Blowing out the Inverter

[Brentsouth]

I own a 2011 Interstate and my electrician put in a 220 volt instead of a 120 power at my house.. the breakers went off, I unhooked the electric from the house then turned on the generator. Smoke and a bit of flame started coming off the top of the inverter! Lights etc work when just running off the battery. Anyone else as stupid and have this problem? I am planning on taking it to the dealer in Austin....no idea what that will cost. Can the inverter be changed out at any Motorhome Dealer or should I definitely go to an Airstream Dealer? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Brent

[DKB_SATX]

As in the other thread... inverter (outputs 120v using the 12v input from the battery) or converter (outputs 12v to charge the battery and run the lights and fans when plugged into 120v.)

[overlander63]

Is your electrician's insurance going to pay for the damage he caused? It could get very expensive, depending on what got toasted.
And is it an INverter, or CONverter? They are completely different.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Brentsouth

I own a 2011 Interstate and my electrician put in a 220 volt instead of a 120 power at my house.. the breakers went off, I unhooked the electric from the house then turned on the generator. Smoke and a bit of flame started coming off the top of the inverter! Lights etc work when just running off the battery. Anyone else as stupid and have this problem? I am planning on taking it to the dealer in Austin....no idea what that will cost. Can the inverter be changed out at any Motorhome Dealer or should I definitely go to an Airstream Dealer? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Brent

Before you decide whether to go to an Airstream dealer or a generic motorhome repair shop, consider this: do you want to replace your inverter with the same low-budget unit, or go with a better one? If you go back to Airstream, you'll only get exact replacement-in-kind.

If the electrician's insurance will pay for it, then you have an obligation to do in-kind replacement. You can't expect his insurance to pay for a better unit than was already there. If you're not filing an insurance claim, consider this an opportunity for an upgrade.

Prices vary, but figure somewhere in $400-$500 range, plus labor, for in-kind replacement of the TrippLite RV750ULHW inverter/charger.

[Brentsouth]

Thanks for the advice...I am getting it looked at and hopefully fixed this week. I will let you know what all it blew.