Hi there after installing my 1000w with 2000w surge capacity In camper van. I thought all was well as it all seemed fine. It charged all my gadgets laptop. Phones. Also ran my TV. Not all at once though. Then one day I turned it on too check all was well before trip. Then heard a loud crackle noise it switched off then started to burn inside. This unit was nearly new only used a few times. But it started playing up when it would keep shutting down when I connected my ice maker it's only 120watts
But the inverter was not having it. Then it blew up. All the cables are correct rating fuses in light emergency cut off switch in place. 🤔🤔
Bit of a complicated answer delving into the 'science' of electricity I'm afraid!
Two aspects there, firstly the ice maker, it's basically a small refrigeration device with a compressor much like a domestic freezer, now the type of motor used can have a HUGE momentary start up surge current, frequently 10 - 20x the run current! That means your invertor is potentially trying to power a 1.2 - 2.4Kw load, NOT a 120W run load on start up, which is not necessarily just first time the unit is switched on either, but every time the compressor motor starts up if any kind of thermostatic switching!
Starting loads that have a huge start up surge are often the downfall of many inverters, as they go into protective overload shut down quickly and BEFORE the load demand has stabilised to normal run current load!
Now the 'quality' of inverters! Read the reviews of many commonly available inverters, even some of the most popular brands, reveals quite a high failure rate, somewhat higher than you might expect, now whether that is down to poor quality equipment, or innocently ignorant users perpetually pushing them beyond design limits is a great unknow!
Many of us with invertors and generators have encountered 'fail to start' issues where the initial switch on start load overwhelms the supplying equipment!
When equipment is supplied by the mains, firstly the mains has far greater capacity for demand overload, and protection devices like normal fuses and circuit breakers are relatively slow to act, so equipment has time to power up and reduce demand to rated 'run current', but limited capacity supplies like invertors and generators often get overwhelmed and trip out overload safety systems, or suffer voltage drops that stop/delay the connected equipment starting properly.
Determining, what any piece of equipment requires in terms of a supply source is not straight forwards, the rated power is the normal run demand, it does not take into account start up surges! Different types of equipment have different characteristics, anything with a motor or transformer will draw a momentary surge that self limits and reduces demand once running properly, even a humble incandescent light bulb draws a surge current until fully up to brightness! Many bits of quality equipment, and those destined for 'limited' power sources like camping equipment often have 'soft start' features to overcome problems.
Can you as a layman determine what power supply you need for any given bit of equipment? Not necessarily, manufacturers never seem to publish surge demands for equipment, nor even mention it exists! Rough guide, anything with a motor may require 10x or more than stated run current, things like microwaves are another notorious power gobbler, it may have a 700W rating on the front (but that is the cooking power OUTPUT!), but will likely demand up to 1.2kW run power, and many times that surge power EVERY time the Ignitron fires!
Absolutely top class reply. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner as the message went to my junk folder so I thought I didn't get a reply. Any I would like another inverter but this has put me off. I will be honest it was under £100 on ebay. But never thought it would burn up like it did. I thought it was maybe because I started engine and my split relay was connected along with my solar panels. Causing a surge but when I took a volt meter to it it was around 15v surely not enough to fry it. Any further information most appreciated as I will try another invertor. 😊👍
I would think that the inverter is at fault and you are very lucky you never lost more. Best inverters on the market are Victron, but not cheap. Sterling are another respected brand. In many cases buying cheap Chinese is asking for trouble.
Personally I wouldn't bother with an inverter. Either use sites with electric hook up or stick to charging devices on 12volt.
Just a small change to lifestyle makes it much easier.
DaveS1
I agree regarding the Chinese electronics on ebay. But would love to know what actually happened to it. It was brand new
And the only thing I used it for was to charge some power tool batteries. Just to test it out. Tried it on 700w microwave but it worked OK but took too long to heat anything and took a toll on leisure batteries.
i bought some smart plugs on amazon. you can see what's going on in real time with anything plugged in, so test any new electrical device this way in the house before it's allowed in the camper.
This potential fire issue is one reason I’m not tempted to lay up overnight in a car park: time & again, I see MHs parked so close together that they can pass a tin of beer between the lounge windows. Free camping yes, but I’m fond of the 6m rule for fire safety on sites.
(Caveat: wide designated MH spaces are painted on the tarmac in some places, but I have still seen & read about vehicles going into the safety space between because the car park is full.)
Back to the topic(inverter) I wonder if parkranger ever did get to the bottom of it and has he fitted a new one.
ttwawaoir-•*
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
No I didn't get to the bottom of my inverter problem.i decided it was just a poor quality item. I am running without one now just using 12v with solar. Will probably get another inverter at some point but a reliable brand . 👍
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Topic: Exploding power inverter
via mobile 10/10/2024 at 2:58pm
