Bad converter?

[CharlesPou]

I have 2018 Escape 21with two 6 volt battery option. it took awhile to figure out, but battery is being overcharged. so question: can the converter be repaired or just replaced?

trailer has WFCO model WF-8955PEC, which apparently available from Amazon, approx $300.

what to do? all comments welcomed. cheers

[CharlesinGA]

The WFCO is your problem, they are junk. Progressive Dynamics makes a PD4655 which will replace it. It comes in a steel housing for installation in a Parallax Power Center, but the instructions tell you how to remove it from the steel housing and discard the housing and install it in place of the WFCO unit, and you use a plastic "bar" that comes with it. PD also sells the same converter without the housing or the new fuse panel, and has a built in charge wizard, as a part number PD4655MBA ONLY SOLD BY BEST CONVERTER.

https://www.bestconverter.com/PD4655...ote_p_616.html

Charles

[Chama]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

I have 2018 Escape 21with two 6 volt battery option. it took awhile to figure out, but battery is being overcharged. so question: can the converter be repaired or just replaced?

trailer has WFCO model WF-8955PEC, which apparently available from Amazon, approx $300.

what to do? all comments welcomed. cheers

Charles, I have a WF-8955PEC which I will sell you for $1. All you have to do is to pay the postage from New Mexico. The unit was fully functional when removed from our 2019 E21 as part of our lithium battery upgrade. Please PM me if interested.
Chama (David McCleary)

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

PD also sells the same converter without the housing or the new fuse panel, and has a built in charge wizard, as a part number PD4655MBA ONLY SOLD BY BEST CONVERTER.

https://www.bestconverter.com/PD4655...ote_p_616.html

If there is a chance you might convert to lithium I would get the PD4655LMBA which has a jumper for lithium charging
https://www.bestconverter.com/PD-465...l#.WniBl3xG1aQ

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

I have 2018 Escape 21with two 6 volt battery option. it took awhile to figure out, but battery is being overcharged. so question: can the converter be repaired or just replaced?

trailer has WFCO model WF-8955PEC, which apparently available from Amazon, approx $300.

what to do? all comments welcomed. cheers

In January 2020 the WFCO in our 2018 5.0 decided to charge our one year old AGM batteries at 20.3 volts, ruining them. We were in Arizona at the time and decided to buy new SiO2 batteries and let the 170 watts on the roof and our 100 watt portable do the charging. Later that year, Oldwave had just installed a Progressive Dynamics charger to replace his WFCO for his new lithium batteries and offered us his old WFCO charger for cost of shipping. I installed it that summer, but once installed, turned it off after making sure it worked. There are other stories from others of WFCOs overcharging.

However, for the next couple of years we only charged with our rooftop and portable, and it worked just fine. When we sold our 5.0 last winter the WFCO was still disconnected and as far as I knew is still disconnected.

In 2021 I added 300 watts to the roof so we could have a 1500 watt inverter to make toast. With 460 watts on the roof, we never used our portable again and always had plenty of power. We don’t need a DC-DC either.

After our experience I would not use another WFCO and chance it would ruin another set of batteries. Take the free offered WFCO, but spend your money on another roof panel and leave that WFCO replacement off.

We don’t run an onboard charger in our Bigfoot either, and just use solar (we have 400 watts on the roof) for all charging. We also have a 2,000 watt Progressive Dynamics inverter/transfer switch for the rare times we want 120v.

Food for thought,

Perry

[CharlesPou]

thanks for replies, I’m traveling, tonight dispersed camping BLM near Bonneville Salt Flats UT. I may get it replaced while visiting family in NV. if not there, may try to limp back to TX, then could consider more options? if can get replaced on road, will probably just stay with what I have. if stay on schedule, I still have approx 30 day until I’m back home.

after some trial and error, I can probably live with it until I get home, but is big hassle to repeatedly disconnect, reconnect battery. before I figured out battery was overcharging, was dangerous, battery gassing was setting off CO and propane alarms and I didn’t know why? took awhile to figure out what was going on? I cut wires on propane alarm to get some relief. I plan to reinstall propane alarm ASAP!

so consensus is not repairable. has to be replaced? thanks for replies, cheers

[CharlesPou]

very interesting that Perry had same experience. I have normal acid batteries, and apparently didn’t damage them.

I finally figured out what was wrong when the batteries were gassing so much, I thought I had a wild animal in the trailer, no kidding lols. I put refrigerator on DC mode a few times to discharge the overcharged batteries, but a big hassle to recharge with converter.

I plan to use a trickle charger if I need to recharge the batteries. for now if on shore power or using generator, I disconnect the batteries to keep from overcharging. thanks for comments, cheers

[CharlesPou]

also, I live in TX and need generator to run AC. I don’t have any solar and don’t plan to convert to lithium batteries, if already have gens, so solar seems redundant IMO. at some point in future, there may be RV AC’s that will run on more powerful solar or some other advanced technology. so for now I’m staying with generator. cheers

[CharlesPou]

I’m taking to RV repair shop tomorrow for diagnosis. I was close to replacing the converter, then on the phone the tech said he thought was the batteries. I lost all confidence in the guy after that conversation, but who knows may actually be bad batteries?

he also said two 12 volt was better than two 6 volts, which I think is incorrect? batteries are showing no sign of not being able to hold a charge,.

