| Author | Message | ||
| Henry 96A3 (Hank)
Registered Member Username: Hank Post Number: 67 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 69.129.124.111 Rating: N/A |
I recently spoke with Wrico to see what they recommended for inverters. The guy basically said that the best on the market was the Magnum MS series. For my 24 volt coach system I would need the MS4024 to the tune of about $2K. I haven't seen a single Magnum inverter on ebay for several months except once and it was a 12 volt unit. He said that Xantrex stuff is now mostly made in overseas and seemed to imply that their quality has suffered, etc. I'm balking at the $2k when equivalent Xantrex units are much less and seem to be widely used by busnuts with good results. Have your experiences with Xantrex products been satisfactory? Are there other 24V inverter/charges I should look at such as Tripplite? I don't necessarily need pure sine power. Thanks for the input. Hank | ||
| James Smith (Tomcat)
Registered Member Username: Tomcat Post Number: 30 Registered: 8-2005 Posted From: 207.200.116.13 Rating: N/A |
I have used a Xantrex RS3000 in my conversion for the last year without any type of issues at all. Jay 87 SaftLiner | ||
| Jerry Campbell (Jerrync)
Registered Member Username: Jerrync Post Number: 44 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 69.132.150.103 Rating: N/A |
I have the 4024 and has worked per. I have 2 glass mat batts. 8D size works great. | ||
| Chuck Lott (Chuckmc8)
Registered Member Username: Chuckmc8 Post Number: 189 Registered: 5-2004 Posted From: 68.19.108.46 Rating: N/A |
"I'm balking at the $2k when equivalent Xantrex units are much less" Hank, can you get a new Trace SW4024 for less than $2K? | ||
| Arnold J Molloy (Ayjay)
Registered Member Username: Ayjay Post Number: 48 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 151.203.103.166 Rating: N/A |
Hi: Picked up my (factory reconditioned)Xantrex/Trace SW4024 for $1150.00 on Ebay, been in service for almost 3 years with no problems. AyJay | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 950 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 64.231.8.70 Rating: N/A |
Hello. I went with the Trace SW4024 (Xantrex) few years back after reading of too many busnuts who bought small and later kicked themselves and moved up market. Bought it from altenergystore.com Off shore is only a problem if there is no quality control. I doubt that a company with equipment in as many important places as Trace/Xantrex will fool around. The new ones won't be any different than the old ones in reliability. Folks use the 4024 to sell power back into the grid in those places that let you do that. Still comes with a warrenty and company support? I picked this model because of the complete auto functioning, and you may set it up so you are still involved in the decision making. Take advantage of the features as you "grow" your conversion. I'm looking forward to the day that I install a generator that the Trace will auto start according to battery levels. Buy as much inverter as you can afford with a little pain. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 53 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.206.15 Rating: N/A |
"to see what they recommended for inverters." Without knowing what the inverter is FOR its not possible to know which is a better choice. If you're going to operate the air cond on the road the Trace 2440 is the choice. If its for a house fridge , microwave , TV or small power tools,a 1500W, $200 unit will do as well. FAST FRED | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1765 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
I agree with FF in that you must know what you are going to be using the inverter for before making a decision. I initially made my decision based on cost only, and I quickly paid for that decision. I found that an "el cheapo" modified sine wave output "read square wave" would not operate a microwave, an ink jet printer and one of my TV sets. They also do not have a built in battery charger, so you must have a means of properly re-charging the battery. I quickly switched to a Trace. Richard | ||
| Arnold J Molloy (Ayjay)
Registered Member Username: Ayjay Post Number: 49 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 151.203.103.166 Rating: N/A |
Hi: Three's a Xantrex SW3624 for sale on Ebay right now.... Buy-it-now price of $850.00. Big enough to run a couple of AC's while going down the road. Item number: 190058062819 AyJay | ||
| Henry 96A3 (Hank)
Registered Member Username: Hank Post Number: 68 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 69.129.124.111 Rating: N/A |
I have been looking at larger units for the reasons that Buswarrior stated. Fast Fred: the point was more about what the guy said about Xantrex-he seemed a little down on them and I wanted to get a reality check. Just out of curiosity, do you think a high quality modified sine unit should generally work with a mircowave? The unit on ebay is a DR series which is the modified sine output, BTW. I definitely will be avoiding cheapo stuff regardless. Based on what I've read here and in other places I will probably end up going with a bigger MS series Xantrex or the Magnum MS4024 just to avoid any shortcomings in the future. Chuck: you're right about pricing, I think I was seeing used and refurbished units...which are out there unlike the Magnum. Thanks again for input. Hank | ||
| Arnold J Molloy (Ayjay)
Registered Member Username: Ayjay Post Number: 50 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 151.203.103.166 Rating: N/A |
Sorry Hank: Guess this head cold is really getting to me, should have realized it was the DR model and not the SW model at that no bid price. AyJay | ||
| Henry 96A3 (Hank)
Registered Member Username: Hank Post Number: 69 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 69.129.124.111 Rating: N/A |
Hey Arnold, No worries: I appreciate you taking the time to even look. Best, Hank | ||
| Jerry Liebler (Jerry_liebler)
