Inverter shuts off unexpectedly

[wtblakeman]

I have a 2015 Cedar Creek 5th wheel with a household fridge. The fridge is powered when not on shore power by an inverter. I turn the inverter on when leaving on a trip but before I make my first stop, the inverter has shut off. The power to keep the batteries charged comes from the truck's alternator, so I know the voltage is sufficient.

Anyone else had a similar problem and can someone tell me why this would happen???

Thanks

[spock123]

How many batteries do you have in the Cedar Creek?

[spock123]

The power from the alternator is at best a trickle charge, you could turn your headlights on to get a little more power. I would check the batteries before I checked anything and then check the inverter

[CHICKDOE]

what model inverter? many of them will shut off if the battery voltage gets low. there may be a code of some type of the inverter display that indicates why is shut off. there have also been several posts about the gcfi receptacle of some model inverters tripping and not being able to be reset. the issue with the charge line from the tow vehicle is not enough amperage getting to the batteries to recharge what the refrigerator is using. there have been posts about the two vehicle not supplying any charge on the charge line to the trailer due to a blown or missing fuse in the tow vehicle, bad connections in the 7-pin connector, or bad connections in the charge line with the trailer itself.


all that being said there have also been many posts about running the refrigerator while towing with many replies (myself included) saying that they run the refrigerator off the inverter all day long while towing without problems.


the first thing I would do is to find out what model inverter you have and see if it has some form of error code displayed when it shuts down. that might give a clue as to where to go next. assuming the inverter is good, the most probable cause is that it is shutting down due to low voltage from the batteries. if so, time to check the batteries and verify the power going to them from the tow vehicle.


also assuming that the inverter is dedicated solely to the refrigerator and that there are no other devices running off the inverter.

[Kenny kustom]

If you have a res fridge.. with the stock batteries, the inverter will not keep up.

[CHICKDOE]

we have 2 group 27 12 volt marine / rv batteries (dealer put them it), a xantrex pro watt inverter, and a residential refrigerator, and a progressive dynamics converter / charger. we stay with full hookups so we can assume the batteries are fully charged when we hook up to leave. we turn the inverter on just before we leave and disconnect from shore power. we have towed all day (some long days) and the refrigerator is still running on the inverter when we get to where we are going. I don't have the details of just how much power the refrigerator uses. there was one post where somebody monitored the power it used and it was not on all the time. usage varied. also, when towing the refrigerator doors stay closed so it probably uses less power than when setup on shore power and the doors being opened and closed. I suspect the refrigerator draws down the batteries when it is in high power usage mode. but then it stops using power for awhile and the batteries charge up some from the two vehicle. again, this is just a guess, I have no details. but as I said, the refrigerator is still working when we stop for the day.

[Cypressloser]

Key is to start with (a) full batter(y)ies, if they're only partially charged you'll be out of luck. Don't assume, check.
Power from the truck should be sufficient to keep up with the current draw from the inverter but won't be able to do both charging the battery and supplying power for the inverter.

[wtblakeman]

Thanks for all the replies. They are greatly appreciated and very helpful.
What I failed to state earlier is that I have run the fridge in my driveway, not hooked up to shore power for as much as 12 hrs and it still had not cut off.


I have two 6V golf cart batteries supplying the power and they both check good and are fully charged before I leave home.


My inverter is a 1000 watt WFCO inverter installed at the factory when new.


It just seems to me to be an issue with the connection to the truck, maybe overcharging, but when I have checked the voltage coming from the truck it is somewhere around 13.4V when running.

[Cypressloser]

It's usually best to test the battery voltage when they have been resting for a couple hours (no power in, no power out). If you didn't have good batteries like the ones you have the inverter would have shut down much earlier.
Also, how long is the cable from the batteries to the inverter, I'm asking this because voltage drop can be a real issue when the cable is on the "smallish" side and more than 5' to 6' long.

[BandJCarm]

I don't mean to ask the obvious........but what do you mean when you say the inverter has 'shut off'? Can you hear/see it running? Display blank, or what??? How long does it take on battery/inverter for this to happen?

