In an other thread on this subject I posted this information:
https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...-358281-2.html
See Post #26. (Edited for this thread.)
OP: IMO, I think you first need to get your Inverter side working before you worry about diagnosing your charger side. And if you can't then your box is toast!
==> Did you verify your inverter circuit beaker did not trip? ...Be sure to turn it off and then back on to make sure you reset it properly. You can check for voltage behind the Sub-Panel, but I would check for voltage at the inverter. ...Do you have 12V into the inverter? (Just unscrew the inverter front cover to expose the battery lugs.)
** Keep in mind the Inveter function and/or the Charger function will only work when you have shore power or the generator working.
** And the Inverter/Charger will only work if the 300A fuse on the "+" battery cable is not blown! My fuse is only visible after you remove the batteries from their slide out bay and then you will see it on the side wall. ... I checked mine last month and it was pretty rusty!
** Maybe you have a dirty ground problem? ...Bad grounds happen more often than you think and they are cheap to fix! ...But often hard to find. So maybe this is a good time to do a little PM-Service on your battery cables!
** Be sure to verify you do not have a Neutral problem. Your surge protector should have some status lights, but if not then you can get a 120V circuit tester.
==> My Dimensions inverter was acting "funny" and I took it to a local TV-Electronics repair shop and for $100 he replaced 2 Thermistors... he said blew due to me plugging into shore power with an "Open Neutral". So I won't do that again!
** Remember, L1 power (120V) out of the Main Power Panel is fed to the Dimensions Inverter internal transfer switch; and when it does not sense 120V-in then the Inverter is supposed to automatically turn on and produce 120V out of your 12V battery bank; and then it sends this power to the 30A Sub-Power Panel (where you will see 20A & 15A circuit breakers).
The charger is a separate board inside the Dimensions inverter, but it still requires 120V shore power or 120V generator power for the inverter section to operate.
If just my Dimensions Charger failed I would do the following:
* Check for 12+ volts at the inverter. If none, then look for the 300A fuse.
* Find your battery temp sensor... at the inverter end... and un-clip the 2 wires (red and black). These wires lead to a thermal resistor that connects to the NEGATIVE battery terminal; and it is used as a safety "off" switch so you don't melt you batteries by over charging them. And if this thermal sensor fails or more likely breaks a wire at the eye-ring on the battery end, then that could be your problem.
I just replaced my Battery Temp Sensor (BTS) and I ohm'd the new sensor at 16.5K ohms. Note: Room temp is 22K ohms; and the sensor drops the ohm rating as it heats up. Anyway, that's TMI.
If you need a new BTS you can still get this part from Sensata-Dimensions. (Part # #611622-15, where 15 is the feet you need.)
What you need to do is to verify your red and black wires to the sensor have resistance in the 16K-22K range!
Next you want to verify your red & black wires to the inverter show 4.5V? ...And if not then will either know your sensor needs to be replaced or you might have a dead charger board inside your working Dimensions Inverter, which is not the end of the world and may put you on a path to upgrade your charging system that may prolong the life of your house batteries. So maybe something good will come from the death of your charger.
* From all I have heard, the charger board will fail before the inverter, but I think it would be an easy upgrade to:
A) Buy a 45A-100A Converter-Charger (I like the Progressive Dynamics Wizard Charger) and then I/you would just mount it in your inverter bay... and power it by plugging into the (switched) engine block heater wall socket if you have one; or you can connect it to your transfer switch output, but I would prefer to have a hot line protected by a circuit breaker. So if you do not have a 120V wall socket in your inverter bay, you might consider adding one or you can buy an inline 150A trip fuse.
OR...
B) You can do what I did and buy the Victron Smart Blue Charger (IP-67) with 25A and just mount it inside your bedroom (or near your battery bank)... and plug it into your dresser wall socket where you can just "pull the power" when you want to turn it off... like when you drive so your inverter is not powering the external charger.
I choose the Victron IP67-17A, because my Dimensions Charger is working just fine and I did not need or want to FAST CHARGE my house batteries.
So now, when I have shore power, or I'm running my generator, I use the Victron now as my main battery charger; and I just turn the Dimension Charger "off" at the Remote Panel. ...and should I ever need a fast charge,
then I will turn the Dimensions Charger on.
Of course, you are saying your charger is not working so you might want a larger charger for a more rapid charge. The rule of thumb is that you can fast charge your battery bank at 25% of it total rate AH. So a 420AH battery bank can be fast charged with a 100W charger. However, that does NOT mean you should. I.e., if you have 2+ days of shore power then you would be better off slow-charging your batteries and only limit your charger to 45A. So when selecting a fast charger you want to make sure you can adjust the rate of charge... which requires you to run a new remote display panel.
I did not want to do this, and with the Victron Bluetooth App I can both monitor and control my Victron 17A Charger using my cell phone. However, I also bought the Victron for it's advanced battery charging algorithms.
Amazon $133:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Note: The Victron charger makes no noise, but it gets warm. So I used 4 plastic spacers between the charger and the wood cabinet.... then I ran the wires behind the drawers and into the battery bay through a solar power duct I installed years ago. It was a simple installation and I think I now have a better battery charger that MAY lead to longer house battery life. TBD.
Note: The Victron 25A charger is more expensive, but maybe worth while if your Inverter Charger crapped out.
* Truth is: My 420A Battery bank is only good for 225AH if you follow the 50% rule of recharging your batteries at this point.
* So all I really need is a charger that can charge 225AH in a reasonable amount of time. And with a 17A charger it will only take 13.2 hours to fully recharge my battery bank... in theory.
* In actuality, it will take ~36hrs to complete a 50% SOC charge cycle, but that's never a problem for me since I always stay more than 1 day when I have shore power available.
* Therefore, I use to think buying a 100A charger was the best way to go, but I have since learned the best way to charge a bank of batteries is to use a new technology charger... and to charge it slowly! ...NOT FAST!
* The faster you charge your house batteries the more likely you will only reach 90% SOC... or less over time.
* Installing a separate charger adds another step to your checklist, but at least you don't have to buy a new inverter at this time.
* Maybe one day I will upgrade to a pure-sine wave inverter, but this Dimension Quasi-Sine Inverter is not a true square-wave inverter, and my residential refrigerator runs just fine with it. However, if you have sensitive medical equipment, then you may want to upgrade. And in these regard, I would again seriously consider Victron over the Magnum/Dimensions or Xantrex options out there.
[B]Summary: For $150-$200 you can add a better charger than what you have now. However, if you lost both your inverter and charger then I would toss the whole box and upgrade to a Victron or another name brand inveter.
Alternatively, you can get off cheaper, but you really need to find an inverter with an internal transfer switch; and the problem with AIMS is that some people complain that you have to have the inverter turned "on" when you are connected to shore power.
Also, I'm still a fan of Low Frequency Inverters, but maybe those "high frequency" Xantrex Freedom 2000 models might be okay. ...Maybe someone else can verify they love their Freedom inverters?
The diagram blow shows how you can add a separate charger if you find your inverter side works, but you lose the charger function.
Linear Mode
