Ty, I will stop looking at renogy inverters, I'll shop somewhere else. Great video.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

@Mark Lambert This was our experience and we were unhappy with their customer service, but I’m sure some are still happy with their products. I think there are so many more choices now than when we built out the van. Apart from the inverter, all else is still going strong, but it doesn’t hurt to check out all of your options. 👍

Now you have spare parts. This is why I always install manual transfer switches for a van or home system. No worries with electronics failing or dealing with warranty issues.

@RobandJanCanVan

7 ай бұрын

True @rv10flyer84. 👍

Thanks for the update ,, love all your videos ✌👍🍟📺👀🧂

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much @frytvnow! We love your videos and lives too! 😊 👍

Thank you. I'm glad you never cut your mattress as you had suggested you would in one of your van tour videos to access that area - your solution works. I had a bit of weirdness with Renogy customer service as I bought two panels via Amazon and two via eBay. Once we figured out where I bought the failed panel (and sent pics(!?!) of the short-circuit meter readings) they replaced the panel no problem. I'll probably continue doing business with them, tho will consider options (my 2nd mppt is epever) I've decided to keep my van all 12 volt + propane - no 120vac invertor - they are expensive, heavy, a bit inefficient and not as compact and moisture-resistant as vanlife needs. For my (almost never used) shore power, I did add a 12v 30a "bench" power supply that relay-switches into the dc-dc (normally alternator) input on my Renogy charger.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @Earl Daniels! You’ve included a lot of great points and info here. 👍 I (Jan) am really glad he didn’t cut the mattress either. It isn’t necessary. 😊

@zimtuff

3 ай бұрын

I decided to do the same with my bus. After my 2000w renogy inverter blew up, I realised I don't need it.

Hi Rob and Jan, not sure if you know this, or have it installed? Inverters have large capacitors that draw a large current instantly, which causes a spark when 12v power is connected and can cause damage over time. The solution is to add a small gauge wire from battery to inverter with a button switch that is on when pressed, off when released. You also have a 5 ohm resister in the cable, which restricts the current flow to the inverter. Before turning on the main power switch, you push the button switch for around 10 seconds. This allows the caps to charge up gradually and stops the surge. Now turn on the main power and all is well. Happy camping to you both

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @grycripps for your detailed info. I have taken a screen shot of your comment and Rob and I are going to look into this option. 👍 😊

@jerrytalley802

6 күн бұрын

Get yourself a MAGNETIZER From Harbor freight, anything you pass through it becomes magnetized. You can also use it to de magnetize the same tool. Very, very handy, wish I could find mine, lol

Hello there! Sad that this happened. Glad that we connected. 😊

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @Jarhead & Ginger’s Journey! It was frustrating, but we are all good now. 👍 Looking forward to meeting up in Texas. 😊

It’s so frustrating because I want a decent product at a fair price, and that is where Renogy appears to fit? I also appreciate you can call them, unlike 99% of inverters on Amazon. I wish there was a company with Victron like quality but between Renogy and Victron’s price.

@RobandJanCanVan

6 күн бұрын

You are so right @jerrytalley802. It’s always a balance of price and quality. The good news is that there is always new technology coming out and sometimes at a lesser cost.

Hi Rob & Jan

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Hi @Alan Shaffer! 👋

Oh, that sucks! So sorry you had to encounter this

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @Michelle Jensen. It’s unfortunate, but I guess whether it is a sticks & bricks home or a home on wheels…there are always unexpected costs? 😞 🤷‍♀️ 😊 👋

@michellejensen4090

Жыл бұрын

@@RobandJanCanVan Isn't that the truth!? 🤣

I thought I had fried mine as well. Same model stopped working after plugging into shore power. It stopped working so I unhooked the battery cables hoping it would reset the unit. After hooking it back up, it was producing a very low voltage. The voltage would occasionally go up to 40-50 volts. I checked the manual and went through the settings and found option 04 Power Saving Mode. It was changed to SEN if enabled, output of the inverter will be off until a load greater than 50 watts is detected. I changed it back to factory setting and it started working again.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome @Tavon Johnston! 👍 Glad you were able to troubleshoot it and get it working again. 😊

@RobandJanCanVan

11 ай бұрын

@larrypatenaude4434 we did everything we could to reset/restart and spoke directly with Renogy who said they believed it was a malfunction but wouldn’t do anything about it because we bought it through Amazon and Amazon wouldn’t help. Poor service in the end.

