Xantrex Charger TrueCharge 20+

[MarineMonster]

We have been using a Xantrex Truecharge 20+ 20a since we bought the boat. I went to the boat last Monday and realized the indicator lights were off on the charger. I checked the breaker to make sure the switch was on and that the line going to the charger had power all the way to the power box and it did. Is it common for these units to just stop working? Is there anything else I should check before going out and buying the new Xantrex replacement unit Truecharge 2 20a?

 

[Honeyman]

Just went through this myself and yes, it probably just died. They won't rebuild or exchange, cause they want you to buy the new replacement. If you raise a stink, they'll offer a "loyal customer" price that I easily beat on the internet. Guess what, if you had the remote temp. sender for battery temp. and the remote display panel...they don't work with the new one!!! I bit the bullet and bought the new one to make installation easier, but with a bad taste in my mouth. This one better last awhile, old one was 5yrs old and I expected better. In hindsight, I wish I had gone with a Charles 15 or 20 amp model. Not real happy with Xantrex right now. Rediculous to design a new unit that wouldn't work with the old accessories.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

There is an internal fuse on the power board which might be your problem; certainly worth checking before buying something new.

Often, the fuse does it's job because of some external problem you might want to check if it is the fuse - they blow for a reason.

Not too difficult to take apart the charger. Just be careful with the heat sink wiring which is pretty tight.

 

[Steve Dion]

I have had a couple of the Xantrex units. They have been bullet proof. I have not heard many if any complaints about these units.

Hopefully it is a circuit breaker/fuse issue.

 

[MarineMonster]

Well, Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. I will check into the fuse Friday and see if that might be the problem. Otherwise, I will just breakdown and buy the new replacement.

 

[Steve Dion]

MM: The new replacement is a better charger (VC3012 or XC5012). It puts out either 30 or 50 amps (depends on the model). It allows you to have multiple battery chemistries on a single charger (flooded, Gel and AMG). This is nice if you want something like a Optima starting battery and a 6v flooded house bank.

The charge give you up to a full 30 or 50 amps to each of the battery banks. The charger you currently have only give you 10 amps to each bank if you have 2 banks.

 

[MarineMonster]

Thank You SD, I think buying a replacement is the best option. My battery bank is worth more than the replacement cost, plus I get better technology. I will let you know how it goes after the weekend.

 

[Steve Dion]

MM: It does not appear that there are serviceable fuses in the unit. The manual suggests that this is a factory type of repair.

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/462/docserve.aspx

I would guess that an electronic guy could repair this unit if that is the problem.

 

[Ivan]

Steve:

Battery chargers rated at X amps for two batteries usually will split the output among those two batteries. Than means that if battery A is very discharged and battery B is fairly full that most of the X amps will flow to the low battery initially. If both batteries are fairly low the output gets split and each only gets 1/2 of X. Are you sure that the new X amp charger delivers full X amps to EACH of two batteries? That would make it a 2X charger for the price of an X. My Xantrex "True Charge 30" splits the 30 amps among my two batteries.

 

[Steve Dion]

Ivan: The new technology does not work that way on the XC units. It uses as much power up to the output of the unit on each battery bank. This is how they are able to charge 3 different battery types with a single unit.

I agree with what you are describing with the older units.

 

[David Knauer]

I would second Don's reply concerning the replacement of a fuse in the unit. I had the same thing happen to me. We traced the problem to the inverter/charger. When you open the unit you see a bunch of circuit boards. On one was a fuse. The fuse looked good but would not test for continuity. We replaced it with one from Radio Shack and the unit worked perfectly. These fuses are there to protect the unit from surges in electricity - I think.

 

[MarineMonster]

Well, I just replaced the unit with the new and improved Xantrex Trucharge2 20a. It was a cable for cable replacement; It's all back to normal.