R25 Inverter

[SEEADLER]

The inverter on our R25 seems to have lost all power. I can't find any blown fuses and there doesn't appear to be power to the remote on/off switch in the cabin. Both lockers - port and starboard, are damp. Is that a factor? Any suggestions?

 

[Red Raven]

The fuses for our inverter are internal to the inverter. I had to remove it from the locker and remove the cover to change the fuses. There are 6 35amp fuses in there.

 

[Captain Steve]

Did all 6 go at the same time? What type of fuse or part description please.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

On our R27 there is a reset button that is exposed when you unplug the power cord on the side of the converter. You might check this to see if your inverter is similar.

Jim F

 

[SEEADLER]

I've tried the GFCI reset to no avail. It appears that there is no power to the inverter, the green and red led lights are not lit and on/off switch doesn't appear to have an power either.

Luke

 

[Red Raven]

In our case all 6 were blown and black soot all over the circuit board. Forgot to check that the water heater and battery charger were off before turning on the inverter to run the microwave. Just a big brain fart cause I knew i was supposed to check the breakers. Now I shut off all 120v panel switches first and set the main 120v switch input switch to off before turning on the inverter. Once I have confirm it comes on (usually only 85v with no load I then switch the panel to the inverter and only then turn on just the microwave breaker.

They are 35amp standard blade fuses like in your car. If you can't find 35 amp, 30 amp fuses will work.

 

[Kenny Marrs]

Hello Luke,

I always try and start with the easiest step first when troubleshooting. In this case, have you verified that the battery switch for the inverter is in the on position? The switch is located in the same hatch as the batteries. You will also see an ANL style fuse right next to the switch.

Thanks,
-Kenny

 

[Jake]

So no breaker trips before 6 fuses blow? Seems like an odd design. I would need a shoebox full of fuses if we had one of those. 🙂

 

[SEEADLER]

Kenny,

I put a multi-meter on it tonight and there is 13+ volts into the back of the inverter. so that looks like the issue is inside the inverter. Remember that there is no power to the on/off switch in the pilothouse.

Next steps?

Luke

 

[SEEADLER]

After looking at some of the older posts regarding these inverters I looks like I've joined the fried inverter club. As a note to Ranger, there seems to be quite a few members of this club and so maybe a different model/brand of inverter should be standard equipment. Any suggestions for a suitable replacement that offers better protection?

Luke

 

[Kenny Marrs]

Hello Luke,

The next step would be to check the GFCI and the black 6 or 8 pin connection on the back side of the inverter. The black cable running to the aft end of the inverter goes up to the switch so it's possible the connection is loose.

Thanks,
-Kenny

 

[SEEADLER]

Well I got it open and it was blown fuses - three of them fried and fused together.

 

[plewis]

Before you assume the blame for the blown fuses... The inverter on my R29 doesn't power the water heater or the A/C. The 120v electric portion of water heater only works off the 120v generator or shore power. I guess my tug must be set up differently because my inverter is in the same unit as charger.

 

[SEEADLER]

Apparently, 35 amp fuses are very hard to come by so I had to settle for 30 amp. A comment on another thread mentioned that these would work fine and so far so good. It's not the best design for an inverter but I'm pretty sure it was operator error that caused the problem.

Thanks for the helpful comments. The take away for me is: develop procedures and stick to them.