Our boat is beginning it's 4th season. It's equipped with a Heart inverter (2500) and has the 120 volt refrigeration system. This week, the inverter quit working. Apparently, it's cooked - just plain doesn't work any more!! My question - is that all there is to inverters??? The electrician said that he has seen it happen before - in his opinion, too often. There is no question that it does a lot of work running the fridge for a good part of the year, but I am still amazed that it would only last this long. Does anyone else have any experience with this?? ROwen
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
B
Buck Harrison
Richard,
I have a Heart 25 on my current 420 and also had a Heart 25 on my last boat. The current one is 1.5 years old, the earlier one was 4 years old and still going when I sold the boat...... although I had to have the AC board replaced because water got on it. What exactly do you mean by "cooked"? Have you had an authorized Heart Service tech diagnose what exactly is wrong with it???
I have a Heart 25 on my current 420 and also had a Heart 25 on my last boat. The current one is 1.5 years old, the earlier one was 4 years old and still going when I sold the boat...... although I had to have the AC board replaced because water got on it. What exactly do you mean by "cooked"? Have you had an authorized Heart Service tech diagnose what exactly is wrong with it???
A
Arthur Boas
Should last longer
As long as ther is adaeqaute ventilation and no water on it, should last for many years
As long as ther is adaeqaute ventilation and no water on it, should last for many years
J
Jim
Check the internal fuzes
Check the internal fuzes .. there are several.. one is only 1/2 amp and will stop the inverter from working.. my 1/2 amp blew with a lighting strike in the area.. when replaced .. the inverter continues to perform well
Check the internal fuzes .. there are several.. one is only 1/2 amp and will stop the inverter from working.. my 1/2 amp blew with a lighting strike in the area.. when replaced .. the inverter continues to perform well
D
Dick McKee
D
Don Alexander
No Known Life Limited Components Used
Richard, I too have a Heart Inverter Charger and, as far as I can tell, there are no components used which have a limited life span. There may be the odd electrolytic capacitor but these days these seem to go on for twenty years or more. I did have a failure of the input filter though because the inverter must have received an overvoltage from the dock. I just replaced all 4 varistors with larger wattage ones and it is better than new. Try looking at the AC wiring just as it enters the main unit. There is a printed circuit with these small disk like items and a couple of hefty chokes. You will immediately see if they are US as they normally blow themselves to bits! Just read the code off one which has survived and buy more. They cost VERY little and the UK agent for Heart actually recommends removing them from the circuit altogether. PS Electrical technicians (rather than power electronics men) cannot be expected to understand the sophisticated circuitry of these inverters.
Richard, I too have a Heart Inverter Charger and, as far as I can tell, there are no components used which have a limited life span. There may be the odd electrolytic capacitor but these days these seem to go on for twenty years or more. I did have a failure of the input filter though because the inverter must have received an overvoltage from the dock. I just replaced all 4 varistors with larger wattage ones and it is better than new. Try looking at the AC wiring just as it enters the main unit. There is a printed circuit with these small disk like items and a couple of hefty chokes. You will immediately see if they are US as they normally blow themselves to bits! Just read the code off one which has survived and buy more. They cost VERY little and the UK agent for Heart actually recommends removing them from the circuit altogether. PS Electrical technicians (rather than power electronics men) cannot be expected to understand the sophisticated circuitry of these inverters.
J
John
S
s brocks
Inverter
We had a similar experience with our Heart (now Xantrex) Freedom 20 inverter/charger. We replaced both the AC and DC boards after some troubleshooting dictated the problem was at the circuit board level and not a blown control fuse or loose wiring connection. The technicians at Heart were helpful through the diagnosis, given that the unit was out of warranty, but our thought was that the boards should have lasted longer.
We had a similar experience with our Heart (now Xantrex) Freedom 20 inverter/charger. We replaced both the AC and DC boards after some troubleshooting dictated the problem was at the circuit board level and not a blown control fuse or loose wiring connection. The technicians at Heart were helpful through the diagnosis, given that the unit was out of warranty, but our thought was that the boards should have lasted longer.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.