Inverter to AC power center help

[hopkinsonsa]

This is the AC Power center circuit board that my inverter is powering. The inverter worked fine yesterday but now it does not seem to be supplying any power to the AC power unit.

The line voltage meter doesn't change at all and it doesn't supply power to the second panel (which we use to supply power to our outlets). The most current we were drawing on it was like .15 last night. Any ideas what the issue could be here? Other than not supplying power to the AC power center, the inverter seems to be working OK. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Terra Nova]

Looks like the breakers are in the "off" position. And one panel exhibits severe corrosion issues.

[hopkinsonsa]

Yeah I turned them off when it stopped working. And yeah the second panel does have some corrosion on it... New to me boat just looking for help...

Possible I broke one of the fuses?

[smac999]

Originally Posted by hopkinsonsa

, the inverter seems to be working OK.

Thanks,
Steve

doesn't sound like it's working to me. it's only purpose is sending AC power to the panel. which it isn't...

you'll need a multi meter. check for DC power at the inverter input. and ac voltage at output. make sure the inverter unit is turned on. there will be a switch somewhere. either with a remote control, or on it.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Steve.

[DeepFrz]

You may need to plug something in to one of the ac receptacles. Some invertors go into a standby mode if there is no load.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by hopkinsonsa

........... The inverter worked fine yesterday but now it does not seem to be supplying any power to the AC power unit.
.....................

That's a pretty common failure mode - it worked fine yesterday but now it doesn't.

The inverter needs power from the batteries to work. Lots of power. If the batteries are dead. It won't work. If the fuse is blown (it will be a big fuse, perhaps 150 amps) it won't work. If the batteries are weak and can't supply 12 volts at the current needed, the inverter will shut down.

If the inverter is getting 12 volts DC and nor putting out 120 volts AC, the inverter has failed. Unless there's a user replaceable fuse, you will need to have it repaired or replace it.

Keep in mind that you will be working around electricity that can kill you so if you aren't sure what you are doing, it would be smart to pay someone who does.

[alley]

Check the inverter to see if it has a breaker or GFCI unit on its output that might have tripped. With the corrosion on the other AC panel, it suggests there may be a grounding issue in the AC system somewhere. Make sure the neutral wire (usually white in the US) on the circuits supplied by the inverter is NOT tied to any neutral on the shore power system. That's a bad thing that can cause all kinds of problems, including safety issues. Also, do not short together any AC neutrals with AC grounds.

Other suggestions of putting a load on the inverter are good, too. Most inverters will go idle if they don't sense a load. A small fan, radio, or light bulb is sufficient.

[hellosailor]

As Ron said, it certainly can kill you. Even 12 volts at battery amperage can literally blow a finger off, so some basic knowledge about electricity and safety is in order. Finding a good marine electrician, who is honest and competent, and maybe even shows up on time, is another good trick.

So it really can be worthwhile (while you're asking around for names and numbers to call) to order one of the 12v boat electrical guides (Charlie Wing or Sherman, etc.) and a decent 12V multimeter and DC clamp ammeter, so you can read up and have the two instruments that give you solid answers about these things. $100-150 including the book, couple of days to read slowly and learn. That's a single lifetime investment, or about one hour paid to some guy to come look at things. (Who is likely to be a 4-hour expense anyway.)
That panel with severe acne would certainly make me wonder what was happening on the back side of it.

[Ironman162]

Even a most basic of inverters always gives an alarm when the battery input voltage is low, too high or absent.

If there was no alarm, it would appear something has failed within the inverter.

It might be better to replace the inverter with a new one or even better, try to do without it by gradually converting everything to 12v.

I suppose the philosophy is if it's not there it can't fail

I went through the same thing and am almost there! Except for the TV everything is now working on 12v and I hardly use my inverter any more.