Pinnacle - Xantrex Pro XM1000 - Dog Whistle Sound

[ironfog]

Good day, y’all!

I have a 2015 Jayco Pinnacle 38FLS with a Xantrex XM1000 inverter and am experiencing an issue I can’t quite pinpoint.

The issue:
The power box (converter box, breaker box, etc.) mounted in the kitchen near the pantry emits a high-pitched noise—just shy of a dog whistle.
• It’s not a hum or the fan.
• It’s more like a high-pitched whistle or tone in the 11k+ Hz range.

Observations so far:
• The inverter box itself is located in the basement.
• The noise stops under two circumstances:
1. When I flip the breaker for the inverter.
2. Randomly, on its own.

There doesn’t seem to be a pattern or load-related reason for the noise—it happens sporadically. However, I wonder if the cold weather (32°F and below) could play a role.

What I’ve tried/determined so far:
• I’ve done a fair amount of research but haven’t found similar symptoms for anything post-2012, which makes sense given the year of my unit.
• I haven’t yet tested anything with a voltmeter.


Since I’m new to the forum, community, and camping in general, I figured it’s best to ask and see if anyone has experienced this before.

Any insights, advice, or troubleshooting suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

V/R

 

[Grumpy]

The inverter has a cooling fan so my guess is it's going bad. It will cycle on and off even when not in use. And....

 

[Nevr2late]

Welcome; I agree with Grumpy. It could be whistling that the air is making inside the enclosure. The fan is a bit noticeable so do you hear the fan separate from the high pitched noise or do they coincide? On the other hand, power supplies have been known to whine. Usually it’s not in a frequency or a volume loud enough so we can hear it, but not always. You can read about it under “coil whine”.

 

[Edutron]

Quick fix: Buy another one from Amazon, if it doesn't fix the issue send it back saying you bought the wrong one and move onto the next. Called parts replacement troubleshooting. Some people actually replace the whole car in parts and still have the same problem.
But, this method works sometimes for ones that are a little shy of systems.
If you are really gunho, remove the case, remove the fan, and order a new one if its the fan.

 

[TowPro]

large power transistors can sing like a dog whistle noise when under heavy loads.
How old are your batteries? any lead acid over 5 years has given you your moneys worth and it about to fail.

 

[craigav]

The Xantrex inverter you have is also known as a "High Frequency" (HF) inverter which is not an uncommon design. All HF inverters produce a high frequency sound that many people cannot hear but in some cases they can be heard and sometimes can indicate a component inside (like a capacitor) that has failed or about to. While it is possible your fan is squealing, generally speaking a squealing fan will vary its pitch due to the fan speed changing depending on the load.

I would suggest to check the fan if you can, a simple check would be a difference in the change of the fan speed with a higher load vs a lower load although as above it may simply be the electronics and determining the difference in the sound is hard to do via messages like here in the forum.

I will add that high frequency sounds are a bit more easy to block than low frequencies and you may be able to reduce it with a cover of solid material as long as you don't block the cooling of the inverter.

Not to go deep and not part of the question, but there are also low frequency inverters that are heavier and use a relatively large transformer that do not make any high frequency sounds (unless and same as above if the fan wears out and starts squealing).

Last thought, a high frequency sound doesn't necessarily mean that it has a weak or failed component so replacing it with another one of the same make\model may be of no value. Older TV's (crt) for example produce a high frequency sound that most cannot hear but for those that can hear it, then it certainly can be very annoying. ~CA


BTW, the converter itself can also make a HF sound and often when they do they are about to fail (not as common like it is for a HF inverter). You can test this be using the inverter only and not connected to shore\gen power as in that scenario the converter would not be powered and the inverter would be. If you still hear the sound then the sound wouldn't be from the converter.

 

[Raugustin]

Good day, y’all!

I have a 2015 Jayco Pinnacle 38FLS with a Xantrex XM1000 inverter and am experiencing an issue I can’t quite pinpoint.

The issue:
The power box (converter box, breaker box, etc.) mounted in the kitchen near the pantry emits a high-pitched noise—just shy of a dog whistle.
• It’s not a hum or the fan.
• It’s more like a high-pitched whistle or tone in the 11k+ Hz range.

Observations so far:
• The inverter box itself is located in the basement.
• The noise stops under two circumstances:
1. When I flip the breaker for the inverter.
2. Randomly, on its own.

There doesn’t seem to be a pattern or load-related reason for the noise—it happens sporadically. However, I wonder if the cold weather (32°F and below) could play a role.

What I’ve tried/determined so far:
• I’ve done a fair amount of research but haven’t found similar symptoms for anything post-2012, which makes sense given the year of my unit.
• I haven’t yet tested anything with a voltmeter.


Since I’m new to the forum, community, and camping in general, I figured it’s best to ask and see if anyone has experienced this before.

Any insights, advice, or troubleshooting suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

V/R

Hi Ironfrog,

I have had the same issue. It isn't the inverter....I have noticed that it seems to begin as the converter outputs over 14V and causes a high pitched whistle. I know this because I installed volt/amp meters on both the phases of incoming power that continuously displays my usage. I found that if I bang the area around the power panel then it stops. This is probably why it stopped when you turned off the breaker, it doesn't take much pressure to stop it. I also found that simply tightening some and/or loosening some of the screws that secure the panel will eliminate it for quite some time. I usually find that that expansion and contraction and the basic movement of the trailer will reintroduce it so I just hit the area around it or readjust the mounting screws. I haven't tried to find a permanent fix. Don't relish poking the bear, so to speak. Anyway, I've had it on and off for years.

 

[Mike&Bonnie]

Low DC voltage alarm. Check your battery voltage at thr inveerter.

Good day, y’all!

I have a 2015 Jayco Pinnacle 38FLS with a Xantrex XM1000 inverter and am experiencing an issue I can’t quite pinpoint.

The issue:
The power box (converter box, breaker box, etc.) mounted in the kitchen near the pantry emits a high-pitched noise—just shy of a dog whistle.
• It’s not a hum or the fan.
• It’s more like a high-pitched whistle or tone in the 11k+ Hz range.

Observations so far:
• The inverter box itself is located in the basement.
• The noise stops under two circumstances:
1. When I flip the breaker for the inverter.
2. Randomly, on its own.

There doesn’t seem to be a pattern or load-related reason for the noise—it happens sporadically. However, I wonder if the cold weather (32°F and below) could play a role.

What I’ve tried/determined so far:
• I’ve done a fair amount of research but haven’t found similar symptoms for anything post-2012, which makes sense given the year of my unit.
• I haven’t yet tested anything with a voltmeter.


Since I’m new to the forum, community, and camping in general, I figured it’s best to ask and see if anyone has experienced this before.

Any insights, advice, or troubleshooting suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

V/R