Help!! On the road & Dimenison Inverter Failed

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RGrimm

RGrimm

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Posts
121
Location
Yulee, FL
We are on the road (since July 6th) and the 2000w Dimension inverter failed, so we have no power when connected to Shorepower (generator works)

My question - has anyone replaced there 2000 w Dimension with a Xantrex Pure Sinewave Inverter? What model did you use? I was looking at the Xantrex PROsine 2.0 (inverter/charger), it looks like it will mount in the same spot at the current dimension. Has anyone used a PROsine 2.0??

Thanks in advance for your input.

Russ


PS Luckily we are in the Cincinnati area and my son lives here .... a place for us to stay


Edit by staff: changed message icon to topic solved
 
Might work. Best check install manual because Xantrex calls for a large wire size run between unit and the batteries. Some folks ignore the wire size recommendations, but I would (and did) not. 'Bago probably used 1/0 wire. I now have 4/0. Also note recommended mounting orientations of unit.

Used to have a Xantrex RS2000. Now have Magnasine 2012. Great unit. Took some rework on the mounting for the Xantrex and Magnasine.
 
I'm a bit confused about your not having any power when connected to shore power but you do have power from the generator.  That sounds more like a transfer switch problem.

Inverter failure would only affect the outlets it powers.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. It appears that no one has used the Xantrex Prosine 2.0.


Lou Schneider said:
I'm a bit confused about your not having any power when connected to shore power but you do have power from the generator.  That sounds more like a transfer switch problem.

Inverter failure would only affect the outlets it powers.
Click to expand...

Lou - I thoughts as you do, but it appears that shore power 'passes through' the inverter. I had a situation last year that caused the Dimension's 30 amp breaker to trip (one on the inverter itself) and it killed all 120 vac to the coach. It does not affect the Generator power. The first thing I checked was the transfer switch and it is working. I can hear a relay in the Dimension clicking on and off when connected to shore power and the voltage at the outlets in the coach are flipping on and off in sync with the relay clicking.

My first suspicion was the campground pedestal, but that was checked and I even moved to a different site and the problem moved with me.
 
Take a look at your 110V wiring diagram, I think Lou is correct.  On my Horizon, the inverter breaker panel is fed from the main AC load center.  The load center is fed directly from the transfer switch.
 
Transfer switches were mentioned but does this particular inverter have a transfer switch built-in? Most larger output units do. If so, power from the shore power cord will go through it before reaching the power panel, I would think, the reason being if there is shore power, the inverter is placed on standby and not used, its outlets are then powered from shore power.

The transfer switch  mentioned here is not the same one used with the generator (ATS) and it is located in the bigger scheme of things between the common output of the usual ATS and a power distribution panel. In reality, there are two transfer switches and that relay you hear is probably the inverter's transfer switch operating. If nothing comes out when on shore power, then the contacts are probably defective (dirty, burned, welded etc). The same could happen when not plugged in but the problem is still the relay(switch) in the inverter. The only way to know for sure is to take the cover off the inverter and have a look. Or... throw money at it and replace the inverter.
 
If the inverter has a transfer switch, it will only affect the circuit(s) powered by the inverter - passing shore or generator power through to them when the inverter is off, or the inverter output when it is on.

That's what is confusing about the original description.  If ALL AC shore power is lost, but is present when the generator runs, it sounds like a problem in the main transfer switch, not the smaller one in the inverter.
 
I went through 2 Dimension inverters in my Ellipse 42ad before replacing with a Magnum 2800w true sine wave. It fit perfect mounted sideways and operates flawlessly for a year.
You can remove your Dimensions inverter & splice the 110v wires together to get the coach livable....charge the batteries with a mobile battery charger ....about $80....till you get the new inverter...I bought mine on Amazon...was a decent deal with free shipping....good luck!
 
If I were home I would have handled this myself, but my trip (left Florida July 6th) which should have had me heading home from here (Cincinnati) now has me heading to Ocean City, MD to help with my wife's sister who had a heart attack a week ago. She has people to help here until this Saturday. So, I have a bit of pressure to get to MD and because of that I got a Mobile RV repair person involved. I also have an extended warranty policy and the repair has been approved so my cost liability is fortunately only my deductible. A new Xantrex inverter was ordered last Thursday and overnighted, but the wrong model was shipped (a 3000w / 24vdc).  A new Xantrex Prosine 2.0 (2000 watt) inverter/charger should have been ordered today and shipped overnight to the campground. So hopefully the correct inverter will arrive tomorrow and the installation will go without any issues and I can get on the road for MD Wednesday. If the repair does not happen Tuesday, I will bypass the inverter (AC) so I can get on the road to MD. And use the battery charger I have with me to keep the house batteries charged when I get into campgrounds.

Again, thanks everyone for your input.

-Russ

 
John Canfield said:
Good move going to a pure sine wave inverter.  The battery charger should be better also compared to the Dimented.
Click to expand...

Going Pure Sine was the easy decision for me. It will enable me to changed to a residential refrig down the road, a modification I have considered. The difficult decision was getting a RV Mobile Tech to handle the repair rather than do it myself.

-Russ
 
Five2o said:
I went through 2 Dimension inverters in my Ellipse 42ad before replacing with a Magnum 2800w true sine wave. It fit perfect mounted sideways and operates flawlessly for a year.
You can remove your Dimensions inverter & splice the 110v wires together to get the coach livable....charge the batteries with a mobile battery charger ....about $80....till you get the new inverter...I bought mine on Amazon...was a decent deal with free shipping....good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on the Magnum inverter. Did you need to get a new remote control panel too?
 
Yes it came with a new remote panel. I did have to route a new sending cable to the remote from the inverter, but it wasn't too hard to do....I just followed the route of the old wire. The remote dimensions were the same as my old one.
 
I assume that you have checked the breaker on the back of the Dimensions? You mention you have no power when connected to shore, and there is nothing in that box other than a relay and circuit breaker to break that path.

As far as changing the unit out, if you check the threads on all the forums you will find that the overwelming number of people that have changed out their dimensions have gone with the Magnum for lots of reasons. Xantrex makes no secret that theirs is a throw-away box. Its very difficult to service, and once out of warranty you are basically SOL. Magnum is a US company that services what they sell, and the parts are everywhere, including eBay. Yes you must buy the remote for the Magnum, but it is an exact fit into the Dimensions hole. Nothing is a direct fit as the bolt patterns are different and you will need to remove the complete panel on the adjacent wet bay in order to redrill the wall. I dont remember the wiring on the Xantrex since I've only helped remove one that caught fire in Quartzsite (and replaced with a Mag), but the Magnum in the same place does allow the main cables to be pulled to the front but its tight.

Why Magnum recently bought Dimensions is one of those questions of life unless they were after the employees and customer base.. who knows

Check that breaker....
 
More..
I just read that original post again. I have the same coach, and both generator and shore power are routed to the Dimensions through the ATS located in the right LEFT rear compartment mounted on the wall. If you have generator and not shore power I think the contactor is stuck (welded?) closed. Thats the only way what you describe can happen.

(edit: don't know left from right)
 
A follow up - I replaced my inverter with a Xantrex PROsine 2.0 and everything is back working. Perhaps a Magnum would have been a better choice, but I was pressed for time to get on the road and get my wife to her sisters (see my post above for explanation) so I just did not have the luxury to take the time to research as I would had if I had been home.

So I am back home (Florida) with the coach and my wife is in Maryland helping her sister. I will just have to hope my PROsine works as long as the Dimension had. At least it is a pure sine wave inverter, an improvement over the square wave (modified) Dimension.

Thanks to everyone for your responses.

Russ

 
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