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Old 12-19-2005, 12:53 PM   #1
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We own a 2004 Horizon 40AD and we've had a lot of problems with our 27 inch Sony in the main room. The 1st one failed about 6 months after we purchased the Coach. We were in Houston and the local dealer ordered a new on and installed it. Took about 2 weeks. That TV failed less then 3 months. When we arrived home the TV model had changed so I removed the unit and had it repaired with RiverPark paying the bill. Well it failed again yesterday about 1 year later. Anyone have a similar problen?
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Old 12-19-2005, 12:53 PM   #2
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We own a 2004 Horizon 40AD and we've had a lot of problems with our 27 inch Sony in the main room. The 1st one failed about 6 months after we purchased the Coach. We were in Houston and the local dealer ordered a new on and installed it. Took about 2 weeks. That TV failed less then 3 months. When we arrived home the TV model had changed so I removed the unit and had it repaired with RiverPark paying the bill. Well it failed again yesterday about 1 year later. Anyone have a similar problen?
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Old 12-19-2005, 03:19 PM   #3
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Hogbreeth We talked about this last summer. I had mine go bad and took it out to take to the repairman. He said low voltage caused it. I think you will find it happened on the inverter. I called the people who make the inverters and they said their inveter is not big enought for that TV. Offered me a rebuilt one for $175.00.
I try never to run mine on invert now and have had no other problems. I had to pay for mine You were lucky.

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Old 12-19-2005, 04:02 PM   #4
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Hogbreath:

Not sure this will help but will share anyway:

When I was investigating the coach we now have, the dealer put me in touch with original owner. He said the only real problem they had with the coach were some nagging electical problems, including failure of the front TV and short battery life from the house batteries. Winne dealer replaced the TV but some mysterious electrical problems continued. Finally, the inverter manufacturer got involved and the inverter was replaced. No more problems after that.

I will note that the second TV developed problems with its power supply and I had to replace it this summer, so wonder if the inverter caused some damage that didn't show up until I got the coach.
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Old 12-19-2005, 04:57 PM   #5
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Since Gary brought up it up, I wonder if my original (now replaced with a Xantrex) Dimensions inverter didn't boil my original house batteries... Hmmmm.

My front TV has been fine but we almost never powered it off of the Dimensions inverter while it was installed.

Maybe there is something to the low voltage theory. I would suspect though that other electronics would be also affected; how is the bedroom TV doing?

Perhaps it would be worth the effort to try to borrow or maybe rent somewhere a digital multimeter that will read true RMS AC (what you need to measure voltage from a stepped sine wave source like the Dimensions inverter) and eliminate your inverter as a suspect.
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Old 12-19-2005, 06:34 PM   #6
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John, I think you nailed it. The Dimensions is boiling batteries and I'm certain that is what boiled ours last January and then again when it was at the dealer's for two months last spring.
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Old 12-20-2005, 02:17 AM   #7
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OMG!! Somebody please tell me Winnie is not using the Dimensions inverter anymore?

I guess I'm off to search land now...

ON EDIT:

Just downloaded brochure with Dimensions pic in it bigger than life!

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Old 12-20-2005, 03:06 AM   #8
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rebelsbeach:
OMG!! Somebody please tell me Winnie is not using the Dimensions inverter anymore? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>The inverter is another item I wanted changed when I ordered the coach last February; I requested the Xantrex RS2000. Like the Splendide 2100, Winnie said no way Jose.

I am very glad I changed out the Inverter - my electronics are happy; it wasn't a huge job but it did take two people to horse it into position. The most painful part of the swap-out was the hit in the wallet

My buddy sold the Dimensions on eBay for about 250$ so I recovered at least some money from it.

Where's your coach, Bob?
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Old 12-20-2005, 03:53 AM   #9
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John, I believe you are correct regarding the Dimensions inverter cooking the batteries. The Dimensions is a modified sine wave unit and all mod-sine inverters vary greatly in how tight they control voltage. Plus mod-sine units never have the proper RMS voltage in the first place, which is fine for lights but not so fine for electronic stuff (like TVs). It would make sense that a unit with sloppy AC voltage would also apply that same quality to DC battery charging voltage.

For what It's worth, the 2006 Allegro Bus 42QDP I looked at also has the "Dimented" inverter in it. That's the first thing I would rip out and replace. You and I both have installed the Xantrex RS2000 with true sine wave and that is really the best way to go.
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Old 12-20-2005, 03:57 AM   #10
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John_Canfield:
Where's your coach, Bob? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's the million dollar question....

When I called the dealer yesterday he said he would call Winnie and get back to me...
Obviously I didn't hear from him,which bothers me a bit.

I'm going to wrap up a few things around here this morning and cruise over and see what's up.

As if I "really" needed to hear this, he did say they received a new Tour from the factory,where there was side panel damage from the driver apparently running over a cone.While accidents do happen,that certainly doesn't lend itself to leave me with warm fuzzies as I await my coach.
While I certainly don't think anything's fuzzy with my coach,I am getting weird about it taking all ten weeks to get it completed. Yes,I did choose a lot of options,but that shouldn't have upset the apple cart.

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Old 12-20-2005, 03:59 AM   #11
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Ok....Cruzer and John C. question.

Since I'm now leaning toward replacing the "Dimented" (good one Cruzer ) with the the Xantrex, what will that do to the coach warranty?
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Old 12-20-2005, 04:01 AM   #12
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You guys should know, that there is a set up procedure you have to follow with any inverter that charges batteries also. You have to set the charge to match the type of battery your coach has and then you have to set the rate of charge. If the rate is higher then what is needed to maintain the batteries at the recommended level, they will boil and short out.

