Inverter problems

July 22, 2003, 08:03:24 pm

Thanks Fred for your input. Apparently I am the only one having problems with dirt in the inverter compartment, or nobody has had it yet. Out here in the west, where men are men and women.......oh, well. We do run into come construction and chipping/resurfacing problems.
I spoke with CC service today and confirmed that they had also experienced complaints over the inverters dirt problems. I ran my fix solution by them and they agreed, with the caveat that I should provide lots of air flow when I box in the inverter for cleanliness.
So, here was my fix: I used 1/4" clear acrylic sheet material and covered the vent holes right behind the inverter. I then cut a piece of acrylic to replace the original metal panel with the little access door that covert the whole compartment. I put a baffle (panel) half way across the compartment that isolates the converter and seals it up nicely from dust and dirt.
The new panel also has a 4" X 4" access hole with removable cover to allow you to reach your hand in and reset the breakers should one pop. It's neat to be able to see the inverter without having to take the wing nuts off to see if the breakers have popped.
For ventalition, I used a 3" ABS drain pipe fitting cut into the panel and mounted a 110v duct fan, purchased from Lowe's. The 3" ABS pipe extends to the door and has a piece of furnace filter, the loose mesh type banded to the end of the pipe with a wire tye. At this point, I have ordered a Suburban stainless steel furnace outside vent directly from them. It is excatly like the one used on the coach but up higher on the same side. A conventional dryer flap is mounted on the battery side of the housing and allows free circulation of air.
I have put this Rube Goldberg thing together today and the initial test worked great. Here's hoping I can get the furnace vent soon and close the job up.

Larry

Intrigue 10762

Re: Inverter problems

Reply #1 – July 23, 2003, 01:23:08 am

Yahoo Message Number: 5482

Hi Larry,

Using a 110 vac fan is probably a good idea as the inverter is only used for relatively short periods when using the batteries for power.
Suggest you connect it to the 110 vac line going to the microwave.
That way the fan will run whether the inverter is ON (running off the batteries)or Off(running off shore power or generator power).
Fred Kovol

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