[CHICKDOE]

ok, i'm stumped! if it will run for 12 hours in the driveway, it should run from leaving to your first stop. the only thing I can see as a difference is possibly a loose connection somewhere that is getting vibrated while travelling. only other variable might be refrigerator setup. by any chance was the refrigerator already cool when you ran it in the driveway and it had to cool down during the tow? ice maker on while towing and off at the driveway?


the cable distance between battery and inverter is the same whether travelling or in the driveway. you say batteries fully charged in both cases. you've got me. I hope you get if resolved. please give an update when you know more

[wtblakeman]

By shutting off, I mean that the inverter completely shuts off. No power coming out at all, no display, no nothing. Not sure how long it takes to cut off, but usually less than an hour. Hard to say. I'm driving and don't know what is going on until I make a rest stop.

[wtblakeman]

The variable here Chickdoe is that while sitting in my driveway, the camper is not connected to anything. No shore power, no truck. When driving down the road, it is connected to the truck. Basically, when drive camping it works, when connected to truck, it doesn't work, but I don"t know how long it takes to cut off. It's working when I leave my drive

[BandJCarm]

Ah, got it now thanks. But what is "drive camping"?

I admit, I'm stumped. My ONLY guess is that the batteries are not charged enough to run it, and when on shore power the refrigerator works but actually, the inverter is not.

I turn my inverter off when on shore power. BUT, you don't have to. It has an automatic shut off (even though some folks think it doesn't). It shuts off when not needed. And that might come into play too. BUT, mine has never shut off while driving down the road, that I know of. It's always on when I stop. I have 4 six-volt batteries, fyi.

[VinceU]

Coming in late but I detect a few important problems. Start with the refrigerator, most require 7-11 amps AC. To provide this you must supply 10X this amount or 70-110 amp D.C. From batteries. That's a huge load since the typical battery can store 100-150 continuous output. And remember you can only draw down 1/2 of that storage.
Yes some alternators can supply this usage and charging DC current, most are only a trickle charge via the plug. Remember 100 amps requires a large cable, not # 12 or 14. I had a motor with a 250 amps ratings to was plenty for all loads.
So in conclusion, the batteries are two small, you have an effective 125 amps @12V. With a finite time limit.
Most design call for 4X12V batteries @ minimum 400 amp hours. You probably have no dynamic charging system underway.
Good news if gaskets are tight and doors not opened, the load cycle is greatly reduced and the system will last much longer. As provided your system is inadequate.

[formerFR]

from my experience, two 6v deep cycle batteries can certainly sufficiently handle a residential 120v refrigerator, as this is what is supplied by the factory just for that purpose. The 1000w Inverter/Converter/Charger is also sufficient.

the fact that the fridge is working properly, only on the Inverter and batteries while parked in your driveway, prove that it is working correctly.

when hooked up to your truck, though, is when the 'problem' begins. It's not the alternator output, as the Inverter and batteries are already proved to provide enough amps for the trip. Could it be the actually physical connection from the truck? maybe, but doubtful.

I would suggest that it may be more of an issue with the movement of the RV, with something 'touching' and/or 'shorting' at or near the Inverter unit. A loose connection could certainly provide a reason for the Inverter to be 'off' when you check it after travel.

[VinceU]

Not convinced 12 hours in use before trip is sat. Minimum system design should be two days. If you have a long day on the road you don't need to arrive with a thawed and spoiled freezer. Just thinking put up with that in 2 way boxes.

[Bama Rambler]

When you stop and the inverter is shut down, can you reset it and it start right back up and power the fridge immediately?

[wtblakeman]

Vince, it is apparent that you understand 12v power better than I, but I have to respectfully disagree that two 6V golf cart batteries is not sufficient. As I stated above the batteries will run the fridge when the camper is not connected to anything, for a minimum of 12 hrs., which proves to me that the batteries are sufficient.


Former FB, I have disconnected all the cables and wires involved, cleaned and replaces tightly.


Bama Rambler, the answer is yes it does restart immediately.

[CruiserJoe]

I have the same setup with residential fefrigerator and factory installed inverter. The inverter will shutdown if battery power gets too low. I am hooked up 24/7 either to shore power or to the truck. Only lost inverter power to the refrigerator one time when the connection to the truck was bad and the batteries were not getting charged from the truck.