Trace Inverter Question on AC Passthrough

[JMM]

I have a question related to the operational behavior of an older Trace Inverter ( Model M1512 - 1500Watt, 12 V). This came with the boat and was installed by the PO about 12 years ago. The inverter is wired up as specified in the manual for powering a split AC panel ( i.e. only a portion of the AC loads on the boat) and has appeared to work correctly for the last 2 seasons as both an AC charger and inverter and will witch to inverter mode automatically if AC power is lost.

In upgrading the house battery bank recently we noticed that the AC pass through function was only active with the inverter hooked up to the DC power source.
So my question is: Is DC power required for AC pass through -- for this model inverter/charger or Trace inverters in general? I ask as the person working with was very surprised as his inverter does not require DC power for AC pass through. I can find nothing in the manual that speaks to this, and this is of course an older discontinued unit.

More of an inconvenience than anything -- i.e. when servicing the DC system you loose all the AC circuits fed from the inverter.

Anyone have some experience with these older Trace Inverters?

Thanks, Jim

 

[Rick]

I have an older 2500 watt Trace inverter also. Im trying to grasp what you are actually saying. When my inverter sees shore power or an external ac source, it switches over to a battery charger if it sees a battery circuit to charge. It has its own Perko that is a "master power" for the inverter. With no shore power it will function as an inverter if it sees an AC load. I actually havent tried to isolate my house bank with the inverter still functioning with no shore power connected.Although it might work, im not sure why I would try it cause what could I do. WITH shore power connected, I can shut down the dc panel and still have ac present, ie outlets, but servicing any battery bank that is connected to the inverter with AC power present sounds like a real safety issue and a recipe for an electrical mishap.

Not sure I guess what you are really asking.

 

[JMM]

The inverter works as you describe also. I typically leave in charger mode so if AC power (dockside or generator) drops the inverter does not kick on.

Again the question is when without DC power applied to the inverter ( which in my case is from the Battery -- Positive Distribution Point - before the DC panel) -- does the AC pass through function work or will it only pass through AC power with a live DC source? -- i.e. will it pass through AC when batteries are removed from the system? I just want to understand if this is normal operation -- or if something is working incorrectly. On my friends boat, with his inverter setup, he does not need DC power for his AC pass through to work ( or so he says) -- not sure which inverter he has, but it is a much newer vintage.

(Note: The PO had the inverter connected directly to the PDP -- I am adding a disconnect switch - so I can isolate the inverter quickly if needed).

To have AC power available when you have no DC battery bank available for the inverter may be desirable -- I looked at some other inverter specs and some had a "switch" that allowed you to disable the charger/inverter function and only have AC pass through -- although the manuals did not say if DC power was still required.

-- Jim

 

[Ron20324]

If you have an older model, and no manual to refer to, and no manufacturer, you'd just have to do it yourself and see what happens. Electronic circuitry has changed considerably in recent years, so what one person has, does not mean they all work that way. Even a more recent generic version of yours could work differently.

My only guess would be that the DC is required in order to power the AC sensing circuitry. But, of course, the AC system COULD be like some car circuitry these days, and in case of failure (of DC, say), they go into a default bypass mode.

And while you're at it, compile a wiring diagram!

 

[JMM]

I have the manual ( which is generally pretty lean on information ) -- and the unit otherwise works well as a charger and an inverter ( at least for our present use) -- so I'll just accept that this is the way it is supposed to work. I was just hoping that someone may have the same or similar vintage M1512 unit and could comment.

Jim