Got myself a Heart Inverter - is it any good?

Jeremy · May 21, 2007, 11:42:44 AM

When I originally planned my electrical system I decided to go for a 12v house battery system as I figured that 12v accessories and equipment were generally cheaper and more easily available than 24v. I also ruled out a flashy combined inverter / charger on the same basis - very expensive and quite difficult to get hold of here in the UK, where we don't really have an RV 'industry' in the same way you do. I bought a good quality British stand-alone inverter, and a sophisticated-but-oddball standalone German charger and was quite happy.

Then I realised that a 24v house battery system had two major advantages - it would start the bus if (when) the engine batteries were dead, and I could also charge the house batteries when driving if I wanted to.

Last week I came across a very rare find on UK Ebay - a UK-spec (240v AC) 24v Heart inverter / charger from out of a boat owned in this country by a Canadian guy (I've never seen any Heart / Xantrex product for sale here before, either new or secondhand). I bought it for £225 ($450), which included a 'Link 2000' battery monitor. It's a modified-sine, 2500w continuous (at 240v) inverter, and a 65amp max (at 24v) charger - so my question is, is it any good? I don't know anything about Xantrex stuff other than the fact that Heart as a brand no longer exists. I also don't know how old my unit is, except that the same product seems to be still available badged as a 'Xantrex'.

Lastly, I don't have any manual or installation instructions etc - does anyone happen to have a copy they could scan, or is there somewhere where I could download a copy?

Many thanks for anything you might be able to tell me

Jeremy

Hartley · May 21, 2007, 12:39:24 PM

It's good if it works... I have a heart 458 that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Just keeps going and going...

You product should be here...

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/51/p/docs/pt/7/product.asp

DrivingMissLazy · May 21, 2007, 01:06:55 PM

I used a Heart for many years and was very happy with it. Hope you can find a manual for it.
Richard

Jeremy · May 21, 2007, 01:19:51 PM

Quote from: DrDave-Reloaded on May 21, 2007, 12:39:24 PM
It's good if it works... I have a heart 458 that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Just keeps going and going...

You product should be here...

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/51/p/docs/pt/7/product.asp

That's the one, thanks. I hadn't managed to find it on Xantrex's site myself, so I'm pleased to see it is there after all. Thanks for the link. The manual is 44 pages long, so a bit of light bedtime reading for later!

You're right in that it's all academic if it doesn't work, but I have a good feeling that it will. The worst scenario would be if it were to break down after I'd installed it - goodness knows where I'd send it to be repaired. I see that Xantrex have an office in Spain, but nothing else in Europe.

Jeremy

jjrbus · May 21, 2007, 04:56:01 PM

good inverter! You can run AC loads as you travel off bus generator. (if its large enough) Refrigerator, roof air, window air? The Heart monitor is an expensive item. Me thinks you did well.

Hartley · May 21, 2007, 06:48:07 PM

Quote from: Jeremy on May 21, 2007, 01:19:51 PM
Quote from: DrDave-Reloaded on May 21, 2007, 12:39:24 PM
It's good if it works... I have a heart 458 that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Just keeps going and going...

You product should be here...

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/51/p/docs/pt/7/product.asp

That's the one, thanks. I hadn't managed to find it on Xantrex's site myself, so I'm pleased to see it is there after all. Thanks for the link. The manual is 44 pages long, so a bit of light bedtime reading for later!

You're right in that it's all academic if it doesn't work, but I have a good feeling that it will. The worst scenario would be if it were to break down after I'd installed it - goodness knows where I'd send it to be repaired. I see that Xantrex have an office in Spain, but nothing else in Europe.

Jeremy

Glad to help.. I find things.. That's what I do... Kinda like I see dead people from the bruce willis movie.

Only I find things...

Now IF I could find my pen I would be all set..... 500 pens and pencils, Can't find one that works...

pvcces · May 21, 2007, 09:09:03 PM

You didn't say if that was a black or white case. The Link 2000 by itself would sell for $300 or so, if it is a current model. There is a difference in generations between the black and white cases. And the serial numbers are important because there were refinements during the production of those units.

Your combination (in the 120 volt domestic version) was our setup of choice for our boat. You get a lot of bang for the buck out of a 2500. They will start many ordinary rooftop AC units while a 2000 doesn't have much of a chance.

The black case will probably not be able to sense battery temperature, which is very important for good recharges. The white case will accept the battery temperature sensor. However, the Link 2000 will function either of two ways; it will read the temperature of the batteries with a white case, or it will allow you to input the temperature with an inverter that does not have the temperature sensor.

We have lost two black case inverters, both 32 volt boat units. The first one blew it's finals when we plugged into shore power and the second one quit when the NEGATIVE battery cable was disconnected while it was inverting.

The first one was a warranty repair and the second one was a refusal to repair.

