Magnum MS Inverter Question

[dedmiston]

I bought a Magnum MS2012 pure sine inverter and had Camping World install it. Their service was predictably bad, but it looks like the tech did a good job. This is beyond my DIY skills, so I needed to get professional help.

Here's my question. I have a big fat extension cord that I use to plug in my fiver when I bring it home from storage. The 50A cord doesn't reach all the way to the garage, so I use this heavy duty extension cord. I've never had trouble with it before, but now with four 6V batteries instead of one 12V and with this new inverter/charger, the extension cord got really hot. I don't know what settings the tech configured, but is there a way to configure the charge settings? Is it possible that the charger is trying to charge too fast and the combination of the high draw and the coiled extension cord are causing the heat? I never had a problem keeping the cord coiled up with the old charger.



Only the part of the cord coiled in the bucket is getting hot. I removed it from the bucket and spread it out a bit.

Thoughts?

[Jframpey]

The wire,coiled,in the bucket forms a transformer field coil. A large magnetic field is being formed as well. This results in induction heating of the cord.

[dougrainer]

tenbear wrote:
There's no doubt that the coiled wire is trapping the heat in the bucket. I am curious what the wire size is and what is the amperage of the circuit breaker that is protecting the circuit.

This is the problem. People do not understand that a "Circuit Breaker" does NOT protect and trip in this type problem. The result is a fire. Doug

[tenbear]

There's no doubt that the coiled wire is trapping the heat in the bucket. I am curious what the wire size is and what is the amperage of the circuit breaker that is protecting the circuit.

[GordonThree]

Fill the bucket with ice water?

[SCVJeff]

dedmiston wrote:

SCVJeff wrote:
Did the cord get hot or just the ends? Unless you had the A/C on as well that cord shouldn't have gotten hot at all. I'm gone for the week but if you're still over at the lot I can meet you there this weekend look at the cord, re-terminate if necessary, and look at the 2012 config. You CAN back off its charging but shouldn't have to for the sake of that extension.

The ends are good. It was just the center of the cord that was coiled up in the bucket.

Ah.. As mentioned above, bad thing.. Not only can the extension not cool itself but when coiled interacts with itself. When I plug in at home I kick whatever's not unwound around a little to null out the coupling

[dedmiston]

We Cant Wait wrote:
UNCOIL the extension cord, being coiled is where the heat is being generated. With the cord basically laying on it's self there's no air space around the cord to cool it off. Believe it or not cords need to breath or the become over heated.

That's what I was afraid of. This extension cord is a beast to uncoil and coil though. I never had a problem with overheating before I upgraded the charger.

I'll probably end up getting a shorter cord for charging at home. This long cord is going to be too unwieldy if I have to run the whole thing out every time I charge at home.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The ONLY electrical conductor that is properly oriented coiled up can be found glowing in a heater. Cords are not supposed to be coiled up even in wide open air. To contain it in a bucket is a recipe for sure disaster. Remember you do not have a mere coiled insulated wire. The insulated wire is inside an outer jacket along with -another- wire passing the same current.

[We_Cant_Wait]

UNCOIL the extension cord, being coiled is where the heat is being generated. With the cord basically laying on it's self there's no air space around the cord to cool it off. Believe it or not cords need to breath or the become over heated.

[MrWizard]

Dave make sure the old converter is turned off, unplugged etc..
So only one charge source is drawing power
From the control panel you should be able set the available shore power connection input amps
In this case you want it at something less than 20
You want to know how to change this so you can increase it when you have campground hook ups or a good size generator, and decrease it when back at home
Maybe Piano Tuna will pop in and post the exact instructions
That 100 amp charge should still work, with out hearing up the cord
If
You have the fridge on l.p. The old converter disconnected/unplugged
And no other 120v loads like the A/C

You can't run a big charger , A/C etc. On a 20 amp circuit

[time2roll]

If the batteries are pulling in 100 amps for an extended period they must be very low on charge.
This should be verified and adjusted to prevent discharge in storage.

[Ivylog]

Your previous charger was not a 100amp charger like the 2012. More amps... more heat.

[dougrainer]

NEVER coil up any small gauge extension cord. THAT is what causes the heat build up. You can coil a 30 or 50 amp cord but not those smaller gauge cords. Snake your cord along the ground and you will probably find it does not heat up. But, yes, you can change the BULK charge amp draw on the Inverter/Charger. Doug

[hbski]

Is it possible, that the inverter AND converter are both still drawing and connected to the batteries?

[dedmiston]

SCVJeff wrote:
Did the cord get hot or just the ends? Unless you had the A/C on as well that cord shouldn't have gotten hot at all. I'm gone for the week but if you're still over at the lot I can meet you there this weekend look at the cord, re-terminate if necessary, and look at the 2012 config. You CAN back off its charging but shouldn't have to for the sake of that extension.

The ends are good. It was just the center of the cord that was coiled up in the bucket.