| Author | Message | ||
| Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Registered Member Username: Chuck_newman Post Number: 254 Registered: 1-2005 Posted From: 63.145.177.245 Rating: N/A |
I'm ready to buy a new inverter and had been looking at the Xantrex 4024 for some time. So of course, it's now out of production. I came across the newer Magnum MS-4024. Basically same specs, and cheaper. I have always heard good things about Magnum. Is this point still the same? Anyone using the MS-4024 that can share results? | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 291 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.33.57.25 Rating: N/A |
Chuck,I chose the Magnum over Xantrex because of the same reason when you get ready to buy it's no longer in production.My system is 12v and I am waiting for Magnums new model higher wattage of the 12v inverters coming in Jun and it looks like more models of Xantrex are made in China now | ||
| Leland Bradley (Lee_bradley)
Registered Member Username: Lee_bradley Post Number: 26 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 207.118.41.210 Rating: N/A |
Chuck, I passed on the Magnum because of it's power sharing. That may not be an issue for you. | ||
| William D. Watkins (Sivrtnge2)
Registered Member Username: Sivrtnge2 Post Number: 179 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 76.97.116.103 Rating: N/A |
Hey Luvrbus, what model are you waiting on??? -- BILL | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Registered Member Username: Oonrahnjay Post Number: 217 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 69.143.48.201  Rating: N/A |
L Bradley wrote "I passed on the Magnum because of it's power sharing." __. How does this 'power sharing' work? What makes it not a good unit for your bus? | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 292 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.33.57.25 Rating: N/A |
Bruce, the sw series would power share but it's going away thats the one I wanted. I'll let L Bradley explain how it works | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 293 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.33.57.25 Rating: N/A |
Bill, I was waiting on 3600 watts but talking to Tony at Magnum they don't know now if they are going to make it.So I will probably change to a 2800 watt and forget about running my ac off the inverters and just use the generator I do not want any more stacked inverters.Now is the time I wished it was 24v instead of 12v | ||
| William D. Watkins (Sivrtnge2)
Registered Member Username: Sivrtnge2 Post Number: 180 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 76.97.116.103 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Luvrbus, I just purchased 2 xantrex prosine 12 volt 3000 watt inverters. I was told they were stackable. Now that I know better, I will put one in the bus and the other on in my "FMCA RIG." Man I get a kick out of saying that!!! -- BILL | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 294 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.33.57.25 Rating: N/A |
Bill, are you going to Branson | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 709 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.139  Rating: N/A |
SW4024-MC2 units are still available from Xantrex, new or refurbished. I'm not happy with the direction Xantrex has gone in regards to their manufacturing, quality, and support, but they are almost the only game in town if you want the load-support features that only a unit designed for grid-tie operation will deliver. As has been pointed out, the Magnum products will not do load-support. Magnum does not make a grid-tie product, and so naturally there is no circuitry in their products to synchronize the waveform. If you want the load-support features in a non-Xantrex product, I think Outback is the only other choice. For my money, I would do the SW4024 all over again. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 230 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.90.229.207 Rating: N/A |
Look up Outback and Mastervolt, there the new kids on the block with lots of bells % whistles and different pricing than Trace. Stackable , if you need more than one. FF | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 262 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 208.6.60.4 Rating: N/A |
The Outback is really good stuff. It should be. Outback was formed by former Trace guys who quit after Trace was aquired by Xantrex. They said they started with a fresh sheet of paper to design a product based on the Trace units with the flaws corrected. | ||
| Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Registered Member Username: Chuck_newman Post Number: 255 Registered: 1-2005 Posted From: 63.145.177.245 Rating: N/A |
Well, the next related question is: For those of you with inverters having load sharing capability, how often do you really use it? It is worth another $700. for the capability? Except Sean and Louise since you guys are frequently on 15 amp posts. Of course, that's when you would need P/S most. | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 233 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.90.226.205 Rating: N/A |
guys are frequently on 15 amp posts. Of course, that's when you would need P/S most. NOpe , the power sharing really comes into life when you can be on a 30A campsite and use 2 air cond , with no second unit shakey start hassles. FF | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 710 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.17 Rating: N/A |
Bear in mind that, to get load support with an Outback, you'll need the utility-interactive model. This unit is very expensive. Also, the largest inverter Outback makes in 24v is 3500 watts. Lastly, the Outbacks will not start 3-wire generators, so you will need a 3-to-2 wire conversion kit if you have a Wrico or similar generator that you want the inverter to start. I think you're still better off with the SW4024 when all is said and done. It's still what all the big boys (Marathon, Vantare, etc.) are using. (That's the reason, incidentally, why Xantrex restored the -MC2 to it's product line even after announcing it was being discontinued -- the source of the confusion that started this thread.) To get all the same features and output in Outback product, you will need to spend three times as much. Of course, if load support is not important to you, then the Trace SW series is just the wrong product. In this case, I would look seriously at the Magnum. We simply can't live without this feature, which, by itself, makes it worthwhile putting up with all the other nonsense (single-pole transfer switch, no bonding relay, poor customer support, etc.). FWIW. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 711 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.17 Rating: N/A |
