sw 4024 mc2 is it worth saving?

[loonie]

Batteries were full went to switch back from grid feed to inverter and switched breakers in the wrong order. Ended up with overcurrent light on inverter. went back to grid and shut off breaker to feed from inverter. turned power on inverter to of then back on to reset the alarm and it arced and let out some magic smoke. turned back ogg and closed dc breaker to the inverter. when powered back up every thing was normal acting with cover off power on all was good. output tested good with no load. added 100 watt resistive load ( toaster) got some arcinf at the top center where the large transformer wire is connected. turned off, removed load and now it will arc in the same place when turned on without a load. not sure if there is anywhere in Maine this can be looked at or if it may be beyond repair to to age and that it has been discontinued. any help is appreciated. And I know VERY bad will now invest in interlock so this can't happen again.

[ChrisOlson]

The MC2 is a RV model.  If you would've hooked the shore power into the AC input instead of connecting the inverter's output with Grid Mains (with no break before make transfer switch) you wouldn't have that problem.

Maybe have somebody with a license wire up your new one.
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Chris

[OperaHouse]

I just got a recent model Xantrex XHR series power supply working yesterday.  It was sold to me as scrap as it was hit by lightning on the output terminals.  It could have been a science experiment gone bad as this was a special option version with a high voltage isolation board for the control lines.  While searching on the internet I saw the base price for repair was $890. That gives you an idea of what you are looking at.  Xantrex is nice stuff but mechanically it is a nightmare to work on.  A persib needs to know the right parts to replace because it can't be tested out in the open with power,.  It has to be reassembled each time to test.   I have been looking at thr Freedom series lately.  There was one on ebay recently that was blown up and there were pictures of the internal board.  They had even bought replacement parts but gave up.  The traces on the board looked torn up..  A hobbist can somrtimes repair this damage.  A repair facility MUST replace the board in order to maintain agency approvals. 

Yours is a multi step sine wave so I assume three transformers.  One stage could be completely missing and it would still show signs of working. I wouldn;t power it up further.  It still has some value if you decide to get a replacement.  What part of ME do you live in?  I get up that way in the summer.

[loonie]

Thank you for your reply. I am in the Dexter area (middle of the state). The unit has been disconnected, was hoping to find someone within driving distance for repairs as I felt shipping would be high.

[ChrisOlson]

The trouble is finding the transformers anymore.  There's some FET boards and control boards out there for them yet.  But if you melted a transformer, short of rewinding it, it's dead.

The MC2 is the same as the SW except for no grid sell-back capability and one other difference I can't remember.  It will probably cost more to get it fixed than you can buy a used inverter for.  I just sent a SW Plus 5548 to North Carolina a couple weeks ago, and I had two SW Plus 4024's, and before that a SW4024.  I think the dealer still has our SW4024 in his warehouse and I'll bet he'd sell it for $1,500.

Like I said, with the new one make sure you hook the shore power to the AC input instead of switching the output.  Use the internal 60 amp pass-thru so the inverter can sync with it.  Those inverters do not like having the output switched, even with a transfer switch or interlocked breaker set.  You'll blow another transformer when it makes the big "thud" from hitting an inductive load out-of-phase on a transfer.
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Chris

[loonie]

Thanks Chris, Will look for repair first then if not I will have to choose used 1500 (unavailable for repairs), 2000 nos same on repairs or bite the bullet and go 2500 new xw 5 year warranty and repairable in the foreseeable future

[OperaHouse]

Hope you keep us informed of your progress.  Repairs are something that many will face some day.  I did some searching out of curiosity and after a lot of searching kinda amazed that I couldn't find repair services. Thought someone in the RV world would have a flat rate repair for these. Of course I got sidetracked on some boards dealing with neutral bonding issues.  Doubt that you will find anything within driving distance that would be cheaper than shipping.  Did find a place that offered replacement boards by part number with no reference to model.  They were quite expensive and no reference to them offering repair services.  There was guy selling your model used in January for $500.  That is probably gone. 

[ChrisOlson]

It wouldn't hurt to pop the cover off the chassis and physically look at to see what's wrong with either the transformers or the AC board.  The control board is fine otherwise the inverter wouldn't fire up.  The FET board is fine otherwise it wouldn't make any power to cause arcing.  So I'm guessing something blown on the AC board or transformers.  It might be something that is obvious and can be repaired by a local electronics guru or ham radio operator that messes with electronic stuff.
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Chris

[hydrosun]

I found an ex xantrex employee here in Washington state who can fix these inverters. He fixed a PS2012 for me. It cost$400 to replace a single fet. If I could have gotten the thing apart to that level I might have replaced it myself, but better to leave it to someone wirh experience, especially as this wasn't my own inverter. The unit would turn on and had an unloaded 120 volt output. Put a load on it and it would instantly shut off with a flashing red error led.
I don't know what his policy is on mailing repair. He indicated he did a lot of repairs for xantrex. I was given his name by someone at Outback when I asked if they knew someone who did xantrex repairs. I'm not comfortable putting his name on this board but if you want to message me I can send you his contact info. You have to decide if it is worth the expense of repair.
Chris

[Mary B]

I could look and see if it is repairable if you want to ship it. $20 fee for an estimate (part of the labor to repair if you repair)

[ChrisOlson]

Tekris has them brand new in the box for $2,250
http://www.tekrispower.com/inverters/product_info.php/products_id/300?osCsid=5d6de1cf3b4cb21590c4ca9d3b63e3d5&gclid=CKD8wer527YCFcNaMgodNwUAeQ

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Chris

[OperaHouse]

Here is $1500/Best offer W/free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/REDUCED-Xantrex-Sine-Wave-Plus-4024-Power-Inverter-/251264534433?pt=US_Power_Inverters_&hash=item3a808887a1

[loonie]

Thanks for all your replies I have been away for a while and hav not had time to get back on the board. MaryAlana if you could pm me your zip code I will look into shipping and I may do that. It will be one more week of long work hours then I will be able to follow up on all of this. Thanks again.
Loonie
 

[loonie]

Been away longer then I thought. Thank you for the offer MaryAlana but after looking into shipping I decided to look at it first and see what happened. Looks like fet 19,20,21,44,45, and 46 are burnt. I looked into a replacement board and the one they sell is 100-0049-02-02 the one I have is 100-0049-02-01 waiting to hear if it is compatable. the mosfets are 75345P but I think if I replace just those I may have other problems.

[boB]

I don't know what his policy is on mailing repair. He indicated he did a lot of repairs for xantrex. I was given his name by someone at Outback when I asked if they knew someone who did xantrex repairs. I'm not comfortable putting his name on this board but if you want to message me I can send you his contact info. You have to decide if it is worth the expense of repair.
Chris

It's probably this guy...  He has a web site now.

If you need an old inverter repaired, Craig's the man !

http://www.phantompowerservices.com/

boB

[Mary B]

I would replace fets, any resistors in circuit with the power side, and any diodes in circuit. Check or replace all electrolytic capacitors on the entire board, with age they dry out. We used to do an entire replace of every capacitor on monitor boards at the casino if just one showed a problem. Prevented return trips to the shop when the rest failed.

[loonie]

Thanks for the replies. MaryAlana you have a pm.

[loonie]

Just an update I got a new power board, installed it and now we are back on line. Thank you for everyones input. The part came from Iverter Service Center.com they have a lot of parts listed online.