New Stering Combis Invertor

[heyjude999]

Oh offer me advice please.

 

My invertor keeps cutting out.

 

When it cuts off it will not come back on for now at least 8 hours. I switch off all the electrics and still no joy.

 

The upper limit on the invertor for safety is 258 volts our BW mooring electric runs high and regularly sits at 235 volts. There was a theory that if it went up it was that that was switching it off but on Saturday night it went up to 255 volts and went off not to return for hours.

 

Someone has suggested plugging in to a post along side someone else to see if 2 boats using a post reduces the output, frankly I am prepared to try this but if I have no neighbour my invertor will never work properly.

 

When we have been out crusing it cuts off then too. Again not allowing it's self to be switched on again for hours.

 

It's not even that we are running too much, we have all 'green appliances' and are v prudent in how we use them, and careful of what we do put on together.

 

Is there a solution? A manual switch has been suggested that puts the boat purley on shoreline when this happens.

 

We have explored initially the fact that it might be a drop in voltage but that does not seem to be the case so now we are at a bit of a loss.

 

Do you know I do believe it may genuinely be faulty!

 

Has anyone else had this?

[Gibbo]

When we have been out crusing it cuts off then too. Again not allowing it's self to be switched on again for hours.

 

So quite clearly the shorepower voltage has got absoutely nothing whatsoever to do with it.

 

Call Sterling. They are very good at the way they deal with technical problems such as this.

[Roger Gunkel]

I know it's not answering your question and maybe I'm missing something, but why do you need to run an invertor presumably to convert 12v to 240v, while you are on a mains hookup? Or are you converting 240v to 12v to run an all 12v boat?

 

Roger

[churchward]

I know it's not answering your question and maybe I'm missing something, but why do you need to run an invertor presumably to convert 12v to 240v, while you are on a mains hookup? Or are you converting 240v to 12v to run an all 12v boat?

 

Roger

I guess because it's a Combi and will be an auto switch between mains and battery plus a charger when it is attached to a shoreline for 240v

[J R]

Oh offer me advice please.

 

My invertor keeps cutting out.

 

When it cuts off it will not come back on for now at least 8 hours. I switch off all the electrics and still no joy.

 

The upper limit on the invertor for safety is 258 volts our BW mooring electric runs high and regularly sits at 235 volts. There was a theory that if it went up it was that that was switching it off but on Saturday night it went up to 255 volts and went off not to return for hours.

 

Someone has suggested plugging in to a post along side someone else to see if 2 boats using a post reduces the output, frankly I am prepared to try this but if I have no neighbour my invertor will never work properly.

 

When we have been out crusing it cuts off then too. Again not allowing it's self to be switched on again for hours.

 

It's not even that we are running too much, we have all 'green appliances' and are v prudent in how we use them, and careful of what we do put on together.

 

Is there a solution? A manual switch has been suggested that puts the boat purley on shoreline when this happens.

 

We have explored initially the fact that it might be a drop in voltage but that does not seem to be the case so now we are at a bit of a loss.

 

Do you know I do believe it may genuinely be faulty!

 

Has anyone else had this?

 

FYI: Max UK voltage is 243v, min 232v, therefore average 239v. Doubt your supply is peaking at 255v. Phone Sterling for advice. We ahve a Sterling inverter that sometimes in the morning will cut out with a 'over volts' failure. Found that if a couple of 12v lights are turned on to reduce the current on the batteries a bit it will fire up ok. Not had a cut out when cruising when the inverter is on, ie high voltage on the battery side; the cut off switch should re set after a couple of seconds.

 

Are you talking about an inverter/charger? An inverter will convert 12v to 240v. You do not need to put 240v into an inverter; it will produce 240v from your batteries at 12 or 24 v. If you are converting 12/24v from your batteries check the settings on the toggle switches on the side of the inverter.

[Roger Gunkel]

I guess because it's a Combi and will be an auto switch between mains and battery plus a charger when it is attached to a shoreline for 240v

I've been a liveaboard for the last 6 years, with mains hookup on the residential mooring, powering the higher consumption units through a distribution panel, with 12v for pumps and lights with a mains charger (now made redundant by solar and wind power). Not being familiar with a combi unit, am I understanding correctly that all mains is passed through the unit directly, which also charges the batteries, until the voltage drops below a preset level, when the invertor circuit kicks in automatically and converts the battery voltage to 240v?

