I Only Have 88 Volts Coming Out of My RV's Power Inverter

by Gene c. Staley
(Winston Salem, NC)

With two fully charged marine batteries wired in parallel I am only getting 88 volts through my inverter. It is a 500 watt msw inverter and I am in the process of installing a 2500 watt one. Any idea why the voltage is so low coming out of the inverter?

ANSWER: Greetings Gene thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I am going to assume that the 88 Volt reading you are getting from the outlet on the inverter is accurate. I am also going to assume that based on your statement that the batteries are fully charged that you have also load tested the batteries to make sure that the battery voltage is not dropping because the batteries are weak and not properly handling the load of the inverter.

I am also going to assume that the inverter is properly and securely connected to your house batteries and not a cigarette lighter receptacle and that all connections are free of corrosion. I am also going to assume that your inverter and house batteries are properly grounded.

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If all of my assumptions are correct then the problem is in the Inverter itself and it needs to be replaced.

I hope this helped.

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RVing Al

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Comments for I Only Have 88 Volts Coming Out of My RV's Power Inverter

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Low output voltage
by: Same 98 v

I see these comments and I also get only 98 volts output and I have tried 2 inverters. They are advertised to run appliances tools etc. I cant even run my drill. I am trying to add it to my truçk. I get 14.3 dc volts input while the truck is on.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		inverters
by: frank lipsit

same problem 98 volts coming out of inverter
I am not new at this hydro but still learning we have had wind and solar for about 15 years . I just took off a 1000 watt inverter that put out 120 then changed to 3000 watt now getting between 90 and 87 watts .
So not happy with my 3000 watt eliminator power inverter But I have had it under the bench for 3 years so no warranty.

The reason I changed after 10 years my 1000 watt was getting weaker on taking the over chrg so I replaced it , but I guess it will be going back on ,also it don,t have a fan that need to run so I guess I will try to get anther one like it
(it also is a canadian tire special)
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RMS meter & Transfer Switch
by: genrvman

About 98 volts on new MSW inverter. If you are still using same voltmeter as you used on old MSW inverter then that may be the problem. Voltage may have gone up 10 due to better waveform from new inverter. As indicated by previous anonymous you need an RMS (root mean square) meter for MSW. If 120 volt lamp has normal brightness then voltage is probably OK.

About turning off converter when plugging RV cord into inverter. RV cords are normally not plugged into inverters since not all loads in the RV should be powered by the inverter. These not only include the converter, but typically the air conditioner, refrigerator, and water heater electric element if installed. If you want to keep track of all of these loads manually then you can install a simple household on/off switch for the converter. Otherwise I would suggest an automatic transfer switch commonly used in RV's with generators. An RV service center should be able to wire it in for you.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		low volts ac
by: Anonymous

I had same problem LOW AC VOLTAGE
seeing true RMS meter is costly buy a "Kill-o-Watt"
meter, and problem solved for 22 dollars.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Inverter low voltage
by: Anonymous

Can we assume your inverter is a modified sine wave inverter? If so, you cannot check voltage with a standard volt meter. If it is a pure sine wave, you can.
It takes a special meter to give a true modified sine wave voltage.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		88 VOLTS
by: GENE

SOLVED THE LOW VOLTAGE PROBLEM. INVERTER WAS BAD. NEW QUESTION. HOW DO I TURN OFF THE CONVERTER WHEN I PLUG THE RV CORD INTO THE INVERTER. IT IS AN INTELLI-POWER 9200 SERIES WITH A 60 AMP CHARGER. WILL I NEED TO WIRE A SHUT OFF SWITCH INTO THE WIRING.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Inverter output low
by: RV Medic

Without trying to repeat what was said I would check all connections are properly done and clean. Check that the size of wire used is sufficient for the amperage requirements. Just a thought, are you plugged in to shore power while running your inverter?

Comment from RVing Al: Thanks RV Medic for your input, great point on the gauge of the wire being used to connect the Inverter to the batteries that could cause the problem he is describing.

Happy RVing
RVing Al
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		88 VOLTS
by: GENE

I'm still stumped about the amount of volts I?m getting from my inverter. It is a brand new 2500 MSW. I have it hooked directly to the house batteries. They are fully charged. Hold a load during a load test. They are grounded to the chassis from the factory. I also added a ground driven into the ground and still i only get 98 volts at the receptacle. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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