Registered Member Username: Jerry_liebler Post Number: 237 Registered: 3-2005 Posted From: 75.117.212.71 Rating: N/A |
Hank, Check the features carefully. To me the ability to supplement a small shore connection with battery power and auto start the generator if the batteries get low was very important. This excluded all but the Trace SW series inverters. Since I have a 12 volt bus I have an SW2512. I'm very pleased with my inverter. Regards Jerry 4107 1120 | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Registered Member Username: Captain_ron Post Number: 645 Registered: 1-2005 Posted From: 66.174.79.233 Rating: N/A |
I have a 5000 watt 12 volt square wave inverter that I bout off of ebay 2 years ago and has worked great. It will not run my printer, but every thing else runs fine incuding my flat panel tv | ||
| Rob King (Skykingrob)
Registered Member Username: Skykingrob Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 72.160.232.99 Rating: N/A |
Hi Hank I was at Bussin 2006 in Oregon this summer and had the opportunity to listen to Dick Wright of WRICO International. He made the same comments there. When questioned further, it was explained by Dick that his issue wasn't the units themselves, but that if he, as a dealer, had a customer who had a problem with a unit or a special problem, it was almost impossible to get answers from the tech department. He even explained that the company left him holding the bag on a customer who had a problem that tech couldn't solve, tech finally threw up their hands, told Dick it was his problem cause it was his customer and refused to refund the money to Dick. Dick gave the customer back his money but Xantrex didn't stand behind him as a dealer. So he is now "recommending" the Magnum because he can call the tech there and get answers like he used to be able to get from Xantrex. BTW, there are features on the Xantrex that currently aren't offered on the Magnum, such as load sharing. If that is important, look to the Xantrex units. I suspect, and Dick indicated, that Magnum was working on that for the furture. Hope that clears some of the murk for you. Rob 91 LeMirageXL Missouri | ||
| Nick Badame Refrigeration Co. (Dnick85)
Registered Member Username: Dnick85 Post Number: 62 Registered: 2-2006 Posted From: 68.45.178.44 Rating: N/A |
Hi Guy's I had a totally different expierence with Xantrax. Their tech department was on the ball with two issues I had with my RS3000. I beleve I had one of the first units and there were some softwere problems thet caused Xantrax to replace my unit. Since then, They have even called me twice to make sure my issues were resolved. The capability of the RS3000 stands alone.... I mean the monitoring of voltages, amps, cycles,charging stages, state of battery banks,input currents on both legs, and alarms. I have NOT seen anything come close yet. not even Magnum. Nick- | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 56 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.206.249 Rating: N/A |
do you think a high quality modified sine unit should generally work with a mircowave? YES FF | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 236 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
i was looking at these: http://www.outbackpower.com/ and wondering what, if any, experience the busnut community has with them? word on the wind is that it's a bunch of the old xantrex people, and the gear looks pretty solid. the system for my rig is going to incorporate solar panels, and where i spend a lot of boondocking time is right next to a stream, and can get windy, so i may incorporate wind and water turbines as well, so i'm trying to design this out in a modular and flexible manner so i can upgrade in pieces if i have to. the solar panel plan is 200w shell panels on the roof, probably 12. so, talk to me  -dd | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 1026 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.65.54 Rating: N/A |
It sounds to me like you will be able to run a small AC when the sun is on your rig and your batteries are full. Otherwise, you would wind up just throwing the power away. 2400 watts will run around $12,000; are you ready for that? They will take up over 200 square feet; are you ready for that? I'll be really interested to see how it turns out. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 237 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
basically, i need to measure the bus again, but the plan was to put as many high wattage panels i can on the roof without screwing up the lines of the bus. currently on the drawing board is 12, but until i get out there with templates, nothing is set in stone. i'd love to be able to power my ac with solar. after all, i need it when the sun is out the plan does involve sprayfoaming the bus, and some other things, so with luck she won't take a huge amount of power to keep her cool. i don't suspect that solar alone will do it though. (not and be able to nicely mount it on the bus anyway) but the bigger the solar the smaller the generator and support services i'll need. for the most part, i need to run a very high end pc, ((5) 24" flatscreens) lights, and possibly the fridge/freezer, as i'm not sure i want to be reliant on propane. the lights will probably be led, so they won't draw much. figured webasto/aquahot radiant heat type system for heating... when i'm at home the solar on the rig will help defray the power my home draws, and when i'm boondocking, well, it seems to me that i can't really have too much power? i don't know, that's why i threw this out for discussion... -dd | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 57 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.200.15 Rating: N/A |
"so with luck she won't take a huge amount of power to keep her cool." Its the windows that make a coach hard to cool. A good method is awnings on BOTH sides , to shade the big heat sinks. " and when i'm boondocking, well, it seems to me that i can't really have too much power?" When the battset is charged you loose every amp you're not using. 2 or 3 panels will keep a modern high quality DC fridge working (Sunfrost et all) Might take a dozen to run a Home Depot item with poor insulation and a cheapo compressor. Most folks find it FAR more cost effective to lower the load , rather than purchase a huge power supply. FAST FRED | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 238 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