Chuck, You already know how much we use the load support. And Fred is right, the ability to run two A/C's from a 30-amp pedestal comes into play just as often as the 15- or 20-amp post issue. But I'm a bit confused about the $700 "extra" question -- high-quality factory-refurbished SW4024's can be had for around $1,300. Surely you can't get a Magnum in that rating for $600? -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Registered Member Username: Chuck_newman Post Number: 256 Registered: 1-2005 Posted From: 63.145.177.245 Rating: N/A |
I just bit the bullet and purchased a Magnum MS-4024. A couple of clinchers: Wholesale Solar (just up the road from us) is selling the Magnum MS line for the lowest price around, with free remote, and free shipping through the end of February. So I got the MS-4024 plus remote and shipping for $1999. They have also the Xantrex XW-4024 for $2375., remote $260., shipping about $100. That's where I came up with the $700. extra. And reading the downloaded manual, Magnum has a built-in neutral/ground bonding relay that Xantrex does not. But more importantly, I like how Magnum writes and displays their info more so than Xantrex. We've done fine with 30 amps in the past. When at fair grounds with 15A (or less)we will use the quiet gen with roof exhaust. Thanks for all the input. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 712 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.17 Rating: N/A |
Chuck, I wish you good luck with your purchase. It would be great if, after you've got it all hooked up, you could report back here on your experience. For everyone else's reference: We paid $1,795 for our SW4024 brand new, about $170 for the remote panel, and the bonding relay was about $15. Total cost, about $1,950, which is comparable to what Chuck paid for his Magnum setup, apples to apples. That's brand new. Since the SW series has been on the market for quite a long time, there is also now a very steady supply of factory refurbished units. Many of these were infant mortality returns from installers, which Xantrex subsequently repaired. Some are older take-outs that came back to Xantrex as trade-ins. In any case, when they come back out of Xatrex, they are fully functional, tested, and come with a factory warranty. Factory-refurb SW4024's are in the neighborhood of $1,300, and remotes are around $120. So you could put together a system for less than $1,500. Again, if the load-support feature is important to you (as it was to us), this is still probably the way to go, in spite of Xantrex's current quality and customer service issues. FWIW. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| William D. Watkins (Sivrtnge2)
Registered Member Username: Sivrtnge2 Post Number: 181 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 76.97.116.103 Rating: N/A |
Hey Luvrbus, I am going to try to make Branson. If not in my coach...maybe in the rig. To everyone else, WHAT R U TALKING ABOUT??? Do any of this apply to us 12 volt people??? -- BILL | ||
| Skip N (Skip)
Registered Member Username: Skip Post Number: 18 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 161.7.2.160  Rating: N/A |
Bill, Of coarse it applies to 12v. Outback does make a 12v stackable both parallel and series configuration. As a generality 12v inverter does not carry the same output watts that 24v does. www.outbackpower.com/Inverters.htm For the price I am going to have to save for a while. Skip | ||
| Leland Bradley (Lee_bradley)
Registered Member Username: Lee_bradley Post Number: 27 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 138.163.128.41 Rating: N/A |
I was all set to buy a Magnum when I down loaded their manual and started reading and got to the point on limiting AC load. The unit will decrease the power used to charge the batteries as AC load in the bus increases but if the AC load in the bus increases above the AC (pole) load the inverter passes that through and the pole breaker will trip. Inverters with power sharing will stop charging the batteries and if the AC load in the bus continues to increase the inverter will start drawing power from the batteries to supply the AC load in the bus while maintaining the preset pole AC load. So a load can come on in the middle of the night without tripping you off-line. I know you can work around this but I prefer a unit with power sharing. | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 295 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.33.56.82 Rating: N/A |
Bill, like i said this is why i wish mine was a 24v system so much more out there for 24v more bang for the buck.Trace made a 3100 but its not made any longer.i am going to check the Outback inverters also now but both Magnum and Outback are Companies started by former Trace people and probably both are good units I will just compare both units and try to buy the best one for my needs I am in the dark on this inverter stuff being Dick Wright has always done it for me.I know with a little help from these guys I can make it work.the AC and cooktop are the largest load i have the cooktop load solved my going to the inducation 2 burner type but the ac is going to be generator power as of now 2800w just will not handle 2 ac good luck on yours and will see you in Branson | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 713 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.139 Rating: N/A |
Well, in replying to an off-board email, I have noticed that the SW4024 is once again off the production list. I just can't keep up with the on-again, off-again over at Xantrex. Never the less, I know these can still be bought. Contact me off-board if you need a referral to a supplier. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| William D. Watkins (Sivrtnge2)
Registered Member Username: Sivrtnge2 Post Number: 182 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 76.97.116.103 Rating: N/A |
Well with what I have invested in the 2 prosine units, I guess I will have to live with it for right now. I may do what Jim Shepherd did later on. -- BILL |