 

I don't want to hijack the OPs thread, but my better understanding of this may help to explain a couple of other people's mains and battery problems on the marina here. They are using Victron rather than Sterling units.

 

Roger

[bottle]

Victron combi (depending on model) do pass 240v directly through and charge batteries at the same time.

 

They also have a system that if the 240v load is greater than the shoreline/generator can supply it can supplement the shoreline/generator.

 

Example:

 

Shoreline is only capable of supplying 2Kw but load on board is 3Kw the Victron will supply that 1Kw from the onboard batteries, when the load reduces so that the shoreline can cope it will start to re-charge he batteries.

[Roger Gunkel]

Thanks for that Keith, from what I've picked up here it seems that the Victron combi units on the marina, are dropping out because of low voltage through the hookup. It frequently drops below 200v due to poor installation and heavy loads, so presumably, the Victron is then switching to convert the battery power until the batteries are flattened, then giving up unless the power gets back up to it's minimum requirements.

 

We don't have that problem as we receive the mains directly and our equipment is all very voltage tolerant, but those with combi units seem to have found a very expensive way of knackering their batteries aswell as having no mains at all :lol:

 

Roger

[Grace and Favour]

Snippity>>

 

We don't have that problem as we receive the mains directly and our equipment is all very voltage tolerant, but those with combi units seem to have found a very expensive way of knackering their batteries aswell as having no mains at all :lol:

 

Roger

 

Hmm - - not a good situation . . .

 

Has anyone thought of wiring in an alarm when their battery SOC falls below a certain %, - it would avoid the risk of them unknowingly knackering their batteries

[nb Innisfree]

Victron Multiplus voltage range is 187v-265v, so it will keep charging within that range. It can be switched to 'charger only' which will keep shoreline connected and charge batts but not supply 230v from batts. Victron Multi will do this anyway even if switched to 'on'

Edited June 2, 2010 by nb Innisfree

[paulcatchpole]

Hmm - - not a good situation . . .

 

Has anyone thought of wiring in an alarm when their battery SOC falls below a certain %, - it would avoid the risk of them unknowingly knackering their batteries

 

You could use the Smartgauge alarm outputs for this...?

 

PC

[bottle]

Hi Roger (Gunkel)

 

Your post #8 has it correct and the solution is post #10 but of course there may be an onward problem in that the 240v equipment on board may not like the low voltage.

[heyjude999]

Correct.

I guess because it's a Combi and will be an auto switch between mains and battery plus a charger when it is attached to a shoreline for 240v

 

 

Hi,

2 tests from 2 different meters show it is running at over 250, sorry.

FYI: Max UK voltage is 243v, min 232v, therefore average 239v. Doubt your supply is peaking at 255v. Phone Sterling for advice. We ahve a Sterling inverter that sometimes in the morning will cut out with a 'over volts' failure. Found that if a couple of 12v lights are turned on to reduce the current on the batteries a bit it will fire up ok. Not had a cut out when cruising when the inverter is on, ie high voltage on the battery side; the cut off switch should re set after a couple of seconds.

 

Are you talking about an inverter/charger? An inverter will convert 12v to 240v. You do not need to put 240v into an inverter; it will produce 240v from your batteries at 12 or 24 v. If you are converting 12/24v from your batteries check the settings on the toggle switches on the side of the inverter.

 

 

We have spoken to Sterling today and they want to test the unit, they say the unit should reset and that's not happening for hours and hours.

 

When you try to reset it all the 12v lights go dim too.

 

I am now worried as to how I am going to get any electric if the unit goes off to be tested!

[J R]

Correct.

 

 

 

Hi,

2 tests from 2 different meters show it is running at over 250, sorry.

 

 

 

We have spoken to Sterling today and they want to test the unit, they say the unit should reset and that's not happening for hours and hours.

 

When you try to reset it all the 12v lights go dim too.

 

I am now worried as to how I am going to get any electric if the unit goes off to be tested!

 

Sorry to hear that the unit has to go back to Sterling. Hope that they turn it around quickly. From experience, they will bench test it for r & d purposes and then bin it, sending you a brand new replacement unit. Keep chasing them by phone for a hopefully quicker response. Just a thought, maybe a good idea to have your boats electrics checked over just in case the fault was caused by faulty wiring.

