battery inverter

[LBarrett]

We bought a used 2012 Cherokee park model last year. This is our first full season so we are still learning how everything works. We are plugged in to a 50amp services site seasonally but the invertor fan comes on and off randomly. The lights dim then become super bright for a few minutes and then dim again. This can't be normal. We took the battery in to be tested today and it was low but recharged OK. I'm thinking we need a new inverter. Does anyone know what the brand name or size inverter we would need?

[Flybob]

The item you are hearing it the converter fan. A converter converts 110AC to 12V dc to charge battery and operate 12V appliances. An inverter takes 12VDC and converts it to 110VAC. There is a thermostat controlled fan in the converter to cool it when the 12VDC demand is high. If the battery is low and you put a load on it, The converter ramps up to support the additional current. Just because a battery can be charged, does not mean it can support a decent load. Did you have the battery load tested? Most auto stores can do this. I would focus on the battery before I did anything with the converter. Unless the previous owner took great care of the battery, four years is about the life you can expect.

[Sutibun]

Check your battery connections too. I had a similar issue the past weekend and terminals were loose.

[Skyliner]

The converters that come with campers are usually garbage.

Do an online search for a Progressive Dynamics 70 amp converter, order the remote charge pendant, and you should be ok.

Strongly recommend you mount the new converter within 3-4 feet of the battery so it'll charge the battery faster due to lower voltage loss.

I'm on my 5th camper and have done this five times already. Worth every penny!

The 70 amp converter will give you room for growth if you decide to expand your battery capacity especially important if you decide to go solar!

Good luck!
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-D...K3KMHSZ2G0G3NA

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-D...FQ0KT1E2JSN97M

[LBarrett]

Everything is going wonky in our trailer right now even though the battery tested to have a full charge. I think we're just going to have to try a new battery. Can you recommend a good battery replacement?

[Flybob]

Even a bad battery can show full charge immediately after being removed from the charger. The issue is it can not support that voltage under any load. A load test will verify this.

You need to determine what you plan to use the battery for. If you plan to do a lot of off grid camping, you should look at deep cycle batteries. If this is just to operate the break away brakes and occasional 12V demand, a dual purpose ( less expensive ) battery will work. You need to determine what you want to run and for how long and how you are going to replace the charge before you can make the decision which battery is right for you. Add up current (amps) multiplied by usage time for each device you will have running between charges. That number has to be less than 50% of total battery capacity (AHrs). The charging system should be able to replace that demand in a day.

[LBarrett]

We are seasonal so we're running AC all day and most nights - radio, outside lights, sometimes the TV, toaster, kettle etc. I'm thinking the larger converter is best for us. We bought a new battery and everything is running great right now. We just took out the converter. I am ordering a replacement just to be sure. You can never really know what's going on when you buy a used RV even though it was rarely used. Thanks for all your advice. I appreciate it.