WFCO WF-5110 Inverter Died!

[CFair]

Last Sunday as we were leaving the St. Louis area to return home, I went to turn on the inverter using the installed WF-5110 remote, nothing happened, no green LED at the remote panel (not sure if installed unit is a 5110R or a 5110RS). The green pass-through LED had been lit, but after I secured shore power and pressed the remote switch, nothing happened. The only thing o-n that circuit in my unit is the residential fridge, and everything worked well on the 3-day trip to St. Louis area. In the forward storage area where my batteries and the inverter are located, I could smell the acrid scent of fried circuits, and no lights or codes show on the LCD screen. I'm pretty sure I let the smoke out of it (Navy for smoked something electronic) and need to replace the unit. The only thing I can see that is working now is the AC power available green LED on the unit, regardless of whether the unit is turned on or off (which should be normal, as near as I can tell from the manual). I know the batteries are good, I just installed 2 new LiFePO4 12v/100 AH batteries in parallel (they have Bluetooth links to monitor them), and they were at 99% SOC and balanced. My first thought is to just get a new WF-5110RS which means I can just replace it and all the cables and the remote will fit and I won't exceed my electrical abilities (basic skills mostly acquired through experience and survival). We don't use the RV heavily, only 4-6 times per year so far, so a massive conversion isn't really in my plans for now. Using a lot of good advice from this forum, I kept my original WFCO 8955 Converter (not auto-detect) and it has been keeping the new batteries up just fine (but I also carry a 20-amp LiFePO4 smart charger which is what I used to charge and balance the batteries initially). When I first used the inverter (camp driveway!) the Bluetooth app showed I could go several days running the fridge before getting down to 10% SOC) and it did just fine at keeping the system just as cold as shore power. I have read that many people have issues with the 5110 inverters failing after a couple of years or even less, but is replacing it with a different unit cost-effective for my usage or am I just opening a new can of worms? I am pretty certain the current unit is toast, no output, no display, no fans - so I will need to do something. Would appreciate some informed recommendations from some folks with more savvy on this subject than me. TIA - Chris.

[CFair]

Sorry I forgot to add the RV is a 2020 FR Sabre 270RL 5th wheel.
Chris

[dalford]

If you just want to swap you can get one here. I’m sure there are other places to buy. Folks have had some issues with these but on here good reviews. Maybe they upgraded.

Before you swap it out there is a 100 amp ANL type fuse between the battery and the plus input to the inverter. Mine was mounted in the back under the inverter. I actually shorted it out when removing unit. So, mjust check that you do have 12 volts at the DC input on the back of your unit.

lol…Army we used to let the smoke out also… we had sacrificial resistors…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Aussieguy]

test using a multi meter to ensure you got 12v going IN and if you got 120v going OUT.
smell may be from the remote wiring or other wiring?
--------------------------------------------
If you decide to replace...
now that you got more battery capacity you can explore getting a slightly bigger one
as long as you got some loads that would justify a bigger unit
For camping... 12v and propane does just about everything I need

If you upgrade .. you may have to change the cables from battery to inverter
be aware that cables supplied with the "cheaper" inverters may not be best quality

[Tom-n-Dale]

Here is a link to the manual.

Try disconnecting one of the 12 volt wires for 5 min like the manual says.

https://www.wfcotech.com/wp-content/...ter-Manual.pdf

[CFair]

Here is some updated information from a little VOM work - The batteries at the output terminals (2-12v/100ah in parallel) is 13.6 on my analog meter with the Bluetooth link showing 99% SOC and 13.7v. There is 13.6v indicated at the DC battery input terminals on the inverter. The fuse on the (+) cable from the battery to the inverter input also tests OK (13.6v on input and output of fuse block terminals). I unplugged the 120v AC line and the green LED went out, and when I plugged it back in, I could hear the "AC power present" relay click in and the green LED lit up. I haven't disconnected the (-) power in to the inverter yet, but I'll do that tomorrow when I have my tools in hand. Rather than using an Allen wrench to disconnect the (-) lead at the inverter, I plan to lift the other end of the - power cable from the M8 connection at the battery as it is much easier to access, and I believe should accomplish the same result. That will allow me to see if the manual guidance to disconnect the (-) lead and wait 5 minutes for the system to reset. I still have a blank LCD display regardless of whether the AC voltage is available or not or whether the power button on the unit is on or off. I also do not see either the yellow LED (inverter operating) or the red LED (inverter problem) light up in any configuration. I have also tried putting the inverter in "off" and using the remote on/off button inside the RV, also to no avail. If the (-) disconnect doesn't reset things tomorrow, or at least let me get an error code on the LCD display, I'm pretty sure it's replacement time. I have confirmed my current inverter is the WF-5110R model, not the RS version, so an upgrade to the RS appears to offer a little more conversion efficiency and maybe some more reliability - but that is based on WFCO online literature and not on user feedback or expert analysis ('cause I'm sure no expert!). AussieGuy - I've thought about your thoughts of maybe adding more capacity, but like you, we don't use the inverter for anything but the refrigerator while we're on the road between campgrounds with electric service. And even in the worst case where we might need to stay on the inverter for a length of time, the LiFePO4 battery Bluetooth app shows I should have almost 65 hours of power to the fridge. So the 1000-watt unit will meet our usage needs and be an easier 1-for-1 replacement from what I can see.
Thanks to everyone for advice and suggestions, and I'll update this once I try the (-) power disconnect tomorrow.
Chris