@jerrytalley802

4 ай бұрын

Just realized you need a small LED light under there so when you service everything you still have light, lol

@JADudley

4 ай бұрын

I am trying to figure out how to factory reset it or program the voltage to match the actual battery voltage so it does not over charge.

You should put a surge protector on your incoming line.

@RobandJanCanVan

10 ай бұрын

Thanks @marnitzkritzinger6208! We know we need one. We actually haven’t plugged in since, as that was one of the only times we actually needed it because we have a really good amount of solar almost always. We will get one at some point, for the rare occasion we need to plug in again. 😊 👍

Thanks for the Vid. Did you ever disassemble the old inverter and see if there was a dud fuse or something?

@RobandJanCanVan

8 ай бұрын

Thanks @AndrewR74. Rob did take it apart and could not find any visible issues. It was quite frustrating. So far, so good with the replacement. 🤞 😊

That’s a really neatly done battery/inverter setup you have there. Did your Renogy replacement hold up? Thanks

@RobandJanCanVan

6 күн бұрын

Thanks @jerrytalley802! Rob had the help of his brother to put that setup together. 😊 Regarding the replacement inverter….so far…so good! 👍 🤞

@jerrytalley802

6 күн бұрын

Thanks, I’m going to try their stand alone 3,000 watt to make a portable power supply. Thanks

Do you use a EMO Surge protector that you would plug into shore pedestal before plugging your van into it! It can tell you if the shore power is bad and keep any over or under voltage from destroying your components!

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

We haven’t bought a surge protector yet @Bob Edgett, as we rarely use shore power and haven’t had the need since this issue occurred. We are still considering what our best option would be for our needs, but we will definitely do something to protect our power. 👍

I would love to know how the new 3000 watt renogy inverter compares to their old one

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

It is exactly the same model @Support the little Guys! So far, so good…still working fine. 👍 🤞

Hi Rob & Jan, just wondering what kind of shore power did you connect to? Household or campground. Also, do you use a surge protector on your shore power connection? I always enjoy these repair videos. Safe travels for you two!

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Hey @Pete Frost! We plugged into a house GFI 110v receptacle. We have rarely plugged into shore power but had never encountered an issue. The unit has a built in overload protection which should have made it safe. We only use the plug to charge our batteries (nothing else) when there is no sun for an extended period. Hopefully we’ll have no further issues. 🤞

@petefrost1787

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the reply, Rob. I agree with you that your shore power connection etc should have been safe. I also have Renogy equipment and am emailing back and forth with them to find an answer.

@WizzRacing

Жыл бұрын

It could have been the outlet he plugged into.. As some people wire them wrong. Why you always have a Polarity checker for 120 volts outlets. Just to make sure. As you cross the Neutral and Hot on outlets. Them inverters go nuts. As now the power is reversed... Why electricians should always check their work with them.. As assumptions can come back and bite you..

Did you change your alternator to a 250 A? rather then the standard? Just interester to know as I am looking to get one and I know that the standard Altinator in my van is 120Amps which isn't sifficent enough to power a 3000 watt inverter.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

I believe we have the 250Amp…not 100% sure if that is exactly it, but know it is over 200amp. We bought the heavy duty option alternator when we purchased the van right from the start. Hope that helps @Naina Kay? 👍

I bought a Renogy 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverter, dead on arrival, returned it. This time Redodo came out with a 3,000 watt inverter/charger. I bought from Amazon for their return policy, and since all these things fail, purchased a 3 year warranty for $50.00 Now I’ll deal with Amazon, not Redodo. Getting ready to start playing with it. Planning a portable power station with Redodo mini 12 volts.

@RobandJanCanVan

4 ай бұрын

A warranty sounds like a good plan considering all of the potential headaches that can happen with these inverters and other mechanics. Good luck with your plans @jerrytalley802. 😊 👍

Hi in australia we have statutory warrenty even if out of the warranty time frame if we expect it to work lon ger than the factory warranty we are still covered not sure if the same where you are

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately not @sean howard. We tried to get it covered and even considered going through our credit card warranty but it had been too long.

