Montana 331RL Inverter Outlets Not Working on Battery ‏

[Blinkies]

We noticed after we picked up our 2023 Montana High Country 331RL from service that the refrigerator wasn't working on battery. It does work when the camper is plugged into shore power.

We have checked and confirmed that it is plugged in, the GFCI breakers are set, and the circuit breaker is good. We noticed that all the outlets marked "solar flex" (for the solar/inverter) were not working. We are getting a flashing orange light on the "status" indicator. When we checked the inverter, we noticed that the yellow wires were unplugged. We plugged them back in and could get the outlets to work on shore power but not battery power.

I'm attaching a picture of the wires. My husband seems to think we need a new inverter. Is there anything else we can try before we go out and buy one just to make sure. Also, the one we have now is a Magnum Dimensions Pure Sine Wave Inverter (CSW2012-X). I believe it is a 2000 watt. Is there a better inverter? Or one we should avoid?

Thanks.

 

[JJ76]

Check that a gfci outlet hasn’t tripped, including the one in the storage compartment( on our 2023 it isn’t labeled as solder flex inverted but it is and has been the culprit on our unit). That would cause the whole circuit not to work

 

[Ron_Z]

After troubleshooting etc, if it is the inverter, I would consider other options then Magnum. I have a MSH3012 that failed. The service center could not fix and the MFG would not support the unit since it was produced by the prior company that owned MAGNUM. very disapointed to say the least. I am in the process of installing a victron to replace my magnum.

 

[Gary0930]

Had a similar issue last year when we picked our 3191RL up from service. They had turned off the disconnect for the battery. Inside your battery compartment. Mine is a round red switch. It would surprise me if it wasn't something the shop hadn't done. No malice intended. But when they go through your unit, they configure things how they need to for testing/inspection.

 

[Blinkies]

Thanks for the help. The battery switch is on and it's still not working.

 

[Blinkies]

Check that a gfci outlet hasn’t tripped, including the one in the storage compartment( on our 2023 it isn’t labeled as solder flex inverted but it is and has been the culprit on our unit). That would cause the whole circuit not to work

Thanks for the reply. We reset all the gfci outlets. They are working on shore power, just not on the solar/battery.

 

[Blinkies]

If the outlet is tripped, will it still work on shore power?

 

[Blinkies]

Thanks for the reply. We reset all the gfci outlets. They are working on shore power, just not on the solar/battery.

If the outlet is tripped, will it work on shore power?

 

[Carl n Susan]

It seems most likely that there is NO 12V power to the inverter. The remote display shows that Status light is either red or orange and *NOT* the green is should be.

The owners manual has a description in Section 3 of the Status light. Plus the Troubleshooting section shows possible problems and solutions.

https://www.invertersupply.com/media/data/sdfsfsfyur.pdf

The display, ON THE INVERTER, should show the 12V power voltage. Your display show 13.4 which is indicative of using shore power and the converter. Disconnect the shore power, find the inverter of the pass through area and check the display there for error codes.

 

[Blinkies]

It seems most likely that there is NO 12V power to the inverter. The remote display shows that Status light is either red or orange and *NOT* the green is should be.

The owners manual has a description in Section 3 of the Status light. Plus the Troubleshooting section shows possible problems and solutions.

https://www.invertersupply.com/media/data/sdfsfsfyur.pdf

The display, ON THE INVERTER, should show the 12V power voltage. Your display show 13.4 which is indicative of using shore power and the converter. Disconnect the shore power, find the inverter of the pass through area and check the display there for error codes.

I'm sorry. There is no display on the inverter. The only display is in our camper - pictured above. That picture was taken when our shore power was disconnected. Still no power to our gfci outlets (which includes our microwave and refrigerator.)

 

[Carl n Susan]

I'm sorry. There is no display on the inverter. The only display is in our camper - pictured above. ....

Actually there is a LED display on the inverter itself. Page #1 of the PDF manual I posted shows the Status Indicator and the Digital Display with an explanation of each listed in bullet items #3 and #4.

Do you have Lithium batteries? I assumed the 13.4 voltage reading was the converter DC output reading. If you have Lithium batteries, rather than FLA, that would explain that voltage reading.

I assue you have checked the GFCI button on the inverter itself.

