Interaction Between Inverter and Washer ?

[hellosailor]

Lots of decent used scopes on the market. I've got a Tektronics 465B that could use a new home but "low cost"...we could PM about that.

[Florida Mike]

Why not go to the inverter and find the on-off switch either series or parallel an external switch that you can put by the washer dryer and just turn the inverter off while you’re washing clothes. With a little bit of ingenuity you could actually set up a relay that would do it automatically while washing. Might be a whole lot easier than taking the wash machine apart just to try something.

Basically the idea is to tap in after the on off switch and lead it operate a small relay that will tell the inverter to turn off while the washing machine is operating. Just my two cents, Mike.

[JayH]

Originally Posted by Florida Mike

Why not go to the inverter and find the on-off switch either series or parallel an external switch that you can put by the washer dryer and just turn the inverter off while you’re washing clothes.

I think this idea misses the scenario where people (me, for example) want to run the washer through the inverter. I don't want to run a generator for over an hour for a wash cycle that takes very little power. I also don't want to disable my entire AC power system and battery charging for that same hour.

Ideally, there would exist a small inexpensive device that goes between the inverter and the sensitive appliance, and "cleans" whatever is wrong with the power signal. An isolated DC-DC converter could do this with DC power. Does such a thing exist for AC? Some kind of transformer?

[DeepFrz]

twistedtree, just for fun run the extension cord to a different outlet powered by shore power.

Also, if the neutral wire in the washer was toast, perhaps there is a burned neutral somewhere in the line. Not completely toast but enough to cause a high resistance in the line.

[Andina Marie]

It sounds like the inverter is using a phase timing to control the amount of power going to the charger. You can test this by letting the inveter battery get low enough that when you run the generator the inverter charger is running full cycle with phase switching early in the cycle when the voltage is low.

If that test shows the washer runs OK then it is the resonant spikes caused on the generator AC by phase switching later in the cycle.

Ferrites are unlikely to have enough capacity to make any difference and if they did, they should be on the AC supply to the inverther (the CAUSE) not trying to filter on the washer (the LOAD).

I would suggest getting a line voltage rated capacktor, like a motor RUN capacitor (not a start capacitor) and connect that across the AC arriving inside the washer. Using the impedance of the suplly to the washer and the capcitor you would hopefully create a low pass filter that will stop the spikes that are killing your electronics. The power factor correction it provides will probably improve generator efficiency a little too.

If you have the experience to analyze the power input to the elctronics and can find the primary DC filter capacitor, try adding another one of equal size in parallel.

[Florida Mike]

I was just trying to solve Twistedtree, problem. Just my two cents, Mike.