Hi Rob and Jan! As much as I love DIY videos [and especially from y’all] I hate to see my friends having to put out MORE money regarding an electrical problem and this being $900 in this matter. What puzzles me is why Renogy referred the warranty back to Amazon when it is THEIR product to start with, and, THEY have the final say. Sounds like to me the person you talked to at Renogy either didn’t know what he/she was talking about, OR, was too scared to make a decision to send you another unit [knowing it was defective to start with and would fail]….after all, Amazon is merely a sales vehicle for Renogy. It’s sad, that companies are so greedy these days they’d rather screw the customer over rather than do what’s right. SMH. Yes, I say “anyway” a lot in my videos also…part of the job I guess! Tomorrow my RV guy will be at my house to hook up my EcoFlow Delta Pro to the house circuits in the van and install my new Maxx Aire Deluxe fan. I’ll make a video on that and the other stuff I’m gonna have him do. Today I installed all new cabinet and drawer pull knobs bc this van never had any. Looks good even if I do say so myself! Stay safe! ~Jim~

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Jim @TOTALLY RELAXED! Yes, it’s frustrating, but we had to finally just cave and buy another one. Hopefully, this one lasts longer. 🙄 Looking forward to checking out your van in January. 😊 👋 👍

@SandVan

Жыл бұрын

Such a shame it was out of warranty 🙏😊

Rob, Did you ever disassemble that old inverter?

@RobandJanCanVan

11 ай бұрын

Yes I did @jerrytalley802 and could not find any signs of arcing or other visible issues within the computer boards.

I’ve had cheap inverters fail before. I have purchased over 30 Victron, solar, inverters, and chargers and never had one fail. The Victron multi plus is cheaper than two Renogy units. I also love all the Victron devices have Bluetooth and I can monitor performance from the Victron app on my phone.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Yes, we’ve heard good things about Victron @brianduley. Rob ordered the van and many of the build components in 2019 and built it out in 2020. At that time, Renogy was all the talk. If we were to do it again, the products and selections now would probably have us make several different choices. Thanks for your info. 👍

@jerrytalley802

11 ай бұрын

The Renogy 3,000 is on sale for $379.00. I looked at victron, and it seems they’re 4 times that price. I’m buying Renogy, buying 3 year replacement warranty from Amazon, like $45.00. Renogy wants over $400 for a 3 year warranty on a product that costs $379.00 on sale, lol I hope if it fails, Amazon warranty will expedite a new one, if not, will never buy their warranty again.

@jerrytalley802

10 ай бұрын

Well, scrap the Renogy for now. Out of the box, it would not stay on. I had 460 amp hours of battery, inverter immediately came on, beeped, went off. I returned it. Tried a Harbor freight 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverter. It came on, ran for a while then turned off, would not work after that. I just tried harbor freight to see if my batteries were ok. The hard wire option was a joke. The screws that hold 10 gauge wire were so tiny, very poor design since you can’t tighten them well with a screwdriver bit less than 1/8”. JMHO.

@RobandJanCanVan

10 ай бұрын

@jerrytalley802 it can all be so frustrating troubleshooting these devices. Hopefully you can find a plan that works for you. We are always crossing our fingers that it all keeps working! 😬

What happened to the old inverter pimp? You replaced it with the same inverter?

@RobandJanCanVan

10 ай бұрын

I hope your pimp remark was a typo @MrMr123? 😂 We did replace it with the same inverter and luckily no issues yet. If you have watched our van tour video, you’ll see that the area it fit into was made specifically for that unit, and Rob didn’t have his brother to assist, so it was easier for Rob to order the same unit so he could install it himself.

It seems most of these low frequency inverters are not great. AIMs and Sigineer seem to have similar issues. Just not enough demand to allow a reliable supply. I found the transfer switches are not good on any of these devices so I actually bypass them using a separate transfer switch. Most of the time the inverter is completely turned off (I never run it in standby or charger mode).

