Electrical issues

[fdtd]

I have a 2001 viking 2048 legend (at least I think I got the model right).  I tried to power/recharge it from a generator, but the electrical system started to smoke from the gfi outlet.  I had to change the gfi outlet since it was melted., but the inverter/charger does not seem to be charging the battery now.  I was at a campground in Va over the weekend and other than the battery dieing and not having lights on Sunday night not a bad trip.   The lights dimmed and eventually stopped working.  However, the propane detector stopped working, but eventually the light started to blink (low battery), I guess my question would be about how long does it take to recharge the battery and shouldn't the inverter convert 120 ACto power 12volt dc?  Also shouldn't a generator be able to power camper through the shoreline?

thanks for anyhelp you can offer.  I just have a feeling that I will have to replace the inverter/charger

[tknick]

I would agree with your initial assesment that the converter is probably bad.  Yes, you should be able to power your camper via a generator provided the generator is putting out regulated 110/120 volts.  The converter should take that and power all your 12v appliances including charging (and I use that term loosely) your battery.  As for the melting GFCI, other than circuit breakers, the converter doesn't do a whole lot with 110 voltage as it relates to the outlets.  It almost sounds like you had too much voltage.  But you would think the breakers in the converter and the GFCI breaker would trip before that kind of damage.  If you have the manual to your converter, check that.  Some have internal fuses that many have blown and saved you the expense of a new converter.  Otherwise, you should be able to tell relatively quickly using a voltmeter if the converter is still working as it should. The manual should also tell what the rated inputs and outputs are so you can check to see if they are within specs.

travis

[wavery]

tknick had some good suggestions. I might also add that I would check the generator to be sure that it's outlets are wired correctly. You might want to get a Ground Fault Tester from any hardware store. They just plug into the outlet and a green light will come on if it is wired correctly and a red light will come on if it isn't.

If the green light is on, try plugging the camper into the generator and test each outlet in the camper (that is, after you get them working.

If the red light does come on, try grounding the generator to the camper before you rewire anything.

ON A SIDE NOTE..... Everyone should have one of those Ground Fault Testers in your home. It is a good idea to check every outlet in your home. The apt building that I manage has 40 apartments (built in 1987) and about 900 outlets total. We had the entire building tested and found that 20% of the outlets were wired wrong. We then checked all of the buildings that the management company manages and found that over 25% of all of the outlets (probably 100,000 outlets total) were wired incorrectly. It all started from one person getting a shock from their vacuum cleaner. Thankfully, she wasn't injured (or worse) but could have been, very easily.

[fdtd]

thanks for the suggestions...the outlet in the camper was wired correctly and the new one is from the hardware store and it is not lighted indicating that it is wired correctly.  as for the inverter, it only has fusses on the front access panel and they are not blown.  So back to the original idea..bad inverter gotta call the dealership...oh well

[wavery]

thanks for the suggestions...the outlet in the camper was wired correctly and the new one is from the hardware store and it is not lighted indicating that it is wired correctly.  as for the inverter, it only has fusses on the front access panel and they are not blown.  So back to the original idea..bad inverter gotta call the dealership...oh well

fdtd
FYI:
A converter changes 110v AC to 12v DC. An inverter changes 12v DC to 110v AC.

Most campers have converters. Some also have inverters but it is rare.

[fdtd]

fdtd
FYI:
A converter changes 110v AC to 12v DC. An inverter changes 12v DC to 110v AC.

Most campers have converters. Some also have inverters but it is rare.

I knew that but I am having a brain fart

[wavery]

I knew that but I am having a brain fart

I knew that you knew that but I am an, "Old fart" and I wasn't sure others that were reading this thread did know the difference :p .

[fdtd]

I knew that you knew that but I am an, "Old fart" and I wasn't sure others that were reading this thread did know the difference :p .

of course the only way I knew that is that I was looking at the manual at the time...mind read one thing, but told the fingers to type something else

[chasd60]

I think you have the 2480, 2480ST or 2408. I had the 2001 2480ST (ST means with a storage trunk) and the factory converter in it was from Todd Engineering. They went out of business even before I took delivery of my Viking. The original converter gave off so much electrical interference you could barely play a radio even with its own batteries.
 
Mine was still under warranty and I perfromed my own warranty work Viking sent me a Centurion converter which I installed. The hole had to be cut quite a bit larger for the Centurion and the bracing behind it had to be moved. All in all about a 30 minute job. The Centurion converter had a tendency to overcharge the battery and boil out the electrolyte.
 
If you are going to have to pay for a new converter, I would research them and get a good one with a real charger. Bestconverter.com (advertiser above) has the WFCO converter which is supposed to be a good one.

[fdtd]

I think you have the 2480, 2480ST or 2408. I had the 2001 2480ST (ST means with a storage trunk) and the factory converter in it was from Todd Engineering. They went out of business even before I took delivery of my Viking. The original converter gave off so much electrical interference you could barely play a radio even with its own batteries.
 
Mine was still under warranty and I perfromed my own warranty work Viking sent me a Centurion converter which I installed. The hole had to be cut quite a bit larger for the Centurion and the bracing behind it had to be moved. All in all about a 30 minute job. The Centurion converter had a tendency to overcharge the battery and boil out the electrolyte.
 
If you are going to have to pay for a new converter, I would research them and get a good one with a real charger. Bestconverter.com (advertiser above) has the WFCO converter which is supposed to be a good one.

thanks for the info, which converter would you recommend...the 12 amp or the 25?

[mike4947]

The 25 amp as a minimum. The battery charging section will take whatever is not being used by other 12 volt applications in the trailer.