This is where reading your owners manuals pays off. If you have any questions, call the customer service dept of the manufacture of the inverter. I suggest you call them from inside your coach with a portable or cell phone and have them go through the set-up with you at the Inverter set-up panel.

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Old 12-20-2005, 04:08 AM   #13
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So radarr,are you saying Sir that the Dimensions isn't the problem?

RS-2000 for $1500
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Old 12-20-2005, 04:54 AM   #14
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Radarr, you are saying that Winnie would send the unit out from the factory to be delivered without being set for the right type of batteries. While that may happen, it would be due to a quality control failure rather than not having a procedure to set it up properly. Mine certainly came set properly. I then put a lower limit on the amps used for maximum charging (I think I set that at 15).

I can't compare to the Xantrex but I have to say that operation of the Dimensions unit was very simple and easy to understand. I have a Magnum now (also modified sine) and it seems to be much more complex and the manual is not as good. I check the fluid levels of the batteries weekly and they haven't moved (since I drained off a lot when I got it home as the dealer or factory filled the cells right to the top!!!!!). Mind you, I do have 4 x 6V Interstates now instead of 3 x 12V Trojans. I also check the temperature when they are under full charge as one Trojans boiled over and one battery reached 135 deg. These have been staying in the 70s at every test. The Dimension was supposed to check the temperature but that did not seem to be the case given how hot one got (we found it because my wife kept complaining about the strange odour and when I went out at night to have a look - wow, one was bubbling over and the other 2 were getting pretty hot as well).

Rebelsbeach - they have some real cowboys delivering MHs. We had to take our Journey to a CAT shop just after we got it - a dead short which was FTL's side so then we had to take it to them for the fix (after that everything went to FTL since it also was a CAT service centre). The CAT tech connected it to their diagnostic system and when I saw all the details I asked for a complete printout. I was very annoyed when I saw top speed driven of 87 MPH. I hadn't even gone 70 at that point so I knew it had to be during delivery as there were no roads around the dealer's location where you could do that.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Radarr:
You guys should know, that there is a set up procedure you have to follow with any inverter that charges batteries also. You have to set the charge to match the type of battery your coach has and then you have to set the rate of charge. If the rate is higher then what is needed to maintain the batteries at the recommended level, they will boil and short out.

This is where reading your owners manuals pays off. If you have any questions, call the customer service dept of the manufacture of the inverter. I suggest you call them from inside your coach with a portable or cell phone and have them go through the set-up with you at the Inverter set-up panel.

radarr </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
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Old 12-20-2005, 06:10 AM   #15
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Don,you bring up some good points.

Just back from the dealer,seems I've been "FEMA'ed",as the coach has apparently not left Iowa.

I did get to speak to the service manager and in his opinion the installation of the Xantrex would void the warranty,but he said he would be glad to call and ask.
He DID say that many of the problems he's seen with batteries has been on the "neglect" side,with folks that plug them in and "forget" them.
I did confirm that Winnie is using Interstate batteries,even saw the rep there at the dealer but he was leaving as I was pulling in.
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Old 12-20-2005, 06:38 AM   #16
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> He DID say that many of the problems he's seen with batteries has been on the "neglect" side,with folks that plug them in and "forget" them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Batteries are like tires. You take care of them and they'll take care of you.
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Old 12-20-2005, 10:06 AM   #17
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There is evidence that my batteries might have boiled out at one time. The area around my power cord where it comes out the back looks like it got hot and is de-formed.

The other thing I noticed is how "noisy" the Dimented unit is. I can hear it hum while I'm in bed and the rear TV always has this nice display pattern going through it.

Do you think the Xantrex would clear this up?
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Old 12-20-2005, 11:51 AM   #18
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Radarr is correct -the Dimensions inverter needs to be optioned correctly which is a Winne factory setup thing. The option switches are very difficult to see without a mirror. As I recall one switch setting is for sealed batteries, one for wet cell; the other setting is for the amp-hour rating for the battery bank. Since I had an overcharge situation and/or bad cells causing boiling, I checked the options on the old Dimensions unit and it was set correctly.

I'll wager that a properly operating Dimensions inverter charging a good battery bank will not produce boiling. If it does, then it is a product not suitable for its intended use.

The issue about your warranty being voided due to the installation of after-market equipment is absolute BS. Obviously the coach manufacturer isn't going to provide any guarantee on the part you installed, but your after-market part doesn't obviate the entire coach warranty. It could complicate warranty claims with manufacturer finger-pointing however. My Jeep dealer was ready to install an after-market 2.5" suspension lift kit on my brand-new Liberty with no problems and no caveats. This particular issue has been well discussed; not surprisingly by manufacturers of after-market equipment.

My Xantrex is a little noisy - it is a low hum/buzzing which I don't find particulary annoying. I consider it my $1200 white noise generator for sound sleeping next to the Interstate.

All of the coach's electronics operate perfectly with the Xantrex - you couldn't tell if you were on shore power or batteries or generator.
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Old 12-20-2005, 12:26 PM   #19
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Just reinstalled the front TV and the part that failed is the same transister that failed before. I know the TV tech and he said that the problem was heat related and that a surge suppresor or such would be useless. My thought is that maybe some type of pancake fan to remove heat from the enclosure would help. Just saw a 06 Horizon and the Dimensions is still the inverter of choice. Looking into getting a new 06 KD and trading the 04 AD.
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Old 12-20-2005, 01:04 PM   #20
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I surprised to hear about the noise. Neither the Dimensions nor the Magnum make any noise at all. Strange that some do and at least two don't.

Is the noise a sign of a problem?
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