Stirling Inverter

[rafiki_]

I have a 2.5 kw inverter on my boat. Today it is not working. I have not been able to do any continuity test yet, but the main 300 a fuse appears to be Ok. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
The boat is a Sunline 31 Mobo. The inverter is driven by 3 off 115 ah batteries, and they appear to have plenty of charge. There is a Faria gauge for battery condition.

 

[claudio]

Are you suspecting a battery problem ?
I would check the battery voltage at the inverter terminals when you press the "inverter on" button, it may have a low voltage cut out.
A bad or corroded 12V connection would prevent the inverter from operating

 

[rafiki_]

Are you suspecting a battery problem ?
I would check the battery voltage at the inverter terminals when you press the "inverter on" button, it may have a low voltage cut out.
A bad or corroded 12V connection would prevent the inverter from operating

Thanks for your response. I am confident that the batteries are ok. The wiring and connectors look sound at the inverter, but I will have a closer look at the weekend.

 

[rafiki_]

Another suggestion has been that the inverter was switched on while connected to shorepower. It was all OK when I checked the boat on Tuesday evening. The failure was discovered yesterday during a buyers survey

 

[claudio]

That shouldn't damage the inverter

 

[rafiki_]

Not what my Techie says, unless there is a 3 way switch, which my boat does not have.

 

[claudio]

Not what my Techie says, unless there is a 3 way switch, which my boat does not have.

Most inverters have AC in and AC out terminals
When connected to shore power an internal transfer relay connects AC in to AC out

All of the inverter powered loads should be connected to AC out.

If your electrician has wired AC out to shore power, it is likely that the inverter is damaged
After the inverter is fixed/replaced, get a decent electrician in to wire it up correctly

If the inverter does not have an "automatic" transfer switch, I would make it a priority to get hold of one.