i agree on the loads thing, and i have quite a bit of experience with conserving energy as a whole (which is part of why i'm going to sprayfoam the bus, i can't beat that for making it more energy efficient, unless i remove windows, which i don't want to do) i can get by with a 900w inverter for everything i *absolutely* need, but it's a close run thing. i have a 3600 rpm 4.3kva kawasaki generator that i use for now, but i'll be replacing that, as it's louder than i like (although very quiet for a 3600rpm gen). there are a lot of times during the summer that i'm vending, and while the only electrical i need to run there is my sno cone machine and two freezers, my generator handles it fine, and as none of them are on "all the time" it shouldn't be an issue. last summer it was 105 at an event i was at, and we showed up (300 miles south or me) with both freezers full to the top with burger patties and gyro meat, and they were -12 deg f when we got there. (gen was running on the trailer for the trip) once there i had to turn the gen on for 5 minutes every hour or so to shave ice, and the highest i ever saw 'em was 27 degrees... so it seems to me that with some smart load sharing i should do okay, and there's always the gen if it doesn't work. those freezers are energy star, efficient, etc, out of lowes, but i haven't added any insulation either, so i figure with efficient gear it will cost less to run. i'm looking at a 3kva honda, since their super quiet, but i'd prefer a diesel. my big loads then are going to be the fridge/freezers/sno cone machine, and the generator *should* hold them all up. possibly even a small ac unit. i know the kawi i have will. on really hot days, when it's quiet at the event, i'd like to run on solar, and if i run out of juice there it should be afternoon by then, which is much louder, so it's not very noticeable if i have a quiet gen running somewhere. the group is pretty noisy from about 10 am 'till something like 3 am. the honda has an 8 amp 12volt charge circuit built into it, plus it's normal outputs, i figure that i can do some battery charging with it when it's running. i really want to keep the windows. i need to replace some, so i'm wondering if there's any double pane type stuff available. awnings on both sides are planned. trying to come up with something that's not as ugly as the standard rv awnings... seems to me like i should be able to design this so that i can build it in sections, and add panels as i go. i mean, i'm not going to be really upset if i only get 6 panels up and all my needs are being met, right? .. on the other hand, if i lay it out for 6, and i need 8, i'll have to redo the entire top of the bus to fit them. the outback power systems stuff looked to be exactly what i need, and would even allow me to sell power to myself when it's parked next to my house, and if my house loads aren't that high, i can even sell to the local power company (although in washington that's not going to be likely with my current home) so sometimes, yeah, i'll be making more power than i can use, but i don't really see a way around that, unless i'm making less than i need, as the sun is variable, (as is the availability of water or wind) which kinda defeats the purpose i think? educate me -dd | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 60 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.206.44 Rating: N/A |
i need to replace some, so i'm wondering if there's any double pane type stuff available. For homes where the space between the windows is evacuated , better r values are a fact. In a bus the window glass has an R of .75 , for only a few hunderd bucks dual glass will get you all the way to 1.5 WOW! Use RV awnings that advertise your product. But just don't drive anywhere with RV insurance , in your commercial towing vehicle, or its FRAUD and you have no insurance. FAST FRED | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 239 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
i can't park the bus where it can be seen by the populace at large, so there's not real point in advertising on the awnings... not sure what multipane glass for a scenic is going to run, which is why i said i wondered about it -dd | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 63 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.200.127 Rating: N/A |
not sure what multipane glass for a scenic is going to run, which is why i said i wondered about it :-) -dd The Po Boy setup of using an old window cut in half to create two matching trim rings works too. Most folks use this method to screen the openings to keep the insects out. You can as easily install clear plastic , inside the bug screens to double insulate the windows. This will give better insulation than just 2 hunks of leaky glass.And should be $500 a window cheaper. FAST FRED | ||
| James Robinson (Jjrbus)
Registered Member Username: Jjrbus Post Number: 42 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 68.244.3.181 Rating: N/A |
I use the trace Dr3624, I use it to run 1 roof air off the bus alternator while under way. No problem with the modified sine wave for charging portable tool bateries, computer, printer ect. The things that I notice are the ceiling fan buzz when on inverter, not annoying but noticeable. The microwave clock goes beserk on inverter (but the timer works well. I've also become suspicious of the inverter affecting the sattelite reciever, I'm not sure of this but if I unplug the receiver befor traveling I seem to have less problems the next time I set up. Again I'm not sure of this. I started with a Tripp Lite inverter and was happy with the inverting part. However the battery chargeing took far too long. |