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Yes it can be frustrating sorting our van issues @Peter Drinnan. Thanks for the useful info. We will have to see if this option works for our new inverter. 👍

What was wrong with the old inverter, did you open it?

@RobandJanCanVan

10 ай бұрын

@MrMr123 It just did not work. When he called customer service and he went through steps, they agreed it was fried, but wouldn’t do anything about it. Rob opened it up,and saw no specific signs of failure.

What’s the noise level like on this unit?

@RobandJanCanVan

Ай бұрын

We find it pretty quiet @harryl9948. All the mechanical is directly under our bed and we even have a small fan running 24/7 to make sure air is circulating to keep the batteries at an even temperature. Only time we hear anything is if the fan moves a tiny bit and touches another surface. Otherwise, it runs pretty quietly. 👍

Rob, I plan on buying the same inverter, nbut buying a 3 year replacement warranty, for $48.00. I know people will poo poo warranties but I’ve had great service from Amazon when things are under warranty. I know it’s ridiculous to have to buy them, but I’m hoping if I’m on the road, they will expedite a replacement. Renogy wants more for the extended warranty than the inverter costs on sale, that’s nonsense. I know there’s better equipment out here, but cost 4 to 5 times as much. I’m trying to put the money towards batteries. Going to give Redodo a try. They seem to have good reviews and a 5 year warranty.

@RobandJanCanVan

11 ай бұрын

I think that’s a smart call @jerrytalley802. In retrospect, I wish I had purchased an extended warranty. As we did our build a few years ago, I’m not familiar with that brand of battery, but the warranty on those sounds good too. We have Battleborn batteries and have had no issues…so far. Check out Will Prowse on KZread. He may still do reviews on batteries. He helped us make decisions for our build. Thanks! 😊

@jerrytalley802

11 ай бұрын

Rob, my thought is these days. Take something like the Renogy 3,000 watt inverter for $379.00, add about $50 for the 3 year warranty., $429.00 divided by 3 years = $143 a year to own it, if it craps out worst case. All this stuff is expensive when it just for convenience in a camper, not part of living in a van or rv where it’s critical. I just want some supplemental power when I stop to rest, if we temporally lose power at a campground, stop to heat up some soup, coffee, etc. I think part of it is, I’m 63, buying things I could never afford growing up when a dollar was as big as a barn, lol

I wish they stood behind their products better. I have the 2000 watt version

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @Gimpy Camper! It was more about the customer service and run around we got vs standing by the product as it was out of warranty. If they had just said they couldn’t do anything from the start, and not suggest that they were going to have it replaced, we would have made a decision sooner to get us back up and running.

just got this as well. seen people asking about surge protector. what is that? where can i get one in the uk?

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

We have still not purchased one as of yet, @cyberfuker85, but would think you should be able to purchase them in the UK. A surge protector does just that, it protects against erratic voltages from frying your equipment. What kind you need depends on what you are running. Check with your local hardware or caravan dealerships. Your UK voltage would be different than ours. Hope that helps? 😊 👍

@clarkspiemuncher24

6 ай бұрын

Go ask at your local motorhome caravan store for what you need for the uk

Did you and your grandson ever dig into the box to see if you could find where the smoke leaked out?

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Yes, Rob and our grandson took it all apart and could not see any signs of failure. We never saw any smoke. It just made a loud noise and we tried several ways to reset/restart, even going through steps with Renogy over the phone. 🤷‍♀️ If we knew more, maybe we could have found something to fix but hard to know now. Fingers crossed our new one has no issues. 🤞

Renogy has terrible customer service. They don't care at all if you have an issue. I am dealing with them now over a battery issue and it is like arguing with a rock.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

It is unfortunate @MegaSquirt that their customer service has gone down. 😞 When we first bought their products, they were much more reachable and their customer service was better. Hopefully, you get your issues sorted out.

That's too bad about your inverter. Ames makes the same inverter same footprint. You can hook it up to shore power, it's an inverter charger.

