'83 Newell Inverter Replacement

[bluesky]

Hello Friends

I'll be flying into Holland MI next Tuesday to pick up our '83 Classic we purchased last November and then trekking across the country back to our home in Kelowna, B.C. Canada.

I believe I have the coach ready to cruise with two exceptions;

1. The inverter/charger needs to be replaced. Holland MotorHome is doing the install. Which make/model would you recommend for our coach, given it is pretty much all electrical with no propane on board now? All the appliances are new, including HD tv's, GPS ...

2. The rear leveling valve is leaking and needs to be replaced, however, the part is back ordered 4 weeks, which doesn't help my cause. Replacement part is MAC valve #225B-602BAAA. Any idea if one of those could be found and shipped to HMH in MI asap?

Cheers, we're very excited to finally sit in our new coach.

Glenn

[prairieschooner]

I carry a spare for our '82 but here is a link for you since Newell is out of stock, maybe you can try one of their distributors;
http://www.macvalves.com/

[encantotom]

howdy,

starting from scratch, i would put in a pure sine wave inverter charger rather than a modified sine wave one. i am most familiar with the xantrex line but there are others as well. a pure sine wave inverter will run everything with no problems (for instance my microwave runs on reduced power on my modified sine wave one). they are more expensive (but not that much anymore), but that is what i would do. some power tool chargers dont like modified sine waves. none of my hdtv's or audio stuff have any problem with it. some computers used to be sensitive to it (modified sine wave ones), so that is not clear with your requirements. the simple way to think about it is the buzz word "clean power". pure sine wave is much cleaner power source. but like i said most things dont care.

the size will depend on your wattage requirements and the size of your battery bank. they come in 2000w, 2500w and 3000w. you will need a heap of batteries to run a 3000w inverter that is running close to capacity.

i run my icemaker, hdtv's, audio, sat, dvd etc on mine with 2 8d batteries and can go over night, but need to run the generator in the morning. a fridge/freezer compressor takes the most power usually. i have a 2000 freedom 458.

http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/inverter-chargers/freedom-sw-2000.aspx

the 2000w is about $920 at amazon, plus a better control panel, plus install is probably $1500-2000. not very hard to put in yourself though if you are handy.

my 2 cents worth. my advice is worth what you pay for it.

tom

[prairieschooner]

I have a HEART FREEDOM 25 Power Inverter, (2500 Watt) in our '82. HEART was bought by XANTREX a while back. While we have not had any problems with our Inverter yet these older units did have issues, I have no experience with the newer units.
Today I see allot more of the OUTBACK Power Inverters being installed in the higher end yachts. If our Inverter would need to be replaced I would at least check these out;
http://www.outbackpower.com/products/sinewave_inverter/

[Ron Skeen]

I have a 96 that I updated the inverter & charger in 09/2008 and have been very happy with the Magnum equipment (http://www.magnumenergy.com/productsfront.htm). I used the following;
MS 2812 Pure sine inverter charger
ME AGS-N Auto Gen Starter
ME BMK Batter Monitor kit
ME RC50 Remote Control Panel

I was at Newell and had the inv/chg with me and they installed the unit, I then added the other items later.I do a lot of dry camping and the Auto gen start dose a great job.My batteries have never been below 12volts because of the gen start. I also have 3 LED TVs, 2 Bose sound systems, Computors, all led ligthing and have experience no interference of any kind. Check out Magnum web site. Have a great day!

[Ron Skeen]

I think I bought mine off of Ebay, but I found this site

http://www.infinigi.com/magnum-energy-ms2812-2800-watt-12v-pure-sine-wave-inverter125-amp-p-2659.html

[prairieschooner]

I am sure that I commented on this but when we got the Prairie Schooner there was an issue with the wiring. When the Shore Power was disconnected the Switch Panel remained Hot!!???!!
The problem was that the Inverter was wired to come on when the power was disconnected. I have since installed a Source Isolation Switch (NEWELL used this type of safety switch for the AC Electric Generator) for the Power Inverter and Limited the Circuits that the Power Inverter can supply Power to, highly advisable!

[RAGster]

MS 2812 Pure sine inverter charger
ME AGS-N Auto Gen Starter
ME BMK Batter Monitor kit
ME RC50 Remote Control Panel


I have also been very pleased with the magnum products. I installed a separate sub-panel to control the items powered by the inverter.

Glenn

[bluesky]

Hello

We picked up our 83 Classic at Holland Motor Homes in MI last Tuesday and spent a few days getting orientated with the coach and having our new Magnujm 2812 with remote installed by HMH.

We left Holland last Friday morning and are now in St. Paul MN. The mechanics of the coach has been flawless. Engine is tight, tranny is smooth and brakes are solid.

Our main challenge has been the new inverter and getting it dialed in with the batteries, etc.

Here`s where we`re at;

1. Inverter is intermitten, clicking every few seconds, which causes all AC appliancesé and lights to flicker.

2. Inverter goes into fault mode and shuts down, indicating AC overload.

3. We got a mild shock from the end of our shoreline cable without it being plugged into the power. At that time, as we pluged into the box at the campsite, the box made a static noise, loudly. The AC analog dial shows 4-9 amps, even when not plugged in, or with no other ac power on.

4. This morning we fired the coach up with no problem, however, the house batteries were very weak (GPS would not operate, power seats would not function) and the inverter would not come on, saying Low Battery.

So, not sure where to go with this one. The batteries are 1.5 years old and all connections are clean and tight. They take a charge quickly but seem to drain just as quick.

`Couple of thoughts, when the power made the static sound, could it have sent a serge that could have caused the inverter to act as described above. We have been driving with the battery merge switch off, is that the way to go or should it be on. And there is a switch above the house batteries, not sure what it does, could that be significant.

[prairieschooner]

Check the shore power cord for voltage. Our '82 was not wired as I would like and all of the panel was hot as soon as the power cord was disconnected.
Check on my previous postings, I rewired our '82 to have the inverter only power up the microwave oven and the two televisions. I also added a Source Isolation Switch and can ensure that all power is disconnected before the panel.
Anyway, make sure that the batteries are fully charged and disconnect the shore power cord, check the shore power cord to ensure that it is not powered from the coach at the plug (be very careful! not to touch the exposed terminals of the shore power cord!)

[LynnJeff]

We switched out to a pure sine wave inverter charger, the Xantrex Freedom SW 3000W 12v www.xantrex.com (http://www.xantrex.com/) and put in the auto gen SCP remote control panel and battery monitor....amazing stuff. We switched out the old invertor, a Heart I believe (no problems with it.Let me know if you or anyone needs it and we can work something out. Here is a new auto gen starter for sale for less than half price at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180907587017.