Converter smoke

[goofey chuck]

I just picked up my Tracer 3200BHT from Tom Raper Rv and when I opened up and started moving things in the invertor started smoking.... smells like a transformer. 12 volt system still seems to working... Ive had it a week....

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by goofey chuck

I just picked up my Tracer 3200BHT from Tom Raper Rv and when I opened up and started moving things in the invertor started smoking.... smells like a transformer. 12 volt system still seems to working... Ive had it a week....

Inverter or converter?

Its under WARRANTY take it back.

TURBS

oc's buddy

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Inverter or converter?

Its under WARRANTY take it back.

TURBS

oc's buddy

X2............you usually want to see smoke only coming from your grill while camping.

It's common to mix up the terminology. A converter (which takes 120 volt AC power and converts it to 12 volt DC power) is common to all RV's.

An inverter (which takes 12 volt DC power and inverts it to 120 volt AC power) are usually on Motorhomes and/or RV's with battery banks....but you could have an inverter.

If it is the converter you are smelling, and it doesn't work.........then your 12 volts things in your RV will still function, but they are drawing their power from the battery. Once the battery depletes itself, the 12 volt stuff won't work.

You do need to get it checked out, as the converter also functions as a battery charger too.

Here is an article from Mark Polk:

http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformat...d-amp-draw.asp

Hope this helps and you get it all fixed up.

[wmtire]

I have a question though:

What did you plug your RV into? Did you install, or have installed, an outlet at your home to hook the camper to? RV's use 120 volt AC power.

The reason I ask, is we have had many new campers unintentionally plug their 30 amp 120 volt camper into a 240 volt 30 amp wired outlet, which does burn up the converter immediately (and it can smoke as per the first paragraph from the following pdf).

http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/30-amp%20Service.pdf

We have also had people who have a 50 amp RV, use an adapter and plug their camper into a 30 amp 240 volt wired outlet...and do the same thing (burn it up). Even though a 50 amp RV hooks to a 120/240 volt split phase service, it utilizes each leg separate as 120 volt only....... so if you use an adapter (which will combines the legs, where they are normally separate) and hook it up to a 240 volt three prong outlet, it fries it.

You usually also lose the television and microwave when hooked up to 240 volts.

Better reading can be found here:

http://www.myrv.us/electric/

[goofey chuck]

I was in a 120v outlet... Converter sorry lol I dropped it off 30 mins ago will see. Not a good start for sure.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by goofey chuck

I was in a 120v outlet... Converter sorry lol I dropped it off 30 mins ago will see. Not a good start for sure.

It's not a good start, but it's better it failed in your driveway and not out camping.

If you would, please let us know what they say it is, so it may help others later on who read this.

[prairiecamper]

Oh man! impossible to get the smoke back into the converter, don't ask me how I know. LOL. Hope it all works out OK.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by goofey chuck

I was in a 120v outlet... Converter sorry lol I dropped it off 30 mins ago will see. Not a good start for sure.

If you don't mind, I'm going to edit the title of this thread, to reflect a converter so it may help others who search using that term.

[goofey chuck]

Ok thanks