I’m thinking not a lot of downside to letting him look at it, shop has good reviews, I may learn something? wish me luck, cheers

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

he also said two 12 volt was better than two 6 volts, which I think is incorrect? batteries are showing no sign of not being able to hold a charge,.

I’m thinking not a lot of downside to letting him look at it, shop has good reviews, I may learn something? wish me luck, cheers

I have two 12s but not for any reason remotely related to your situation.

I would seriously question the abilities of a tech that would even make that type of comment. Hopefully he'll follow conventional trouble shooting protocols and establish both the condition of the batteries and the converter.

Good luck

Ron

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I have two 12s but not for any reason remotely related to your situation.

I would seriously question the abilities of a tech that would even make that type of comment. Hopefully he'll follow conventional trouble shooting protocols and establish both the condition of the batteries and the converter.

Good luck

Ron

I have been using two 12s for 7 years, strictly for price reasons. I can see no electrical advantages over two 6s.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

I have been using two 12s for 7 years, strictly for price reasons. I can see no electrical advantages over two 6s.

I've been using two 12s for a long time just because I like redundant systems.

It's like the guy is missing the point and if he's a tech he should know that using a couple of golf cart batteries is real mainstream and very unlikely to be a factor in this situation. So why did he even mention it?

Ron

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

I have been using two 12s for 7 years, strictly for price reasons. I can see no electrical advantages over two 6s.

most 12V are 'marine/rv' which are not true deep cycle batteries, 6V golf cart batteries /are/ true deep cycle.

lead acid batteries in series will always see the same current in both batteries, in parallel, they will see the same voltage, but different currents due to variations in resistance. its the current that charges the battery.

[Ron in BC]

Doesn't make any difference when they're used in a multi-bank situation, like mine, only when they're used as one bank.

Ron

[CharlesPou]

so went to Rv repair shop, and after some testing said bad batteries were causing problem. he wanted me to switch to 12 volts, but I decided to stay with 6. they had 12.volt, but not 6, so they sent me to Napa Store in town.

long story, I got new batteries installed OK, but those babies are really heavy!!! they sold me the wrong batteries posts configuration, large post is full length, not cut off like OEM batteries. didn’t figure it out until already had installed. then another sales guy said they had that exact replacement battery, at that point I was too worn out to change them out again lols.

new batteries don’t appear to have changed anything, generator still ramps up, like it did before with nothing on in the trailer. so now I have new batteries, which I probably would be replacing soon anyway, they are 5 years and have been abused, but given good service.

RV shop was honest, just didn’t know what they were doing. didn’t charge me much, and I appreciated them looking at it, but probably wouldn’t want them to install new converter haha.

so should to exchange my new batteries for correct posts configuration, or just leave well enough alone? otherwise appears same battery GC2 with same specs.

all replies welcomed, cheers

[Chama]

Charles, as a reminder- if you identify the problem as your converter, I have and WFCO 8955 which I will give to you if you reimburse me for postage. Was fully functional when removed from our 2019 E21 as a part of our lithium battery upgrade. PM me if interested.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

they sold me the wrong batteries posts configuration, large post is full length, not cut off like OEM batteries. didn’t figure it out until already had installed...

...so should to exchange my new batteries for correct posts configuration, or just leave well enough alone? otherwise appears same battery GC2 with same specs.

Can you attach a picture? I'm unsure of exactly what you are talking about with post configuration.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

so went to Rv repair shop, and after some testing said bad batteries were causing problem. he wanted me to switch to 12 volts, but I decided to stay with 6. they had 12.volt, but not 6, so they sent me to Napa Store in town.

l

Your dealings with that RV shop make me cringe. A good tech would have load tested the batteries and told you exactly what the situation was, not that you now needed a 12 volt battery because that's all they sold. Since many RVs use 6 volt golf cart type batteries that in itself is a question mark.

Hopefully your dealings with them are finished for good.

Ron

[CharlesPou]

Chama, just sent PM

[CharlesPou]

rubicon, sorry probably can’t send pic with iphone, so I will try to paint you a pic. visualize regular 12 volt car battery with 2 lead post approx 1/2 diameter, on opposite corners, one for positive and the other for negative connection.

now visualize threaded steel post approx 1/4 inch diameter next to each larger lead post. the oem battery has the larger lead post chopped off so just a nub is left, nothing to attach battery cable to. only smaller threadied post is available. the batteries that I bought have both the complete larger lead post and the smaller steel threaded post.

maybe someone else will post a pic or you can search for pic of GC2 battery? cheers