 

[C&P RV]

Go to this link and download the manual:

https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/sites/default/files/manuals/owners/64-0074%20Rev%20B%20%28CSW2012-X%29.pdf

Check section 3 of the manual for instructions and trouble codes. A flashing amber light usually indicates the system is switching from inverter mode to shore power. You can use the tables and codes in Section 3 and detailed troubleshooting info in Section 4 to try and figure out your specific situation. You may want to look closely at the section on how the unit is supposed to be wired as well, since those connections were undone by your shop.

Good luck!

 

[foldbak]

This happened to me once. That orange light means it's inverting. Cycle the battery power switch. That worked for me.

 

[Blinkies]

Actually there is a LED display on the inverter itself. Page #1 of the PDF manual I posted shows the Status Indicator and the Digital Display with an explanation of each listed in bullet items #3 and #4.
View attachment 2454037


Do you have Lithium batteries? I assumed the 13.4 voltage reading was the converter DC output reading. If you have Lithium batteries, rather than FLA, that would explain that voltage reading.

I assue you have checked the GFCI button on the inverter itself.

Our Inverter doesn't have the same switches/display as teh diagram above. It doesn't have anything on the sides except the fans. It is a 2000w inverter. Our batteries are Lithium.
'

 

[Carl n Susan]

Well shucky darn, what you got there is an apparent Unicorn. Here is a link to the Manual Addendum for the CSW2012-HX.

https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/file/3286/download?token=eaiVACGg

It uses the same diagnostic steps as the other magnum inverters. The one thing different with this one is it has a AC Output Circuit Breaker button on the inverter unit. Ensure this hasn't been tripped.

The only other thing to check is that there is 12V coming into the inverter at the rear.

 

[foldbak]

Our Inverter doesn't have the same switches/display as teh diagram above. It doesn't have anything on the sides except the fans. It is a 2000w inverter. Our batteries are Lithium.
'

I have the same inverter. This is your control panel. Have you cycled the inverter battery switch like I mentioned before? Also as I stated, the orange light means it's inverting. Stick a volt meter probe in the romex connectors and see if you have 120 volts. If you do then it's a GFI issue. If not then it's an inverter issue. Start by cycling the inverter battery switch. I also have lithium. The inverter works perfectly.

 

[foldbak]

Well shucky darn, what you got there is an apparent Unicorn. Here is a link to the Manual Addendum for the CSW2012-HX.

https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/file/3286/download?token=eaiVACGg

It uses the same diagnostic steps as the other magnum inverters. The one thing different with this one is it has a AC Output Circuit Breaker button on the inverter unit. Ensure this hasn't been tripped.

The only other thing to check is that there is 12V coming into the inverter at the rear.

"Well shucky darn" LOL I'm stealing this!!! It seriously made me laugh!!!

 

[Blinkies]

I have the same inverter. This is your control panel. Have you cycled the inverter battery switch like I mentioned before? Also as I stated, the orange light means it's inverting. Stick a volt meter probe in the romex connectors and see if you have 120 volts. If you do then it's a GFI issue. If not then it's an inverter issue. Start by cycling the inverter battery switch. I also have lithium. The inverter works perfectly.

At the risk of sounding very stupid, what does "cycling" the inverter battery switch mean? Does that mean turn it off and turn it on? We did that to all the switches, and it still didn't work? Also, what are the romex connectors?

I do have another question. It seem odd to me that the two black wires coming out of the side of the inverter (to the left on the picture at the top of this post) are connected to each other. We can see the wires coming from the battery to the inverter, but the two black wires coming from the left side of the inverter were connected to each other when we picked up the camper from the service center. Are they supposed to be connected to each other? That seems weird. Or should they be connected to the yellow wires that are coming from the camper? If you could send me a picture of your inverter/battery set up, that would be a great help.

(BTW - my husband and I are not electronically literate - in case you haven't noticed). Sorry.

 

[foldbak]

Well shucky darn, there's your problem. Inverters connected to itself. One of the black wires is for line voltage in when you're plugged into Shore and the other one is for inverter voltage out. Those black wires get connected to those yellow wires LOL. They should be marked. I see one of the black wires indicates Shore power. And yes cycle means turn them on and off

 

[Fireman4299]

I just had the similar problem. I have the same inverter. I installed a new lithium battery and my inverter outlets didn't work, which runs the refrigerator. I popped the GFCI circuit while switching the batteries. The GFCI outlet with the reset button is behind the TV. My thoughts were, that's a stupid place for it. Now the inverter is running fine.