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kernr · 07-08-2020, 01:58 PM

It has been a while but here is an update and the sage continues. The inverter finally did what I would call a hard failure - no matter what i did and no matter how high the battery voltage was no display - nothing at all. So I called Xantrex and tried all of there tricks to get this inverter to boot up. We were not successful and she stayed dormant. They recommended I talk to the distributor in NJ and potentially get some repair help - if parts were available. So I did and called the distributor. he clearly stated that he could repair it but to be real careful if you ship it - they tend to be dropped and then all bets are off on repair due to shock of drop.

So myself and another very strong person carefully got the six screws our of the 90 pound inverter hanging on the aft ER bulkhead and muscled it off the boat and into my car. I then took a day and drove to NJ (4 Hours thru NYC) - delightful drive - not!! The distributor was very knowledgeable and quickly diagnosed the problem to a board and we looked over the entire inverter and decided the root cause is too much corrosion in the box. He stated that he could replace the board and clean all the corrosion ff then conformal coat the boards = the AC terminal block was badly rusted. The cost was going to be North of $1,100. and he clearly stated he would not warranty the box. so we decided to replace the old Xantrex with a Victron Multi Plus. Very similar to the Xantrx but 1/2 the weight mostly due to 14 years of technology.

Upon trying to install the new inverter charger I discovered that the Bypass switch is not wired up iaw the schematic provided with the boat. That is where I came to all stop this week. I don't mind replacing things when they are pretty much plug compatible but when I have a new inverter going in and the schematic is not the same as the wiring. When I brought AC via SP onto boat and measured the wires for AC Line IN and AC Neutral IN I got not voltage. Yes Bypass Switch was in Inverter position, the inverter breaker was on, and there was 120 VAC at the AC Panel. So all stop and I called the Marine Electrician that was recommended to me - he will take a look at the beginning of next week.

Meanwhile I have received 3 new 8D House battery bank batteries at 162 pounds apiece - two are stacked in ER on top of each other and I have no idea how we are going to get the 8D to the upper spot - the other two we can get into position, Need a sky hook and a chain fall rig to pull this off.

i will keep all posted. It was definitely not the batteries but the root cause was badly corroded inverter components in a 14 year old inverter. The mystery box below the inverter was exactly what twisted tree said it was - "The mystery device behind the cover appears to be a neutral bonding relay. It bonds neutral and ground when on inverter, and disconnects when shore or gen is active." The distributor stated that this is a Contactor and no longer needed with the new inverter.

More to come
Bob

07-08-2020, 01:58 PM	#44
kernr Senior Member City: Saunderstown Vessel Name: Serenity Vessel Model: Grand Banks 47 Europa Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 137	The ongoing Saga It has been a while but here is an update and the sage continues. The inverter finally did what I would call a hard failure - no matter what i did and no matter how high the battery voltage was no display - nothing at all. So I called Xantrex and tried all of there tricks to get this inverter to boot up. We were not successful and she stayed dormant. They recommended I talk to the distributor in NJ and potentially get some repair help - if parts were available. So I did and called the distributor. he clearly stated that he could repair it but to be real careful if you ship it - they tend to be dropped and then all bets are off on repair due to shock of drop. So myself and another very strong person carefully got the six screws our of the 90 pound inverter hanging on the aft ER bulkhead and muscled it off the boat and into my car. I then took a day and drove to NJ (4 Hours thru NYC) - delightful drive - not!! The distributor was very knowledgeable and quickly diagnosed the problem to a board and we looked over the entire inverter and decided the root cause is too much corrosion in the box. He stated that he could replace the board and clean all the corrosion ff then conformal coat the boards = the AC terminal block was badly rusted. The cost was going to be North of $1,100. and he clearly stated he would not warranty the box. so we decided to replace the old Xantrex with a Victron Multi Plus. Very similar to the Xantrx but 1/2 the weight mostly due to 14 years of technology. Upon trying to install the new inverter charger I discovered that the Bypass switch is not wired up iaw the schematic provided with the boat. That is where I came to all stop this week. I don't mind replacing things when they are pretty much plug compatible but when I have a new inverter going in and the schematic is not the same as the wiring. When I brought AC via SP onto boat and measured the wires for AC Line IN and AC Neutral IN I got not voltage. Yes Bypass Switch was in Inverter position, the inverter breaker was on, and there was 120 VAC at the AC Panel. So all stop and I called the Marine Electrician that was recommended to me - he will take a look at the beginning of next week. Meanwhile I have received 3 new 8D House battery bank batteries at 162 pounds apiece - two are stacked in ER on top of each other and I have no idea how we are going to get the 8D to the upper spot - the other two we can get into position, Need a sky hook and a chain fall rig to pull this off. i will keep all posted. It was definitely not the batteries but the root cause was badly corroded inverter components in a 14 year old inverter. The mystery box below the inverter was exactly what twisted tree said it was - "The mystery device behind the cover appears to be a neutral bonding relay. It bonds neutral and ground when on inverter, and disconnects when shore or gen is active." The distributor stated that this is a Contactor and no longer needed with the new inverter. More to come Bob