# Inverter and Converter Repair: Cost, Hours and Process in Hacienda Heights Inverter and converter repair addresses the two boxes that move energy between the AC and DC sides of a coach. The converter turns shore or generator power into 12 volt charging. The inverter turns battery power into 120 volt output. When one fails, the symptom usually looks like a battery problem or an outlet problem instead. ## Specifications - Price band: $750 to $4,500 - Shop hours: 3 to 14 hours - Turnaround tier: Systems and electrical - Insurance billable: no - Parts lead time: Common converters in stock or 3 to 7 business days. Inverter chargers 7 to 20 business days. - OEM brands: Magnum, Xantrex, Victron, WFCO, Progressive Dynamics, Go Power ## Which box is which, and why the symptom points the wrong way The converter feeds the DC side from AC input. When it fails, the coach behaves normally on shore power because the converter is still passing enough to keep the lights on, but the bank never actually charges. Owners replace batteries. The batteries were fine. The inverter feeds the AC side from the bank. When it fails or is undersized, receptacles go dead the moment a real load starts, which looks exactly like a tripped breaker or a bad outlet. Owners chase the receptacle. The receptacle was fine. Many coaches now carry a combined inverter charger, usually a Magnum or Xantrex, which is both boxes in one case with a transfer relay inside. That simplifies the wiring and complicates the diagnosis, because a single failed unit can produce a charging complaint and an AC complaint simultaneously and look like two unrelated problems. ## What actually fails inside these units Heat, in almost every case. These are switching power supplies mounted in compartments with marginal airflow, often behind stored gear that blocks the intake. Capacitors dry out, fans seize, and thermal derating turns into thermal shutdown. A converter compartment full of camp chairs is a converter with a shortened life. The second cause is input quality. A season of pedestal voltage sagging to 104 volts under park load, or a generator with an unstable output, is hard on the front end of these units. Surge protection at the inlet is genuinely cheap insurance and we recommend it whenever we replace one of these. The third is settings rather than hardware. An inverter with a low voltage cutoff set for the wrong chemistry, or a charger left on the wrong profile after a battery change, produces every symptom of a failing unit while measuring perfectly healthy. We read the configuration before condemning the box. - Dried capacitors and a seized cooling fan from compartment heat - Compartment airflow blocked by stored gear, the most preventable cause - Front end damage from sustained low pedestal voltage or unstable generator output - Wrong charge profile or cutoff threshold after a battery chemistry change - Failed internal transfer relay in a combined inverter charger - Undersized DC cabling causing voltage drop the inverter reads as a low bank ## Repair, replace, and what it costs Converters are usually replaced rather than repaired, because the part cost is modest against the labor of board level work and the failure is normally a dried capacitor bank rather than a single component. Many coaches carry a WFCO or Progressive Dynamics combination panel, so the converter and the distribution panel come out together. Inverters are a longer conversation. A large Magnum or Xantrex inverter charger is a significant part, and where the fault is a fan, a remote panel or a configuration error the repair is inexpensive. Where the power stage has failed, replacement is the honest answer, and lead time runs 7 to 20 business days. Diagnosis is the in depth diagnostic tier at one hour and $285, credited against an authorized repair. Labor is $260 per hour. The band on this page reflects a converter swap at the low end and a large inverter charger with new cabling and a remote panel at the top. ## Not included - Board level repair of a sealed inverter is a manufacturer service operation, not shop work. - We do not swap an inverter at a customer location. The unit has to be load tested on the bench. - Adding an inverter where none exists is an upgrade line item rather than a repair. ## Questions **What is the difference between an RV inverter and a converter?** A converter takes 120 volt shore or generator power and makes 12 volt power to charge the bank and run the DC side. An inverter does the reverse, taking battery power and making 120 volt output for receptacles. Many coaches now use a single combined inverter charger, which is why one failed unit can produce a charging complaint and a dead outlet complaint at the same time. **Why does my inverter shut off when the microwave starts?** Either the surge exceeds the inverter's capacity, the DC cabling is dropping enough voltage that the inverter reads a low bank, or the low voltage cutoff is set for the wrong chemistry. All three are common and only the first requires a bigger inverter. We measure DC voltage at the inverter terminals under load before recommending anything, because cabling is far cheaper than a new unit. **How do I know if my RV converter is bad?** Read charging voltage through a full cycle. A healthy three stage converter climbs into an absorption range in the low to mid 14 volt region and then settles to float. A unit stuck at 13.2 volts forever is either single stage by design or failing, and either way it will never fully charge the bank. That is a five minute reading and it settles the question. **Can these be repaired or do they have to be replaced?** Converters are almost always replaced, because the part is modest and the failure is usually a dried capacitor bank. Inverters depend on what failed. A fan, a remote panel or a configuration error is an inexpensive fix. A failed power stage means replacement, and we tell you which one you have before you authorize anything. --- Source: https://ocrv.club/rv-service/inverter-and-converter-repair OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Phone (949) 799-3387. Email info@ocrvcenter.com. Serving Hacienda Heights and the surrounding area. 18.4 miles, 24 to 38 minutes via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave. In shop work only. All estimates are priced and credited against an authorized repair.