My old Trace SW2512 is the cat's meow. I bought it from Wrico in 2000 and it's never missed a beat. I have an old 38 foot articulating lift that has 4 golf cart batteries wired in a 24v array. The charger on the lift is not very good so I tried to charge individually with my little Schauer charger. Not much luck.
I decided to pull the 4 out and take them to the bus. I noticed the cases were kind of fat which indicated sulfation. Batteries are about 4 yrs old.
I disconnected the house bank, arranged the old batts in a 12v array and put the hot sauce to them. 15.8v equalization charge for 2 hours. Got them to about 100 degrees and boiled the fool out of them. I then did a 2 hour bulk and float charge.
Reinstalled and the lift works like a charm Yahoo!!!
Those made in America inverters are great. Too bad we can't get them anymore.
David
Magnum are still made in this country, in WA state. I recently bought a Magnum MS2000 - I can't wait to start using it. Exeltech also makes some well-regarded inverters in USA, as does Victron from Europe. Being made elsewhere isn't always bad - the Cotek brands (Samlex, Go Power, etc) are made in Taiwan and seem to be pretty good, but the big question is what do you do if/when they need repair. Are they repairable at all, and if so by whom where? That's one reason I chose my inverter - Magnum will fix it.
John
I had a Samlex that died from a power surge. It was about two weeks out of warranty. I spoke to their engineering department at their head office in Vancouver. They don't repair them or exchange them, they offer you a 10% discount on a new one.
I have Magnum now.
Brian
We've had 2 of what I believe is the precursor to your SW2512 - Heart Freedom 25s. They are big old ugly heavy units that just keep working. I had the relays replaced in one of them. The other one just keeps on working. They run everything from computer bricks to fridge/freezers. They switch fast enough that the TV doesn't even flicker when we unplug from shore power. I don't know how old they are now but I'd buy one today in a heartbeat if I needed another inverter.
I had a Link 2000 system on one of them. It was complete crap. I pulled it off and threw it away after less than a year of use. I replaced it with a Trimetric 2025 and a Xantrex remote control panel which gives me way more capability than the POS Link and, more importantly, it actually works.
We full time, and we've been solar off grid for about 2-1/2 years. Can't imagine a better inverter than our Magnum 4024. I have no previous large inverter experience to compare, but the Magnum is one of the few mechanical items we own that I seldom think about. It just keeps doing its job.
I'm gonna eventually need a second inverter for a mobile shop. It will be a Magnum 4024.
Jim