cereal tiller Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) Have installed a new Inverter,the previous Mastervolt one packed up after 11 years service. The new one is working well but is has an output voltage of 263 . If 5 AMP A.C. load is applied the voltage drops to 244. All equipment including T.V.and phone/laptop chargers work O.K. Anyone have any thoughts on whether this higher than usual voltage will affect the boat's electrics over the long term? Edited November 23, 2013 by cereal tiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete & Helen Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 I would have a word with the manufactures and see if this is correct. It could be a problem with the regulator, or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeping Up Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 If it is a pure sine wave inverter, that is rather high. If it is a modified sine wave, however, it may be just that your meter is reading it as too high when in practice it is OK If it is a too high a voltage, some items of equipment could die instantly, some won't notice the difference, but most will probably run a little bit warmer which could shorten their life in the long term. If I had a brand new sine-wave inverter I would be questioning whether or not it could be faulty and whether the fault would get worse in the long term. But with a modified sine wave I'd just assume that my meter didn't like it, and ignore it. One way to test would be to use a shore-line as a reference, and a pair of lamps with old-fashioned filament bulbs. If they are the same brightness then all is OK so blame the meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) You are probably exceeding the maximum design voltage of various components connected to that supply. However, it would first be worth contemplating what sort of inverter you have bought. If it is a MSW one then the non-sinusoidal waveform may upset your meter's ability to measure correctly. Is suspect that a near-square waveform with a peak voltage of say 230v would read much higher than that on a meter expecting a sine wave. Although you say that the voltage drops significantly when you apply a load, it could perhaps be that the waveform is becoming more sinusoidal rather than the peak voltage decreasing. But of course if you tell me that your new inverter is PSW and a reasonably good make (ie actually PSW rather than PSW on the marketing blurb) then the above is rubbish! ETA x-posted with KU but at least we agree! Edited November 23, 2013 by nicknorman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 If it is a pure sine wave inverter, that is rather high. If it is a modified sine wave, however, it may be just that your meter is reading it as too high when in practice it is OK If it is a too high a voltage, some items of equipment could die instantly, some won't notice the difference, but most will probably run a little bit warmer which could shorten their life in the long term. If I had a brand new sine-wave inverter I would be questioning whether or not it could be faulty and whether the fault would get worse in the long term. But with a modified sine wave I'd just assume that my meter didn't like it, and ignore it. One way to test would be to use a shore-line as a reference, and a pair of lamps with old-fashioned filament bulbs. If they are the same brightness then all is OK so blame the meter. Yes,it is a pure sine wave inverter. have checked the output with a Fluke multimeter and several other devices The high voltage is consistent with all of them have informed the suppliers who have in turn contacted the manufacturers Tried Henry hoover on the inverter,it seems to have more 'suck' than usual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bagdad Boatman (waits) Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 my big Honda genny used to pop the capacitors on phone chargers. turned out it was over 300v. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thanks for the replies folks Will wait to see what the manufacturer has to say. the high voltage only became apparent when i installed a volt/amps meter adjacent to the inverter,one likes to keep an eye on consumption. I considered that the new panel meter may have been 'fibbing',it transpired that it is accurate enough for the job In the mean time i hope that i don't hear the sound of capacitors a'popping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileypete Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) Switched mode supplies often have 400V caps on the mains side so in theory should be able to handle a pure sinewave of up to 280V RMS which gives 400V peaks. Trouble is a distorted sine wave say from a genny may read as say 270V on a true RMS meter, but give a peak voltage well above 400V. Something that can measure peak voltage like a scope is the only way to tell for sure. For the OP returning the inverter is the ideal option, but IF that's not possible there may be something in there that can be found and adjusted by someone with the right skills and competencies. I'd expect for a pure sine inverter the output is at least reasonably close to a pure sinewave, seems the cheap or defective non inverter gennies '2 pole' are the usual culprits for smoking things, especially when unloaded. cheers, Pete. ~smpt~ Edited November 23, 2013 by smileypete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Have installed a new Inverter,the previous Mastervolt one packed up after 11 years service. The new one is working well but is has an output voltage of 263 . If 5 AMP A.C. load is applied the voltage drops to 244. All equipment including T.V.and phone/laptop chargers work O.K. Anyone have any thoughts on whether this higher than usual voltage will affect the boat's electrics over the long term? Well,the inverter has displayed an output voltage of 237! But,only when the battery voltage is reduced to Eleven volts i connected a single battery to it and allowed it to discharge slowly Previous experience with inverters has always shown the the output voltage is consistent even though the battery voltage varies. After a test with an 800 watt resistive load the output voltage increased momentarily to 293. any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
by'eck Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 A perfect square wave will have a root mean square voltage (Vrms) equal to its peak voltage. Your AC meter will measure Vrms for a perfect sine wave, so anything between the two such as modified sine wave will tend to read higher. You haven't mentioned what make/type your new inverter is. A load will probably change the wave shape of an MSW inverter output and hence the measured voltage. The only true answer is checking the output on a scope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileypete Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 What make pure sine is it? Got a link to a web page? cheers, Pete. ~smpt~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeping Up Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 I had a Sterling PSW inverter a few years ago which had this same voltage level and turned out to be running at 60Hz too (the major clue was that the clock on the cooker was running 20% fast). Oddly enough, Sterling said that the particular model didn't even have a 60Hz option - but I wonder if it had one that the manufacturer hadn't told them about. Anyway they changed it instantly with no quibble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Update The suppliers rang today and are replacing the inverter The output voltage is plus or minus 10 % around 230 volts Thanks for all your input chaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 It's frustrating that we still haven't been told the make/model of this inverter. Does it have to be a secret? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileypete Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) Would help to know, others may be in the market for a pure sine sometime, and the info could help them decide. Often the same inverter is sold under different brands too so a linky to a web page would be great. cheers, Pete. ~smpt~ Edited November 25, 2013 by smileypete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Hi The replacement Inverter arrived today It has been installed and tested The output voltage is now 228-231 Many thanks to Sunshine Solar for their prompt and courteous service no connection,just a pleased and impressed customer thanks again to forum members for their input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottle Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 From this clue (Many thanks to Sunshine Solar for their prompt and courteous service) it is either of these, own label.: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cereal tiller Posted November 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 From this clue (Many thanks to Sunshine Solar for their prompt and courteous service) it is either of these, own label.: Well done Watson! I felt it improper to mention the product name until the situation was concluded. It is the 1500/300 watt pure sine model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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