Power Converter Issues

[MarkW_]

Hey everyone...I have a 2013 Salem that had a 55a WFCO Power Converter. The lights began cycling dim/bright/dim. I replaced the stock 55a convertor with a 75a convertor in March of last year. The lights are again dimming and brightening. Could it be a converter issue, battery issue, or something else? I put a battery charger on the battery and that fixed the lighting issue...now it seems some of the fuses are blowing. the battery charger was on 6a. I moved it down to 2a to see if it gets better...any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

[D_E_Bishop]

To help find the circuit breaker that should be powering you outlets should be pretty easy. Because it is simple and reliable, use a non contact probe. Place it near a 120 volt wire and then trip breakers until the probe quits buzzing and flashing. Write down the CB number and what it powers. Continue until ALL the CBs have been tested. I suggest ALL because then you will know what each one powers.

One should power the outlets and that will be the one that didn't turn anything off.

Now you know the CB for the outlets, the real trouble shooting begins.

I have 8 CBs, 4 are for outlets and are 15 amp. This is normal, probably 80 or 90 percent of outlet CBs are 15 amp. That should help narrow down what you need to test to find the circuit your looking for.

Good luck and have fun.

[MarkW_]

Drew, I measured voltage from nuetral bar (whites) to the black wire leaving the breaker, with the breaker on, and got 120v on all of the breakers.

[DrewE]

MarkW. wrote:
Thanks everyone. I ordered a Boondock 75a with a 3 year warranty and all seems good...but...ALL of the NON GFI plugs are dead. They were dead with the old converter still installed. It almost seems like one side is open somewhere in the wall. There HAS to be a splice somewhere maybe around the refrigerator in the walls where all of the wiring comes together. The breakers appear to be ok as I am getting 120v across all of the breakers. But there is no label on the breaker panel that shows which breaker is for the NON GFI plugs. So now trying to locate a wiring diagram..

What exactly do you mean by measuring 120V across a breaker? Taken literally, there should be basically zero volts across an untripped breaker (i.e. it's on, like a wire), measured from the (hot) input--the 120V bus bar, say--to the output. It should be 120V from the output to neutral. If you're actually seeing 120V across the breaker, and not hot to neutral, the breaker is an open circuit--tripped, or broken, or not making contact with the bus bar, or something.

[BFL13]

I had to replace a 120v breaker. First, I swapped that breaker for another on the panel where things worked on its circuit. (Doesn't matter to the breaker if it is a GFCI circuit. GFCI happens later.) That made everything work on the first circuit, so I knew the original breaker was the guilty party.

Next issue was getting a matching breaker from a hardware store. The RV one I had to replace was not one of their usual collection of breakers. Got one eventually at one of the stores.

[MarkW_]

Thanks everyone. I ordered a Boondock 75a with a 3 year warranty and all seems good...but...ALL of the NON GFI plugs are dead. They were dead with the old converter still installed. It almost seems like one side is open somewhere in the wall. There HAS to be a splice somewhere maybe around the refrigerator in the walls where all of the wiring comes together. The breakers appear to be ok as I am getting 120v across all of the breakers. But there is no label on the breaker panel that shows which breaker is for the NON GFI plugs. So now trying to locate a wiring diagram..

[wa8yxm]

YOu also need to check for screws loose. but if you are going to replace the converter AGAIN.. Go with a Progressive Dynanics 4600 Series. it replaces only the electronics (or if you WFCO has the converter independent of the power panel the 9200) And you won't find a better converter.

[Hiking_Hunter]

Had the same problem. Lights would slowly dim intermittently and stay low 10 to 30 seconds, then slowly come back up. The transition high to low and low to high would take as much as 20 seconds. Didn't seem to be related to temperature, load or vibration. Sometimes it would go 10 minutes between "dips", sometimes it would dip again immediately. I was suspecting both the battery and the converter, and trying to determine which it was, when I caught the voltage going low with the battery disconnected. Replaced the converter - all is well.

An intermittent heavy load causing the voltage to go low (or an auto-reset breaker tripping in and out) would likely show up as an instantaneous change, not a slow transition.

So, if your transitions are slow, I would put my money on the converter.

[MarkW_]

Thanks Gjac. My thinking is the converter is not charging the battery, but yes, your right. I hadn't considered that and no, I didn't check the voltage on the old battery as I wasn't home when it was removed and replaced. But I've lost confidence in the WFCO converter as you guys haven't given it a good a report card. So I ordered a Boondock 75a. I chose it over the Progressive Dynamics as it has a 3 year warranty. It will be here next week. I'll update how this progresses. I'm gonna wait till this weekend to do any testing as we have some nasty icy, cold weather moving in tonight.

[Gjac]

Your battery is brand new, was it fully charged when you installed it? If so as Time to roll said your battery would not draw down in two days unless something is left on. I would disconnect your neg cable set your mutimeter to 10 amp scale and put your leads between the neg post and neg cable. What does it read? Next check the output of your converter what does it read? You said your converter was just replaced I doubt it is your converter either. If you can post these two readings you will get more accurate responses and what to do next to trouble shoot the problem.

[time2roll]

MarkW. wrote:
Well, no such luck. Went out to the trailer the next morning, and same problems. Tested battery and 5.3 volts showing...ie, battery dead. So I'm guessing converter isn't charging battery. So buying another converter today..ugh..

Seems low for 2 days. Converter may well be shot. However bench test it before spending money. s/b about 13.6 volts. Don't replace with a WFCO.

Need to check what is discharging the battery. Is this in use or stored? Example: check the breakaway braking system is not energized.

[drsteve]

MarkW. wrote:
Well, no such luck. Went out to the trailer the next morning, and same problems. Tested battery and 5.3 volts showing...ie, battery dead. So I'm guessing converter isn't charging battery. So buying another converter today..ugh..

Battery at 5.3V is probably sulfated. Or shorted.

[MarkW_]

Well, no such luck. Went out to the trailer the next morning, and same problems. Tested battery and 5.3 volts showing...ie, battery dead. So I'm guessing converter isn't charging battery. So buying another converter today..ugh..

[wa8yxm]

Dim.. Pause.. Bright.. Pause.. Dim Pause Bright. And so on indicates one of two things

1: A circuit breaker cycling (Self resetting thermal type)

2: A converter switching between bulk and absorption..

WFCO's do have a high failure rate (recommended replacement is Progressive Dynamics 4600 series, only replaces the electronics, you still use the WFCO power distribution panel. NOTE Progressive Dynamics is a US Company. they manufacture in Michigan. I have visited the factory. )

However if you just replaced the Converter. I would also suspect the batteries.

Can you measure battery current? I have a Crafstman Clamp on AC/DC ammeter. yes the clamp on reads DC as well as AC... (One interesting fact is I've seen "Clamp on" DC ammeters that not only indicated current flow, but direction, (I do not think this one does direction) from back in the 1950's.. Ford used them).

[Cydog15]

MarkW. wrote:
Hey everyone...I have a 2013 Salem that had a 55a WFCO Power Converter. The lights began cycling dim/bright/dim. I replaced the stock 55a convertor with a 75a convertor in March of last year. The lights are again dimming and brightening. Could it be a converter issue, battery issue, or something else? I put a battery charger on the battery and that fixed the lighting issue...now it seems some of the fuses are blowing. the battery charger was on 6a. I moved it down to 2a to see if it gets better...any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

That is your converter. Not fresh news that the WFCOs do that. Get with Bestconverter and get a Boondocker 1275C and your problems are gone forever.