How Do I Troubleshoot Ground (I think) Problems

I think I have a ground fault problem. My transfer switch or my inverter I turn the inverter on and everything works great. When we travel, at some point in time the inverter shuts off so when we get to the new campsite, the residential refrigerator is off. I believe when they installed my washer/dryer on May 1st, they did something that is causing the problem. Not sure what. I did not have this problem before the w/d was installed and now I do. I know they messed with the inverter because it was turned off while they installed the w/d. Not sure why but they did.

Any ideas on how to trace this problem??

klindgren said:

I think I have a ground fault problem. My transfer switch or my inverter I turn the inverter on and everything works great. When we travel, at some point in time the inverter shuts off so when we get to the new campsite, the residential refrigerator is off. I believe when they installed my washer/dryer on May 1st, they did something that is causing the problem. Not sure what. I did not have this problem before the w/d was installed and now I do. I know they messed with the inverter because it was turned off while they installed the w/d. Not sure why but they did.

Any ideas on how to trace this problem??

Click to expand...

When you get to your destination, do your batteries seem like they have been charging from the daily drive?...or way lower that they should be?

If our battery voltage can't provide 11.2 or more volts for the frig compressor to start up on, it will kick the Magnum 1000w inverter out.

Something to look at for the inverter to stop working during a midday drive.

When trying to analyze your problem, I asked myself: "What different than being parked happens when you are travelling down the road?" My answer is ROAD VIBRATIONS. These strong shakes could cause electrical connections to be disconnected for a few milliseconds and then re-connected. All of the 12 volt wiring leading to the inverter could be suspect, along with the possible circuit board or internal wiring on the inverter itself. With this in mind, I would recommend that the 12 volt wiring be direct to the 12 volt battery with a self resetting circuit breaker on the positive wire. There should also be a negative 12 volt wire all the way to the battery (don't rely on frame ground). I am thinking from the conditions you cite that any small interruption of the 12 volt supply could cause the inverter to turn off, and not turn back on without resetting the inverter power switch.

You may want to buy another brand of inverter to maybe see if the problem is within the inverter

There was a recent similar thread (check the similar threads listing at the bottom of the page) where a link was posted to Jim B's inverter power lost alarm lamp modification that can be seen from the truck driver's mirror. I also posted about using an outside wireless thermometer with the sensor in the refrig while travelling, and the readout kept in the truck, so that you could monitor refrig temperature while driving.

On edit: Here is a link to Jim B's loss of power alarm light mod: https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/51167-jbeletti-s-2015-Landmark-365-Ashland

wdk450 said:

When trying to analyze your problem, I asked myself: "What different than being parked happens when you are travelling down the road?" My answer is ROAD VIBRATIONS. These strong shakes could cause electrical connections to be disconnected for a few milliseconds and then re-connected. All of the 12 volt wiring leading to the inverter could be suspect, along with the possible circuit board or internal wiring on the inverter itself. With this in mind, I would recommend that the 12 volt wiring be direct to the 12 volt battery with a self resetting circuit breaker on the positive wire. There should also be a negative 12 volt wire all the way to the battery (don't rely on frame ground). I am thinking from the conditions you cite that any small interruption of the 12 volt supply could cause the inverter to turn off, and not turn back on without resetting the inverter power switch.

You may want to buy another brand of inverter to maybe see if the problem is within the inverter

There was a recent similar thread (check the similar threads listing at the bottom of the page) where a link was posted to Jim B's inverter power lost alarm lamp modification that can be seen from the truck driver's mirror. I also posted about using an outside wireless thermometer with the sensor in the refrig while travelling, and the readout kept in the truck, so that you could monitor refrig temperature while driving.

Click to expand...

If your trailer electrical is connected and inverter is on while starting your truck, the total system voltage could drop low enough to shutdown the inverter.

This could even be intermittent such as when you have lights, headlights, wipers and other high demand items such as heater/AC fans running and the inverter shuts off during a startup then other times you have nothing on but the inverter and start the truck and you have no issues.

Thanks for the responses. I think I've got it narrowed down to low voltage from the batteries. Not 100% sure yet, but it's sure pointing in that direction. I talked with my service tech and he said to bring the coach by next week and he'll do a load test on the batteries. I've got my fingers crossed it is something simple like a bad battery. Will let you know. Thanks for the responses. Your answers helped steer me in the right direction.

Right now, our battery bank is a temporary hoge-poge until I replace it this Fall, but occasionally when it runs down in the afternoons before charging by generator, it may show a bit below static 12.0 volts. When the resi frig starts up, the voltage can drop instantly below that 11.2 V I mentioned above, the inverter's alarm will squeal, and frig can't start.

I think your on the right track by investigating a low voltage/amperage issue....good luck and please let us know the outcome.