Converter in RV

Tikvah · February 10, 2015, 03:11:09 PM

We've been helping a lady with her RV. She has a Airstream 30' Motorhome. So this isn't really a bus related question, but. . .

Apparently it has a converter. I don't see any sign of an inverter. I found a breaker labeled "Converter".

What's the difference?

On another note, I'm really amazed at the poor quality. I figured an Airstream motorhome would be really nice quality. It's pretty and looks okay on the surface, but it's all cheap junk. I've never worked on Motorhomes before, but if this is good quality - I would hate to see low quality. The wood is all thin junk that's stapled together and nothing fits. The wiring is dangerous in my opinion. The plumbing is all cheap junk. Even the slide-out is thin and cheap. I don't know anything about the drive chain or the chasis, but I wouldn't drive it home.

Dave

eagle19952 · February 10, 2015, 03:18:39 PM

it's a glorified battery charger that will convert ac to dc when on the pole...with a transformer.

Tikvah · February 10, 2015, 03:23:35 PM

okay, a converter is a charger.

luvrbus · February 10, 2015, 03:27:56 PM

Air Stream was top notch till Thor Industries got it, now junk like all their dozen brands of motor homes they manufacture

eagle19952 · February 10, 2015, 03:31:16 PM

Quote from: Tikvah on February 10, 2015, 03:23:35 PM
okay, a converter is a charger.

except there is a regulator, when charge is topped off...then it's a converter.
they are generally 60 amp.

Lin · February 10, 2015, 05:54:35 PM

A converter usually has a built in charger for the house batteries. Other than that, the converter puts out a 12v DC supply and takes over the 12v loads from the battery when connected to shore power. We had a converter in this bus when we got it. The charger was really poor quality and only 7 amp max, so we disconnected the charger and just used the converter for DC loads until we switched to an inverter/charger.

The inverter will change your battery 12v DC to 120 AC. If the inverter has a charger, it will, of course, charge your batteries. This includes keeping the batteries up while your 12v loads draw from them. Therefore it is not necesary to have both. Neither the converter or inverter has to have a charger to accomplish its primary function. However, although you will find many inverters that do not have built in chargers, you probably would be hard put to find an inverter without one.

Scott & Heather · February 17, 2015, 06:45:04 AM

Well, now you know why you live in a bus and not an RV

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bevans6 · February 17, 2015, 07:00:01 AM

Older transformer based converters like the Magnatek were known for both boiling batteries dry and catching on fire. Highly unrecommended. Modern converters are quite sophisticated three or four stage chargers and often regulate the voltage to 13.6 or thereabouts all the time, which is quite good for the load devices in the motorhome, but sometimes not optimal for the batteries. But they are still quite good for the batteries, you can leave them on charge indefinitely.

Brian

lvmci · February 17, 2015, 07:59:49 AM

Hi Dave, Converter: Electrical devices that convert the voltage from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC).
Inverter: Electrical devices that convert the voltage from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).

Inverter AC output
Converter DC output

lvmci...

luvrbus · February 17, 2015, 08:30:22 AM

A good battery bank with a good charger will do the same as a converter it just draws from the batteries and not the converter Matt's Eagle is hooked up that way with a Iota charger and has been for years only difference you have to build a fuse block for the 12V since the converters have that built into the converter and the charger doesn't