-01-2016, 08:54 PM

Fluke is the only meter that I use, and I have several of them. I would suggest a true RMS meter that will provide accurate AC voltage readings and one of the features that I find indispensable.......a clamp-on type meter that will read both AC and DC amps. Frequency is great tool also, as is temperature.

This type of meter is invaluable for diagnostics when looking at compressor loads, generator loads and other AC or DC amperage draw requirements.