@RobandJanCanVan

10 ай бұрын

Nice @rvsolarhomesteadersonthero6842! Yes, ours is also an inverter charger. We hope the new one keeps going strong. 🤞

One of the sayings within the off grid community is “friends don’t let friends install renogy”…

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

😂 Thanks friend @Jeff Jones! 😊 At the time we purchased, they had a better name. 😔 If we have further issues, we may just have to start from scratch and rebuild the whole package. 🤷‍♂️

@vanlifebiker

Жыл бұрын

​@@RobandJanCanVan I disagree myself & haven't had any problems for over 3 years. It was even said in the video it was plugged into shady power. A good surge protector that tells if polarity is correct would have probably prevented this. I have no complaints with Renogy & most of my system is Renogy too. However I will say I believe most of the problems with Renogy is operator error like this one or wrong installation because everyone seems to be a Qualified Electrician today. 🙄

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

@@vanlifebiker fair enough. 😊 When we built out the van, Renogy was one of the best out there and had great customer service. They cut their customer service for Canada so it made for a difficult back and forth for assistance. As Rob mentions in the video, his brother did the electrical. Rob is by no means an electrician or any expert in solar/batteries. I think there may have been an issue with the power we were hooked up to which may have contributed to the fail, but we understood that this unit had a surge protection…plus…Renogy did eventually have us send pics and video of the issue and agreed that the unit was faulty based on the info we provided, but then said they couldn’t do anything for us anyway because it was just past the warranty, even though we hadn’t installed it until much later. I hope we both have many years of use out of our inverters. 👍

@vanlifebiker

Жыл бұрын

@@RobandJanCanVan I'm going off of memory from over 3 years ago when I purchased mine but I don't remember a surge protection in the unit. Maybe a reverse polarity protection at most. Big difference between the two. I haven't had to use the customer service so I can't speak on that but I don't doubt it where the world is today. I just felt this video title & video steered towards Renogy is at fault & is bad equipment & a bad company. I personally think one should protect any name brand electrical system with a surge protector/polarity checker before plugging into unknown power sources. A hundred dollars or less will protect thousands in equipment & labor. Reality is most electrical stuff doesn't come with a warranty at all & some self responsiblity needs to be taken. Sometimes that might be buying additional things or hiring a professional even. I myself am a professional & always here for advice hints why I started my channel originally. At least it wasn't a fire which Ive seen way to often. Renogy is not the best but they are the best bang for your buck out there. This could have happened with a inverter that cost twice as much.

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

@@vanlifebiker we appreciate your feedback and your expertise. 😊 What kind of surge protector would you recommend? Rob is looking into them now. Is there anything that will hook up outside from the source/plug vs adding something on board?

I don't think this thing is bad.. As they go into fail safe mode...Most people have an issue with reading the instructions on how thinks work and why...Most do this because they are stuffed in s small space. And no way to cool off...You need to vent them some how... But Renogy needs to train their techs better...And stop buying them off Amazon. Their the same price from Renogy..

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

@Up2NoGood Good point with the Amazon purchase. I think Rob used Amazon as he was constantly purchasing items for the van build and it was easier to do it all in one spot to keep track of it all. As for the venting, it has plenty of air flow as we designed it with lots of space above and all around plus there is a fan constantly running, to circulate the air and draw air from the front of the van too. 😊

@WizzRacing

Жыл бұрын

@@RobandJanCanVan I would suggest you wire them batteries right.. As they are wired wrong. You are coming off the same battery Positive and Negative. You need to come off the positive of the first one. Then the negative off the last one. This balances the BMS across all 4. Not just the first one.. Second. You ground that inverter to the stud inside the Inverter. It's sticking up behind the cover. at the bottom. It uses a #8ga wire with a #8 ring terminal on one end.Then a #10 ring terminal to the Frame. Don't use that ground bar. And if you want to sell that old one. I will buy it and pay the shipping. As I can fix anything.

Renogy create ok products but as all Chinese based products lack customer service, bluettie are the worst but renogy UK are imbeciles! Uk customers can save Afro by buying through credit cards and do charge backs if the products are faulty! Good luck!

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

True @British Ants! Renogy’s customer service has gone down hill. We couldn’t even reach anyone in our country (Canada) and had to have them call us back after being referred from California. 🙄 No contact to number to reach them. 😣

Hello again

@RobandJanCanVan

Жыл бұрын

Hello @ricpitt1! 😊 👋