There is a warning in the LINK manual that the negative cable should not be disconnected while the inverter is on; if you have a bad connection (intermittant), the inverter may turn itself on after you have turned it off. This means that it is only safe to remove the POSITIVE cable first.

Since the current advice for servicing vehicles has you disconnecting the negative first, this is the exeption.

And we got the idea that you couldn't trust the transfer switch setup to prevent backfeed in the black case inverter, so we just routinely shut off the inverter before we plug the boat into shore power. We have not had the same concerns with the white case.

You will want to get the battery temperature sensor and the double shunt that the 2000 needs to work to get the most use out of it.

I hope this information helps.

Tom Caffrey

Jeremy · May 24, 2007, 02:46:18 PM

Quote from: pvcces on May 21, 2007, 09:09:03 PM
You didn't say if that was a black or white case. The Link 2000 by itself would sell for $300 or so, if it is a current model. There is a difference in generations between the black and white cases. And the serial numbers are important because there were refinements during the production of those units.

Your combination (in the 120 volt domestic version) was our setup of choice for our boat. You get a lot of bang for the buck out of a 2500. They will start many ordinary rooftop AC units while a 2000 doesn't have much of a chance.

The black case will probably not be able to sense battery temperature, which is very important for good recharges. The white case will accept the battery temperature sensor. However, the Link 2000 will function either of two ways; it will read the temperature of the batteries with a white case, or it will allow you to input the temperature with an inverter that does not have the temperature sensor.

We have lost two black case inverters, both 32 volt boat units. The first one blew it's finals when we plugged into shore power and the second one quit when the NEGATIVE battery cable was disconnected while it was inverting.

The first one was a warranty repair and the second one was a refusal to repair.

There is a warning in the LINK manual that the negative cable should not be disconnected while the inverter is on; if you have a bad connection (intermittant), the inverter may turn itself on after you have turned it off. This means that it is only safe to remove the POSITIVE cable first.

Since the current advice for servicing vehicles has you disconnecting the negative first, this is the exeption.

And we got the idea that you couldn't trust the transfer switch setup to prevent backfeed in the black case inverter, so we just routinely shut off the inverter before we plug the boat into shore power. We have not had the same concerns with the white case.

You will want to get the battery temperature sensor and the double shunt that the 2000 needs to work to get the most use out of it.

I hope this information helps.

Tom Caffrey

Hi Tom

Thanks for the reply and info - I am sure it's all good advice even if I don't understand it all yet. My unit has a black case - it is identical to the one in the photo except it has three buttons on the end rather than two. It says 'Freedom 25' on it, but when you put that into Xantrex's site it only shows units with a white case - I assumed they had simply updated the product, but then found the older generation black case versions are still being made as well - whatever Xantrex's reasoning for still making the black ones may be I was delighted to find that my unit wasn't nearly as obsolete as I first suspected.

Jeremy

pvcces · May 24, 2007, 06:59:41 PM

Jeremy, your inverter doesn't appear to be listed on Xantrex's site. I couldn't find it in their current products or their discontinued products.

DrDave's 458 is a white case unit, I believe. The reason that you found three switches instead of two is peculiar to the 2500, AFAIK, in that it has a separate breaker for the charger, but the smaller models do not.

We have the manual for the domestic version of what you have, so if you can't track the manual for yours down, I suppose we can find a way to get you a copy of ours. Most of the information will apply, but not the output voltage, frequency or neutral wiring.

I have run a 1500 watt electric heater, a microwave (1200) watts or so, plus a small charger and some lights, all at the same time, without any protest, from ours. The one in our coach starts a regular air conditioner reliably, as well.

Good luck with your new inverter.

Tom Caffrey

Quote
Hi Tom

Thanks for the reply and info - I am sure it's all good advice even if I don't understand it all yet. My unit has a black case - it is identical to the one in the photo except it has three buttons on the end rather than two. It says 'Freedom 25' on it, but when you put that into Xantrex's site it only shows units with a white case - I assumed they had simply updated the product, but then found the older generation black case versions are still being made as well - whatever Xantrex's reasoning for still making the black ones may be I was delighted to find that my unit wasn't nearly as obsolete as I first suspected.

Jeremy

Hartley · May 25, 2007, 07:19:56 AM

Yup, My 458 is a white case.

The link I sent for Jeremy is a Black case version, Found under the marine and or OEM application based
on the voltage and hz ratings and the black case detail.

Heart/Xantrex doesn't re-invent their inverters from the ground up for the freedom series, They change the rating based on output and input configurations. Most of their stuff is nearly identical across the particular model range internally. The output sections and input sections are beefed up while most of the controls are based on the same design.

The Freedom series and the 458 series use a common control design and are optionally compatable for the remote panels. A lot of the black case ones are designated OEM versions built for RV builders.