Electrical problem: converter

I realize that so far I’ve not posted lots of fun stuff, but it will come. However I’m documenting the way it is with life on the road. Same as at home, the house needs maintenance and is part of the trip. In this case it was an electrical problem.

In short, our converter quit working. So what’s a converter you might ask? (You experienced RVers or boaters hang in there for a minute).

Most RV’s are equipped with two voltage systems, a 110v AC system and a 12v DC system. The TV’s, air conditioning system, washer/dryer, convection microwave, and outlets on the walls are the 110 volt system everyone is used to at home. The 12v system runs the controls for the refrigerator, the furnace, the hot water heater, and the interior lights. The 12v system works in conjunction with 4 house batteries to provide the 12v. The converter takes 110 power and converts it to 12v power and charges the house batteries. If the house batteries are not charged, the 12v appliances in the coach will not work.

This is a simplified view but good enough for this post.

I noticed that our battery gauge that we have in the coach was going downward indicating that we were losing charge from our batteries. To shorten up the story, through lots of testing and work, I confirmed that the converter had failed.

After calling the few local rv stores in the area, no replacement converter could be located. However, they would be glad to order one for me.

It was time to call the manufacturer of the converter, Iota Engineering located in Arizona.

Good thing I did. I talked to Jay in the technical advice department. He explained a common problem that I might be able to tackle that might fix the converter. Following his instructions, I opened the converter, located the offending part, made a jumper that by-passed the problem, soldered it, and placed the repaired converter back in the RV.

I’m happy to report the converter is converting and charging our batteries. Not exactly heart surgery, but I’m proud of myself none-the-less.

Plus I didn’t get electrocuted in the process.