Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Topic: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger (Read 1480 times) previous topic - next topic

Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

May 05, 2014, 09:59:18 am

I am not getting any AC power from the inverter on my 2002 U320 3620. The charger seems to be working fine. The batteries are at full charge, but I can't get any AC power from the inverter. There is 12v power from the batteries to the unit, but no AC on the output side. The control panel shows the blinking green light which according the manual indicates that the inverter is ready to provide power. I connected a trouble light to the kitchen outlet to provide a small load, although I think the microwave should fire up anyway. A tester on the AC output at the unit shows no power. I verified that the dip switch on the side of the unit is in the correct position. Am I missing some simple step or do I just have a failed unit. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Gordon

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #1 – May 05, 2014, 10:31:46 am

Check the GFCI breaker. It is usually near a bathroom sink. See if you can to a "Test" and "Reset." Often a loss a 120VAC at most outlets is related to tripping of the GFCI breaker.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #2 – May 05, 2014, 10:41:19 am

Thanks for the tip, but I checked that. Everything works fine when plugged into shore power.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #3 – May 05, 2014, 10:56:57 am

You might try looking in the manual for how the inverter is reset. I have a different unit but there's reset button on the front of the main unit. The sure way is to disconnect one of the main 12 volt cables for a few minutes. I think modern inverters are a little like a computer and will sometimes need a hard reboot if they get into a weird condition.
Just of out curiosity, does the unit pass-through power when on shore or generator?

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #4 – May 05, 2014, 11:25:41 am

Everything powers up when on shore power and I assume would on generator (did not try that as it is in building). I looked for a reset button on the unit and in the manual but did not see anything. I will look again and try the disconnect. Thanks.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #5 – May 05, 2014, 11:29:11 am

Quote from: gordon cole – May 05, 2014, 09:59:18 am

The control panel shows the blinking green light which according the manual indicates that the inverter is ready to provide power. I connected a trouble light to the kitchen outlet to provide a small load, although I think the microwave should fire up anyway. A tester on the AC output at the unit shows no power. I verified that the dip switch on the side of the unit is in the correct position.

Gordon,

What happens if you set Load Sense to 0? Just wondering if the load is too small to trigger the inverter.

Michelle

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #6 – May 05, 2014, 11:45:52 am

Thanks Michelle. I even tried a small space heater thinking I did not have enough load, but it did not make any difference.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #7 – May 05, 2014, 12:01:18 pm

I had to reset mine once - forget the procedure - but then it worked fine - Prosine2500 I believe - MOT (Mike) talked me through it

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #8 – May 05, 2014, 12:02:39 pm

amen.....

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #9 – May 05, 2014, 02:51:52 pm

Many Foretravel coaches use a 2nd transfer switch to power the coach's inverter outlets. A failure at this 2nd transfer switch could prevent inverter outlets to not work on both shore/gen and inverter.

Have also heard where the inverter's low battery voltage protection setting is too high, preventing inverting, because the inverter thinks the house battery bank voltage is too low, when in reality, the bank can safely go much lower.

Does the blinking indicate inverter is operating or is ready operate, but in a standby mode.?

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #10 – May 05, 2014, 05:04:52 pm

The blinking light is supposed to indicate that the inverter is ready to provide power. I spoke with the Xantrex service rep and he indicated that if it was acting as I described and that there was no drop off in battery voltage when turning on the inverter (which would have indicated low battery condition), the unit was likely toast and would have to be replaced. Unfortunately it sounds like a new unit will require a new wire to the control panel as the newer units are not compatible. I will try the battery disconnect tonight but it looks like I may have to replace it. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #11 – May 05, 2014, 08:16:32 pm

Can you meter the output 120-volt wire connection at the inverter, once when on shore or generator and again when inverting. This would tell you the inverter is not working. By only measuring what is at the outlet in the coach, you may be missing a problem between the inverter and outlets, like the 2nd transfer switch, etc.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #12 – May 05, 2014, 08:54:05 pm

Thanks Barry. I did that but no AC power coming from inverter. AC power to it when shore power plugged in. I ordered a new Freedom SW 3012 from Xantrex. They offered a 30% discount to customers with failed units. The battery charger function still works so I may retain that for another project. Gordon

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #13 – May 05, 2014, 09:29:19 pm

Gordon, Sounds like you are in control of the problem and are moving to a nice new inverter'/charger. I see the new charger uses Ethernet cables to connect monitor instead of telephone-type cables. Do you think you will be able to bay wall mount the new unit or maybe a new shelf? Many face the problem when moving from the flat & long electronic style to the cube shape heavier transformer style models. We ended up with the Xantrex new style Prosine 2.0.

