Brett,
I just checked the owners' manual. Our inverter is indeed a Freedom 25.
When we run the ceiling fan, it is on low speed. It is a little noisy on generator or shore power. On inverter, it is obnoxiously noisy. The electric mattress pad will not work at all on the inverter. If we leave it plugged in, the LEDs flash even if I try to turn it off. These issues are trivial. However, if there is a trivial solution, I would like to try it.
Do you have any chokes, filters, or surge protectors that might "cut the corners" off the square waves? Can anyone suggest such a filter? If we are fortunate, we won't need to replace the inverter with a "new improved version" for a few years.
I considered a 2500 watt inverter - even modified sine wave - but our lifestyle uses very little in the way of ac appliances when we're on the road. The LED television and associated BluRay only consume 30 watts of energy, lights are all DC, we do use a coffee maker and a toaster but not simultaneously. Refrigerator is not (yet) a home-style appliance and will work fine on propane. I suspect that the ice maker and the garbage compactor might need some serious wattage but we can easily live without these.
So, for the time being we will try to make do with the 1500-watt unit. One does have to remember to turn the suckers off when they're not in use. Otherwise that 500 - 900ma "idle" current draw can bite you.
Craig
J.D.,
No, we haven't added chokes or filters. Our ceiling fan is dead silent at low speed on all power sources. Our Electrowarmth mattress pad doesn't have any LED's. It's probably too simple a design to cause problems.
with all the problems associated with "fancy" electrical appliances and tv's etc I have to wonder why a Modified unit is bought to begin with? I added a second one for lower power usage a year ago but used the Pure Wave style and have had no issues at all. I think this is an area where you pay a bit more to get the right one. OR am I missing something?
John H
The Freedom 25 modified sine wave unit was original equipment in our 1997 U295. It came with the coach and still works. It works well for most purposes. It doesn't work well for a couple of our appliances. The inconvenience is so small that it only warrants "fixing" if the fix is very easy. When the Freedom 25 fails, I'll replace it with a unit that uses current technology and components.
I also bought a low power unit for the special purpose of keeping the DVR running. The small units seem to be good "single purpose" solutions for appliances like CPAP breathing units and DVRs.
RE: . When the Freedom 25 fails, I'll replace it. . .
Here is how our Freedom 25 stopped working in a Laughlin campground:
We smelled burnt electrical smoke and found it came from two Tripp-Lite surge protectors. Good thing these were higher end protectors because they were in a single outlet metal box.
Smoke detectors went off and we found the insides of both surges completely black indicating an electrical fire had taken place inside them. Fortunately the fire was contained in the box. Tripp-Lite replaced the surge protector.
At the same time our Freedom 25 stopped charging. Our motorhome's interior smelled badly from front to back, but it did finally air out.
We have no idea if the Tripp-Lite took out the Freedom or the other way around. We have the Progressive Industries EMS which did not indicate a surge. I feel it was caused by using a modified sine wave inverter, which can stress some electronics.
We also had several 120-volt Lamson outlets that are turned on & off with a wireless fob like our Jeep used to use. These outlets were purchased at Camping World so the market included RVers. The circuit board inside of both damaged outlets showed a melted (not burnt) capacitor & resistor. Lamson replaced them until they found we were using them on a modified sine wave inverter. Lamson said they will not work on a modified sine wave and Camping World no longer carries them.
It is my belief that all 120-volt appliances are designed for sine-wave circuits (60 cps North America & 50 CPS Europe) and there is no consideration for use on modified sine wave AC power. Most appliance work on modified and some self-destruct on modified. Our coaches have modified wave sine wave inverters only because true sine wave inverters used cost a lot more but build. True sine wave inverters do not cost a lot more to build these days and our expensive electronics benefit when we feed them with a true sine wave.
We easily installed the Xantrex Prosine 2.0
Power Inverter, Pure Sine Wave Inverter, Marine Inverter (http://xantrex.com/power-products/inverter-chargers/prosine-2.aspx) in the space of our original burnt up Freedom 25 and is a great 2,000 watt inverter and is a better battery charger too. Other Foretravelers have done the same switch as a preventative measure.
Magnum Energy has a nice sine wave inverter that fits in the same space as the Freedom. It is 2800 watts, model MS2812, also available in 2,000 watts,
Mobile Power Inverter/Chargers (http://magnumenergy.com/Home/MobileProducts.htm) . Foretravelers are also using the Magnum. No new wires need to be run, including the remote panel cable when installing Xantrex or Magnum.
We feel much safer with a true sine wave inverter. Too bad it took a fire to get us to make the change.
By the way, we continue to use Lamson remote controlled outlet for our built in vacuum, so we can turn the vacuum off in the middle of cleaning without having to pull out the hose. We have another Lamson outlet for remotely rebooting our router. And they now work fine on inverter power.
Howdy J D,
I noticed you mentioned a noisy 120vac ceiling fan. We installed a 12vdc ceiling fan to avoid the noise issue. When dry camping I often turn off the inverter at night to extend battery life, so a 12vdc fan works out great.
Here's a link: 12V Remote Ceiling Fan Brass/Oak 36" (http://bjsimpressions.com/ez-catalog/X325601/12/70058BO)
Kind of pricey, but works great. We stained the oak blades to match our walnut interior.
Dave Abel