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lc0338's avatar
lc0338
Explorer
Aug 21, 2016

Inverter bit the dust

Well, I must have put too much pressure on my samlex 2000 pure sine wave inverter when it was 95 deg F ambient temperature. Had a 1500 watt 1.75 quart water kettle plugged in when it died. Thought it would have an safety to cut it off before burning out. It was a 12 volt battery system. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a xantrex sw 3024 inverter/charger. My solar generator had an iota 55 amp charger but it was 12 volt so have to obsolete it. sure hate to spend that kind of money but think it will be best down the road. I guess I am joining the under planned crowd. This 1500 watt kettle will be low usage but want the capability. Any others out there found that you are pushing up against 12volt limits and needed to move to 24v?

25 Replies

  • Mandalay Parr wrote:
    Could also be a circuit breaker or low battery voltage.
    1500 watts is like nearly 200 amps out of your batteries.


    I suspect the voltage did drop because the gfi plug in tripped. I was able to reset the gfi but shortly there after the red overload light on the inverter was lighted and the inverter makes a screaming sound when turned on. I called and spoke with Samlex product support and the engineer told me that the upper section of the inverter had burnt. It was out of warranty 3 years old and 2 years is warranty limit) even though it has only been in service about a year and half.
  • My next inverter will be a xantrex sw 3024. That is a nice unit and very simple to hook up and use.
    Dave
  • You can buy an IOTA at 24 volts. Then a dedicated 3000 watt inverter such as GoPower. I like separate components. If something goes bad that is all you replace.
  • Could also be a circuit breaker or low battery voltage.
    1500 watts is like nearly 200 amps out of your batteries.