# Converter



## riverrat12000 (Mar 24, 2006)

Ok We have a 2006 outback kargaroo. We have had to replace the converter in it twice now. Any ideas why it keeps blowing up and what do we do about it? The Trailer i was plugged into a 110 outlet. And then hubby put up a 220 outlet to plug it into. Any help would be helpful! He's about to throw a match to it!! Please help we don't have a clue to what we are doing wrong!


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

riverrat12000 said:


> Ok We have a 2006 outback kargaroo. We have had to replace the converter in it twice now. Any ideas why it keeps blowing up and what do we do about it? The Trailer i was plugged into a 110 outlet. And then hubby put up a 220 outlet to plug it into. Any help would be helpful! He's about to throw a match to it!! Please help we don't have a clue to what we are doing wrong!


Rather then 220vac, I hope that you meant 120vac rated at 30 amps. If he hooked up 240vac, there would be more then one problem.


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## riverrat12000 (Mar 24, 2006)

Thanks I don't know beans about this! I will have to ask him . All I know is that this is the second converter we have had to put in in less then a year. This one blew oil all over the place!


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Did it happen to blow up while plugged in at home or at a campground?


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## riverrat12000 (Mar 24, 2006)

At home. Had been having problems with it shuting off during the day and blowing the breakers. It worked fine at nite. But yesterday it quit completly. He is outside now working on it. Let me tell ya it is hot in Texas!!! While waiting on the house ac to get fixed the trailer was a fine choice. But last nite in the house with no ac .... Lets just hope we can get the trailer fixed today!!! Burn ban or not He's real close to throwing a match!!!


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Need a little help:

On plugging the trailer into the house: are you plugging it into a matching receptacle that you or someone wired up for you? These must be wired for 120 volts, 30 amps. (I'm not referring to 50 amp service for the big TTs). Check the voltage on the receptacle and you should have 120 volts to ground on it. If you find 220 volts on that TT receptacle, that's a problem.

"Converter fails during the day": is it screamingly hot in the trailer? If the heat is high (i.e., no air conditioning) the converter can overheat. The a/c runs directly off the 120 volts coming in from the connection to the house--the converter does not supply power to the a/c unit.

But the converter makes DC for your dc services, i.e. lights, water pump, and so forth. During the day with no one in the trailer, there should be very low load on the converter. Are the batteries charging like mad? Maybe the converter is overloaded due to bad batteries sucking up direct current for charging.

And remember that the trailer a/c system will draw upwards of 20 amps running (compressor and fan). The max draw through the trailer connection to the house is 30 amps. The converter will draw some power for the reefer (it uses some 12volts power whether or not it's on electric or gas), the radio (an amp or two), the propane safety detector (maybe 1/2 amp). Check your loads.

Keep us informed of what you find.


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## outbackmac (Feb 1, 2005)

converter will supply voltage to the t stat correct


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Outbackmac is correct. I wasn't clear. Sorry.

The converter supplies 12vdc to the thermostat, plus the propane detector, the radio, maybe your tv, and the reefer. (And, of course, other 12v units like the water pump, etc. but I'm referring to the "always drawing 12v power" loads). All of these loads are very small (maybe 2 - 3 amps total) but they do add up. Those "parasitic" loads are why the batteries run down in storage after 7 - 14 days, and why a battery cutoff switch is an almost necessary mod.

The converter does not power the airconditioner, which only runs on 120v ac. But as Outbackmac noted, the thermostat to control the air cond. needs 12vdc.


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