Speaking of using original Xantrex for battery charging, with separate chargers and inverters, I can picture using both at the same time when on shore/gen power, so the inverter outlets are always be powered from inverter, which would eliminate surges and other electric anomalies. 100 amp battery charger would only supply 1,260 watts, not enough for microwave, but probably enough for all the electronics including TV. All it would take is turning off 120-volt main panel breaker to inverter charger and turning on a new breaker to old Xantrex to charge battery. With this flexibility, there would be no permanent commitment to the separate unit concept.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #14 – May 05, 2014, 09:35:52 pm

FOT replaced our Prosine 2.0 with the newer Freedom SW 3012 and mounted it on the bay wall in the same spot occupied by the old Prosine 2.0.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #15 – May 06, 2014, 09:03:08 am

Gordon, we just had the same problem last month. I had a thread posted. At the end of all the trials, we replaced the unit with a new Xantrex. Upgrade to the 3000. Fantastic unit. We too had to overcome the remote wiring issue. Instead of regular phone cable it uses a cat 5 cable with 8 wires. All of the connections are straight forward. The problem lies in fishing the new cable through the walls to the panel area in coach. Spoke with James Triana and asked how they did it. He said you had to enter below fridge area and go all over. A real mess. I decided to mount in the basement for now. May decide to let them try at a later date.

Overall, having remote in basement is no big deal. Have been on on several trips and did not really bother me. I made a small box to mount.

I purchased my unit elsewhere (good deal), but Xantrex will sell you a new unit direct for 30% off of the $2400 list price since you are a previous customer. Not bad.

If I can help don't hesitate to call or write. 205-515-9919.

David

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #16 – May 07, 2014, 08:22:02 pm

We had the same problem last year in June. I called the Prosine repair facility and was advised that the Prosine products were now made in China and the specifications that they are produced to are poor. He said that he is able to repair maybe 3 out of 10 units returned. He considers them "throw-away". We replaced ours with a Magnum 2812 with an ARC 50 remote. Not hard to install. Purchased from iMarine. A fellow Fofum member found the iMarine source. Best price and great service. After I installed the Magnum I called their tech support to verify that I had connected all of the wires correctly b/4 we powered it up.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #17 – May 07, 2014, 08:35:57 pm

Scott, when I spoke to the factory they advised me the Prosine product was discontinued and parts were not available anymore. Perhaps it was the China issue. But the new Xantex models are not and are state of the art. No worries there.

David

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #18 – May 07, 2014, 08:47:55 pm

Good luck and keep smiling.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #19 – May 07, 2014, 08:58:52 pm

Thanks David. I will try to route the wire, but I like your idea of just leaving it in the basement if I can't make the routing work. Thanks to you all for the help.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #20 – May 08, 2014, 09:05:08 am

Gordon,

If you find a way to route the cable, please post and let us know. Would be great to know how. Good luck. By the way, I mounted the remote in a small balsa wood box (cigar box). Protects well and looks nice.

David

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #21 – May 08, 2014, 08:07:49 pm

Thanks. I will let you know if successful. It may be a few weeks before I get to it.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #22 – May 09, 2014, 01:32:31 am

My local guy had no trouble routing a cat5 cable from my solar charger, installed below the inverter-charger, to the monitor, mounted above the refrigerator, right next to the xantrex remote. When I get back home I'll ask how he did it.

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #23 – May 12, 2014, 11:40:25 am

I tackled the installation of the new Xantrex 3012 this weekend. Although it is fairly heavy (install instructions say it takes two), the installation of the unit was pretty straightforward. In fact I was able to use the existing two lower mounting points for the new unit. The routing of the new cable for the control unit was another matter. I elected to go from the top down. The existing cable goes down behind the refrigerator then into the floor space and then runs horizontally through the floor cavity to just above the unit. I was able to get down the area behind the refrigerator. After removing as much of the foam insulation as I could, I was able to shove a fish tape down to the bottom of the fridge. I then pulled a piece of tie wire back up to the upper cabinet. I then used that wire to pull the fish tape back up and rigged the nozzle from a caulking tube as a leading point, tying the head of the new wire to the fish tape through to nozzle and was able to pull it down to the bottom of the fridge. I then drilled a 5/8" hole in the floor of the fridge cabinet just behind where the two bundles of wires drop down.
I then removed as much of the caulking as I could from where those bundles of wires penetrated the lower compartment ceiling. With a long pointed 1/4" rod with a small hole drilled near the tip, I was able to snake it through the wires and pipes in the floor cavity to the hole I had drilled above. By using a lighted probe with a screen view inserted just into the hole, I was able to guide the rod up through hole, attach the new cable as before and pull it into the lower compartment and route it over the ceiling to the unit. The new control unit is wider than the old one but it will fit by overlapping the AC monitor just a little. There is a small gap at the bottom from the old hole, but hardly noticeable behind the tinted glass door. I did have to lower the magnet and latch to clear the unit. Amazingly, it all works. Hope this helps. Gordon

Re: Xantrex ProSine PS 2.5 Inverter/Charger

Reply #24 – May 14, 2014, 03:41:40 pm

Gordon,

Sounds like you had fun. James Triana told me the same routing behind fridge, etc. Our fridge is probably 8'-10'
from the panel area on the wall. Just doesn't seam like the same routing. You would then have to traverse through two bays to get back to the area where the inverter is located. It is directly below the panel in ours in the bay just behind the LP tank.

Is this the same area you tracked over/through or is your fridge and panel closer together?

David

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