People love camping, but many people hate going days without their appliances. Going camping in an RV or camper is a fantastic way to enjoy the benefits of nature without sacrificing the comforts of home. However, you’ll need an inverter to power your appliances.
Xantrex produces a popular line of inverters that many camping enthusiasts purchase and rave about. However, even when you purchase the reputable Xantrex 1800 inverter, there’s no guarantee that the inverter will work perfectly.
Please continue reading to learn about the most common problems people experience with the Xantrex 1800 inverter. In addition, we will discuss the benefits of using a camping inverter for your next vacation.
What Do People Use the Xantrex Inverter For?
Your RV or camper produces 12 volts of DC power at any time. However, the appliances you have in your RV cannot thrive off of DC power. So, you need the Xantrex 1800 inverter to convert the 12 volts of DC power into 240 volts of AC power.
Most RV appliances aren’t compatible with DC power because DC is more susceptible to corrosion than AC. When you convert your RV electricity to AC power, you help protect your appliances from power surges and corrosion. People can ruin their appliances if they don’t hook up their electricity correctly.
Camping Inverter Benefits
Adding an inverter to your camper RV is standard practice. You can reap the following benefits when you purchase an inverter for your RV.
- You’ll have a larger array of appliances that are compatible with your RV
- You’ll protect your appliances from corrosion
- You’ll save money on appliances
Even though you can purchase some appliances compatible with 12 volts of DC power, these appliances are susceptible to damage. Additionally, you’ll have to pay more to stock up your RV with 12 Volt DC appliances than by purchasing standard AC appliances.
Purchasing an inverter for your RV can seem like an expensive task initially. However, you save much more money on your appliances in the long run than you spend on a power inverter. In addition, traveling in an RV can get pricey, so purchasing an inverter can help you negate your estimated costs.
Troubleshooting Your Xantrex 1800 Inverter
Even if you’re unsure about what’s causing your inverter problems, there are troubleshooting methods you can follow that will fix common issues.
- Check your fuse box for any incorrect fuses
- Perform a soft reset on your Xantrex 1800 inverter
- Turn off some of your appliances
The most common problems people experience with their Xantrex 1800 inverters involve not knowing how to use them .
Most Common Xantrex 1800 Inverter Problems
If you follow the above troubleshooting options, you can still experience problems with your Xantrex 1800 inverter. Some problems you experience need more in-depth resolutions than a soft reset. Below, we will discuss the most common problems people experience with these inverters and how you can fix them.
 1. Incorrect Installation
If you don’t have electrical experience and you’ve attempted to install your Xantrex 1800 inverter independently, there’s a chance that you did things wrong. You can identify incorrect installation if you haven’t had the opportunity to use your inverter, but you’re still experiencing problems.
For example, the easiest way to tell if you’ve installed your inverter incorrectly is whether your appliances work immediately. On the other hand, if your appliances don’t work in your RV, there might be something wrong with the installation process.
How To Fix Incorrect Xantrex 1800 Installation
If you don’t have experience installing inverters onto an RV, it would be best to contact an electrician for assistance. There are plenty of safety guidelines you need to follow so that you don’t electrocute yourself while setting up your Xantrex 1800 inverter.
- Find your Xantrex inverter user manual and pay attention to the safety precautions
- Measure your AC and DC cables
- Consider your battery requirements
- Connect your cables to the designated circuit breakers and fuses
Again, if you are unfamiliar with working on electricity, it would be best to hire an electrician to install your Xantrex 1800 inverter. The last thing you want to do is risk injury while setting up your RV electricity.
An electrician will easily see where things went wrong during the initial installation and for reversing important parts. Plus, when you hire a professional to manage the job, you don’t have to worry about going through the process repeatedly.
2. Xantrex 1800 Manufacturing Defects
Unfortunately, if something goes wrong during the Xantrex 1800 manufacturing process, there’s not much you can do to resolve the problem. For example, sometimes faulty parts get put in inverters at the factory, making them refuse to work. Again, the problem lies with the manufacturer instead of with you.
You can typically spot manufacturing defects within the first few weeks of owning your Xantrex 1800 inverter. You might get a few good uses out of the inverter before noticing the defects, but they will eventually cause major problems for your inverter.
- Faulty parts can be a manufacturing defect
- Something can obstruct the parts in your inverter
- The part could fit incorrectly during the manufacturing process
- There could be damage to the parts of your inverter
- Human error could have occurred during the manufacturing process
Unfortunately, you can’t see everything behind the scenes of your power inverters creation. Sometimes, things go completely wrong that are out of your control before you purchase the product.
Whom To Contact About Xantrex 1800 Manufacturing Problems
If you suspect anything went wrong during your Xantrex 1800 manufacturing process, it’s important to contact either the retailer or the company itself. Sometimes, retailers will refund you the amount you paid for the inverter or replace it with one of equal value. When this happens, you must usually be within a purchase time frame.
However, sometimes a retailer will direct you to Xantrex to discuss the problems instead. The person you contact depends on your retailer’s refund policy and whether your inverter has a warranty. Many companies add a warranty to their inverters, so customers don’t feel ripped off if something goes wrong shortly after the purchase.
It’s important to note that getting a refund or replacement for your Xantrex inverter depends on whether or not you caused the problem. For example, if you dropped your inverter in water and that’s why it’s not working, it’s unlikely the company will honor the warranty. You’ll need to read your warranty guidelines to understand the process better.
3. Xantrex 1800 Battery Problems
The main battery problem people have with their Xantrex 1800 inverters is the lack of voltage. When there’s something wrong with your battery voltage, it’s common for the generator to shut off without your assistance. You’ll need to resolve this problem immediately to prevent further issues with your electronics.
How To Fix Xantrex 1800 Battery
Fortunately, since battery problems are extremely common with Xantrex 1800 inverters, they’re also easy to solve. Furthermore, these problems aren’t exclusive to Xantrex brand inverters, battery problems are an issue among all brands of inverters.
- Use a voltmeter to check your battery: when there’s something wrong with your battery voltage, it’s important to recharge it. Your device cannot operate without enough current running through the system.
- Check your cables: sometimes your power cables can get damaged without your knowledge. Most people use these inverters while traveling in their RVs, making them susceptible to weather damage. If you notice any damaged cables, it’s important to replace them.
- Check your wire connections: even if your cables and wires don’t get damaged, they can get loose while you move. Sometimes, your RV will jostle around while you drive and loosen the appliances and inverters’ cables. Tying up all of the cables you notice and see if that resolves your problem.
These troubleshooting steps will help you with any battery problems you experience on your Xantrex 1800 inverter.
Avoid Overloading your Xantrex 1800 Inverter
Your Xantrex 1800 inverter can only handle so many appliances simultaneously. To avoid overloading, it’s important to be mindful of how many volts your appliances consume so you understand how many you can run. For example, your TV uses less electricity than your dryer, so you must adjust when doing your laundry.
You can easily detect whether or not you’re overloading your inverter by shutting off your appliances to see if things operate better. You’re overloading your machinery if you notice a sharp improvement when shutting off large appliances. Unfortunately, RV drivers need to be mindful of their energy consumption to make the most of their inverters.
Final Thoughts
Even though Xantrex makes a popular and reliable brand of inverters that people like to use in their RVs, things can go wrong. Learning about these common problems before you experience them on the road would be best. Unfortunately, many people have difficulty accessing Wi-Fi while driving in their RVs.
Most people experience inverter problems at the worst possible times while traveling from campsite to campsite. You can ensure that there’s no such thing as an inconvenient time by purchasing a backup power supply. In addition, a backup supply will keep you safe while you travel.
