Trace Inverter

[Dietrichfarms]

i have a trace 4500 inverter, it keeps dropping out for lack of a better term. Bus will be parked in barn on shore power all good then check bus few days later all dead. Inverter off line. Always resets and brings everything back online. Any ideas?

[eagle19952]

do you have a battery temp sensor ??
is it in a closed compartment ??

[TomC]

Do you have circulating air feeding the inverter? While charging, the inverter will get warm-and possibly shut off if overheated. Good Luck, TomC

[Oonrahnjay]

      Are you sure that your shore power is dependable?  My bus, if like the maintenance guy at the storage lot unplugs the shore power while he's mowing the grass and doesn't plug it back in and it sits for days ---- not like that's ever happened, of course, and I plug it back in, the inverter (an Outback) will not power itself back up.  I have to put a charger on the batteries for a few minutes, plug it in and then the inverter/charger powers up and fully brings the batteries (unless they're totally killed ---- not like that's ever happened, of course) back up to full charge.   A circuit that sometimes drops "off line" would do the same thing, maybe.

[Jon]

I'm more familiar with the Heart and Outback inverters but I agree with the comment above about heat.

They need a constant flow of cool air, generally from an internal fan. They need to be cleaned of built up dust internally from time to time. If the current setting for charging is high, like 60 amps combined with a bad battery sucking juice out of all the batteries that inverter can be heating up fast.

So here is the free advice which is worth every penny you will pay for it: Verify the operation or presence of a cooling fan. Then check each of the batteries independently to verify they are all good. A bad battery in a bank makes inverters go crazy (a technical explanation), then consider the charging current setting and reduce it if needed.

A comment about charging current. If the bus is stored and you are just maintaining the house batteries with the inverter the charging current draw should be next to nothing and it should be in float. If that is not the case you really need to zero in on the batteries.

[gumpy]

My trace has error codes in the menu that will tell me why it went down.  Maybe yours does too?

[ol713]

  Hi;
     I also have a Trace inverter.  You might check your house batteries.
     The inverter needs battery power (12vdc or 24vdc) to keep the automatic
     transfer switch energized.
                                           Good luck,   Merle.

[Dietrichfarms]

Thanks for the inputs, the batteries are all fine the batteries are in one side of a
The 2nd bay and our temps were in the 20s but there is no air circulation. I will have to pull cover on inverter to check for dust, dirt dobber nest and crude as well as cooling fan.

[Oonrahnjay]

  Hi;
     I also have a Trace inverter.  You might check your house batteries.
     The inverter needs battery power (12vdc or 24vdc) to keep the automatic
     transfer switch energized.
                                           Good luck,   Merle.   

      Exactly the same as my Outback -- comment above.   B H

[Jon]

Not to be a cynic or beat a dead horse has each battery been tested? Folks rarely realize just how a single bad battery can drive the inverters crazy.