Inverter Problems

[luvrbus]

? what makes a inverter flash overload you can turn it off and it is good for a few minutes then it starts flashing again on shore power or generator power and it is a Trace model,could it be a bad battery in the bank   

[Geom]

Overload on our inverter (and I think most others) means the inverter is being asked to invert a load greater than it's designed to.

On shore power it shouldn't be inverting at all, unless something is wrong with the switchover circuit that detects shore power. So I would verify that it does indeed think it has shore power.

Does this happen regardless of load?
Does it run inverted without issue?

A bad battery in the bank *might* trigger that if it can't keep up with the requested load, the voltage drops significantly. Ours does that when we invert a really heavy load that tanks the battery banks (and also causes the inverters to exceed its rated capacity).

Note: we have a victron and not a trace, but I believe the functionality is pretty similar.

[gumpy]

Cliff, what model is it?

My SW4024 will error on overload if power goes off and I have too much turned on, like Aquahot electirc element and air conditioner at the same time. 

[bobofthenorth]

If its happening on shore/genset power then it shouldn't be inverting - should just be pass through at that point.  Need to know if it is actually switching or not.  You could monitor the battery voltage to see if it is switching to pass through or staying on the inverter.  The relays in the old Hearts would sometimes stick and they wouldn't switch from invert to pass through.  The work around was a good slap with the flat of your hand on the side of the case.  The actual fix is to find some old geek who is still willing to change the relays.  The one on the boat gave me trouble in Alaska so I gave it a few whacks, took the cover off and cleaned the contacts on the relays and put it back together.  So far its still working but I don't consider it fixed.

[luvrbus]

I have 2-4024SW stacked the way it is wired both need battery power and turned on for the shore power or the generator to work,it is a manual switch gear but 1 will flash the overload on shore power or the generator with nothing on inside the coach. What is up !!!! it works fine for maybe 5 or 10 minutes when I reset it.

They both feed the same circuits if one flashes shouldn't both flash if there is a overload or a short some where ?    

[gumpy]

Not necessarily. Stacked inverters are producing 240V, or rather, two 120V outputs out of phase. When in series, one inverter would feed one side of your breaker panel, and the other one would feed the other side.  

So, if only one is giving an overload error, then the overload has to do with something that is on that unit's output.

First, are you sure everything is turned off?  Have you turned off all the breakers in the breaker box?  
If a compressor is going bad, it can cause on overload. Typically, if the compressor is shut off while it is running, it will require a reset time for it to lose pressure, before it can restart. That can be up to several minutes. I had this exact problem this spring. My refrig compressor evidently had a short in it and when I would shake the fridge just right, it would cause an overload on my inverter. I removed the fridge and replaced it. Sitting the garage it was fine, but if I jiggled it, it would trip the GFI.

[Lin]

Back to what Bob said.  The inverter should be working only when there is no shore or generator power.  If you disconnect both of those power sources and turn on a bunch of stuff, does it work right?  If they are inverter/chargers and you have shore or gen power, it should go into charging mode.  Maybe if that particular one is your charger it would single a problem if there was something wrong with the battery back.  Do you have the manual for the unit?

[gumpy]

Back to what Bob said.  The inverter should be working only when there is no shore or generator power. 

That's not how SW4024s work.

[Lin]

Interesting.  I was assuming that it worked like my Trace 2412.  It has an internal transfer switch the turns the inverter on if there is no AC power and switches to pass-through and battery bank charging when there is AC power. What does the 4024 do differently?

[gumpy]

Interesting.  I was assuming that it worked like my Trace 2412.  It has an internal transfer switch the turns the inverter on if there is no AC power and switches to pass-through and battery bank charging when there is AC power. What does the 4024 do differently?

You forget about load sharing. If the load is greater than the incoming power, it will supplement from the battery bank.

[brmax]

I have heard some inverters have that ability to use shore along with reserve and this is a pretty nice option.
The mention of one or other selective charging ability seems a curious path.

Seems no matter the mechanical switch position the same issue, so doesnt this keep it the problem above and in panel test or possibly a main and  further to inverters.
I was a bit curious if this was one panel system.

Floyd

[Lin]

That's an important question then.  How big is the load he is trying to run?

[John316]

Clifford,

I'm trying to think. I almost remember having that issue (on only one inverter).

Check out the voltage set limits (in the settings menu). If you are on shore power, sometimes it needs a little broader voltage upper and lower limit. Otherwise, it would sometimes flash when the batteries are too low.

One of them would flash when the batteries got too low and the generator was turned off. Then when it couldn't autostart, one of the inverters would start flashing, before the other would.

Otherwise, I am drawing a blank. Sorry.

John  

[gumpy]

Also, when it does it, go through the Errors menu and see what says "yes".

[luvrbus]

That's an important question then.  How big is the load he is trying to run?


There is no load !!!! everything is turned off and the breakers are off,thanks Craig I will check that tomorrow morning lol Don Smith jinked me he was having problems with his and now I have a problem