[CFair]

OK, I disconnected the (-) lead to the inverter for 10 minutes twice. Once with the AC sensing plugged in, once with the AC sensing unplugged. The bad news is that in both cases there was no change in the inverter unit. No yellow or red light (still get the "AC power available" green LED when I plugged it back in. Still have a completely blank LCD screen (I even tried the button to shift what the screen displays, but no joy).
A new question - I have been looking at the WF-5100RS replacements online and none of the pictures I have seen show the 4 tabs used to mount my current unit to the bulkhead of my forward storage/battery compartment. Before I try to call WFCO to try and get the answer (and probably get put on hold forever!), do any of you know if the new units have the mounting tabs? My current inverter is mounted vertically on the bulkhead sitting above the batteries which make the wiring pretty simple (plus I know the cable lengths will work) and I won't have to begin a new construction project.
Again, thanks for all the good advice and guidance,
Chris

[dalford]

This has tabs.. also listed as R not RS but if you look at specs it says mfg part number is RS…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by CFair

OK, I disconnected the (-) lead to the inverter for 10 minutes twice. Once with the AC sensing plugged in, once with the AC sensing unplugged. The bad news is that in both cases there was no change in the inverter unit. No yellow or red light (still get the "AC power available" green LED when I plugged it back in. Still have a completely blank LCD screen (I even tried the button to shift what the screen displays, but no joy).
A new question - I have been looking at the WF-5100RS replacements online and none of the pictures I have seen show the 4 tabs used to mount my current unit to the bulkhead of my forward storage/battery compartment. Before I try to call WFCO to try and get the answer (and probably get put on hold forever!), do any of you know if the new units have the mounting tabs? My current inverter is mounted vertically on the bulkhead sitting above the batteries which make the wiring pretty simple (plus I know the cable lengths will work) and I won't have to begin a new construction project.
Again, thanks for all the good advice and guidance,
Chris

I don't believe there is a WF-5100RS but there is a WF-5110RS and they do have four tabs - https://www.wfcotech.com/product-cat...f-5100-series/

I had a WF-5110RS that replaced the original WF-5100 which had a E04 error code after 5years in 2022. Then this past June the WF-5110RS would only produce a brief yellow light followed by a solid red light after 26 months of being installed (not use) on battery power. When it was plugged in on shore power the pass through worked fine and produced a green light. WFCO wouldn't cover it with the 2 yr warranty. So I had Orvan install another brand that he felt was reputable.

I did like the way the WF-5110RS functioned where the fan only ran when more than 2 amps was being drawn from the batteries whereas the original WF-5100's fan would run all the time when on. Haven't done any traveling with the new inverter so don't know how well it will function. I think that the new one's fan will only run when needed also. Am hoping I won't have any problems.

Good luck and be safe -

[CFair]

Little bill, thanks for the information! You are correct, I am looking at a replacement WF-5110RS, just my brain works better than my typing fingers! The link you provided had all the info I needed. I suspect many of the sellers just cut and paste the same picture and specs (on a couple of sites I saw the same inverter listed as “50hz”, some list an AC output breaker and others an output fuse) but i am pretty sure a WF-5110RS is what they’re all trying to sell. I’ll probably buy through Amazon since I’ve had god luck with them resolving issues if the product is not as advertised. I am hoping my existing remote control and wiring is still good since I hate trying to chase wiring in RVs!
I appreciate everyone’s help and input! Now it’s time to get a new WF-5110RS and get it installed!

[dalford]

Originally Posted by CFair

Little bill, thanks for the information! You are correct, I am looking at a replacement WF-5110RS, just my brain works better than my typing fingers! The link you provided had all the info I needed. I suspect many of the sellers just cut and paste the same picture and specs (on a couple of sites I saw the same inverter listed as “50hz”, some list an AC output breaker and others an output fuse) but i am pretty sure a WF-5110RS is what they’re all trying to sell. I’ll probably buy through Amazon since I’ve had god luck with them resolving issues if the product is not as advertised. I am hoping my existing remote control and wiring is still good since I hate trying to chase wiring in RVs!
I appreciate everyone’s help and input! Now it’s time to get a new WF-5110RS and get it installed!

I’m sure the old wiring will work with the new unit. It is pretty much an exact replacement… good luck…

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by CFair

Little bill, thanks for the information! You are correct, I am looking at a replacement WF-5110RS, just my brain works better than my typing fingers! The link you provided had all the info I needed. I suspect many of the sellers just cut and paste the same picture and specs (on a couple of sites I saw the same inverter listed as “50hz”, some list an AC output breaker and others an output fuse) but i am pretty sure a WF-5110RS is what they’re all trying to sell. I’ll probably buy through Amazon since I’ve had god luck with them resolving issues if the product is not as advertised. I am hoping my existing remote control and wiring is still good since I hate trying to chase wiring in RVs!
I appreciate everyone’s help and input! Now it’s time to get a new WF-5110RS and get it installed!

At the time I couldn't find the WF-5110RS on Amazon. I got mine from Boat & RV Accessories out of Centerville, Ohio - https://www.boatandrvaccessories.com...s&_ss=e&_v=1.0.

I was in Florida at the time and got the inverter within 2-3 days after ordering it on-line. I paid roughly $476 for it and I think it was free shipping. Of course that was back in February 2022.

Good luck and be safe -