[Gibbo]

|2 tests from 2 different meters show it is running at over 250, sorry.

 

UK mains spec is 216 to 253 volts. Anything with a CE mark must operate reliably within that range.

 

When you try to reset it all the 12v lights go dim too.

 

That's indicative of a serious inverter problem or, more likely in my eyes, an installation problem. Cables too thin by the sounds of it. Or perhaps dodgy connections.

[Roger Gunkel]

Thanks Bottle & Innisfree, I'll pass the info on

 

Roger

[heyjude999]

This is driving us out of our minds now.

 

So said inverter went off to Sterling to be tested, came back with no fault found.

 

Re fitted on Thursday and faulty again by Saturday, lost all our food in the freezer and fridge because it would not reset for so long.

 

Just no idea what to do now, we have called our boat builder and are waiting for a call back.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what it could be, I think they need to get in a independent expert???? Anyone know of someone in the South Yorkshire area.

[Gibbo]

Measure the battery voltage right at the back of the inverter when it goes faulty. Not at the batteries, not somewhere else, not when it's working.

[Evo]

Dodgy batteries...??? poorly charged.. ?? A mate on our mooring had exactly the same problem where he swore blind his inverter was crap. Finally took his batteries for testing and Out of 6 of them only 2 were any good - and they were all less than a year old.

To continue the story he then went and fitted a £800 solar panel and swore blind again that it was working a treat to start with....it wasn't...he'd wired the water proof plug up incorrectly - one of the wires was going to the unused terminal. Inverter conking out again...lots of swearing at it.

 

He's a liveaboard and his batteries are permanently low. He was having to run his engine all the time to keep any kind of charge in them.

 

The panel is now 'working a treat' and helps enormously - in this weather - he's now only really running the engine for hot water. Thats only because he's become paranoid about using any electricty. He wont use his 240v 42 inch built in plasma TV very often at all. Turning a light on is now hard work for him. I think its going to take a while for him to get back to normal and trust batteries again.

[heyjude999]

Sterling say it is power spikes!

 

They also say that when it goes off it takes ages to reset because it takes ages for the power to go down.

 

They also say that my fridge and freezer go off because my batteries are not charging (or must be low on power) correctly because the of the power spikes.

 

I need an expert.....anyone know anyone good in South Yorkshire, we are so fed up with it all now.

[heyjude999]

New batteries only 4 months old.

Dodgy batteries...??? poorly charged.. ?? A mate on our mooring had exactly the same problem where he swore blind his inverter was crap. Finally took his batteries for testing and Out of 6 of them only 2 were any good - and they were all less than a year old.

To continue the story he then went and fitted a £800 solar panel and swore blind again that it was working a treat to start with....it wasn't...he'd wired the water proof plug up incorrectly - one of the wires was going to the unused terminal. Inverter conking out again...lots of swearing at it.

 

He's a liveaboard and his batteries are permanently low. He was having to run his engine all the time to keep any kind of charge in them.

 

The panel is now 'working a treat' and helps enormously - in this weather - he's now only really running the engine for hot water. Thats only because he's become paranoid about using any electricty. He wont use his 240v 42 inch built in plasma TV very often at all. Turning a light on is now hard work for him. I think its going to take a while for him to get back to normal and trust batteries again.

[alan_fincher]

I need an expert.....anyone know anyone good in South Yorkshire, we are so fed up with it all now.

Do what Gibbo suggests first, and report back ? - He is an expert, so why not take good free advice first, before paying for any ?

[heyjude999]

Sorry was unaware of his pedigree will do.

Do what Gibbo suggests first, and report back ? - He is an expert, so why not take good free advice first, before paying for any ?

 

 

How do we do this?

Is there any chance you can explain in more detail?

Thank you.

Measure the battery voltage right at the back of the inverter when it goes faulty. Not at the batteries, not somewhere else, not when it's working.

[paulcatchpole]

Sorry was unaware of his pedigree will do.

How do we do this?

Is there any chance you can explain in more detail?

Thank you.

 

Using one of these, at the terminals on the back of the inverter...

 

 

£5 of anyone's money.

 

PC

[Glennbrown]

Make sure the battery connections (red and Black thick wires) are absolutely tight

use the soldered cable suplied with the unit

My sterling combi did as your,sterling checked-no fault!-Loose Cable was the problem

Still does as yours and cables have to be tightened occasionally