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giraut
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:45am
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Okay, so I have a small solar setup at my cabin. I have 3 PV panels, 2 batteries, a controller and an inverter – the usual. I have more than enough power to run the little I use here. Suddenly, my inverter starts beeping, which I take to mean it's being overloaded (I have a Xantrex 1500W inverter I bought at Canadian Tire). It stops, then starts beeping again. Very annoying. The controller tells me the batteries are putting out 13.1 volts. It says the batteries are "full." Here's what I have running off this thing: a laptop charging; a cell phone charging; an external hard drive on; a pair of powered laptop speakers on; an internet radio antenna; and a wireless router.
So I turn off the speakers and the external hard drive and the beeping stops. I know a hard drive can use a lot of power. Does this sound like the inverter can't handle the load?
If that's true, can you recommend a not-too-fancy or expensive step up – maybe to 3,000W? Would that do the trick? I don't want to spend thousands. Hundreds would work. Don't need charger or any big bells and whistles.
Many thanks!
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:56am - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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Usually inventor beeping means it cannot maintain sufficient output voltage to satisfy the power demand. In other words, it can't handle the load - either too much power consumption or not sufficient power supply.
My thoughts:
Calculate your total power consumption - laptop charging (max, check rating on its power supply), router, external hard drive, etc... You should be able to get each device's power consumption from its back label. The total should be no more than Xantrex's rated 1500W. I think that's where your issue is.
Also, check wiring - it could be failing wire, rusted battery contacts or something, preventing proper current flow from batteries to the inverter.
Measure the actual voltage at the input (DC) and output (AC) contacts of the inverter, when it is beeping.
Hope this helps.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:48pm
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giraut
We have the 1800 inverter. There is an option to see what the current load is on it and there is one on our controller as well. Both seem to be very accurate. If your load is nearing or over the inverter's capacity it will sound the alarm.
We had our's go into "alarm" mode and it does go back to a "default" of 13.1 v etc. The reason why our controller was upset was because we were running out of juice in our batteries over the course of a cloudy weekend and having to many appliance usages. (Bought another battery and learned to restrict our appliance usage.)
Cabinbuilder also gives good advice to check all the connections, etc.
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:56pm
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Get a voltmeter and check the actual voltage at the batteries when the inverter starts getting unhappy. Like the others, I suspect you are running out of battery not inverter
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johng
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2011 08:47pm
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reading the title of the thread I thought the sun was backing up.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2011 09:17pm
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at my place beeping mean's bedtime. give everything a rest..
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2011 07:36am
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I suspect your running out of juice,too.Inverters warn you when your voltage drop's down below a safe voltage level.1500 watts is plenty big enough to run what you have.
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