New Xantrex - reliability and warranty?

[Dockhead]

To the OP:

Xantrex has a universally bad reputation.

However, I'm not sure any charger/inverters have a flawless reputation. I have a Victron Multiplus 24/70/3000-50, which is a thing of beauty -- weighs a ton since it has regular, not switch-mode transformers inside. Works flawlessly -- when it works. But like every single piece of expensive Victron gear I have on board -- it failed within a little over a year and had to be sent back for service . . . That would have been a real problem cruising in a remote area, and was a real problem in my case anyway since the unit is installed in an excruciatingly inaccessible corner of my engine room . . . .

I've heard a number of reports that the much cheaper Sterling gear is more reliable.

I don't know if Newmar make modern charger/inverters, but that gear has a good reputation over here. I had a Newmar charger on board, part of the original build. It failed at 9 or 10 years of age, but apparently that's considered a reasonably good service life for such a device.

Good luck whatever you choose. This kind of gear is something you really wish was fit-and-forget -- that it would simply work, but alas, inverter/chargers apparently do not. Maybe you'll have good luck.

[neelie]

Indeed... not much else to do except go with the one with the better reputation, at least it puts the odds less against you.

The choices are myriad (minus 1) turning the decision making process into a day at the casino.

Being ever grateful for small mercies, I'm relieved to have eliminated one choice

[Vasco]

I don't know about reliability but Zantrax's service was great recently.

Got to the boat in January after a six month lay-up. The less than 1 year old Zantrax inverter/charger (2000) was shot. Zantrax sent out a newer model as the old one was no longer in production. They sent it out before receiving the old one. It might have been because they were dealing with a boatyard and not an individual customer but I got the new one pretty quick. Apparently some circuit boards had fallen apart while the boat was sitting. Very strange as these things usually crap out when in use.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Vasco

I don't know about reliability but Zantrax's service was great recently.

Got to the boat in January after a six month lay-up. The less than 1 year old Zantrax inverter/charger (2000) was shot. Zantrax sent out a newer model as the old one was no longer in production. They sent it out before receiving the old one. It might have been because they were dealing with a boatyard and not an individual customer but I got the new one pretty quick. Apparently some circuit boards had fallen apart while the boat was sitting. Very strange as these things usually crap out when in use.

Ekh, good service is a great thing, but it's still no substitute for gear which is fundamentally reliable!! Why can't they make equipment like this which at least survives the warranty period??!!

Anyway, that's much better service than I got from Victron. It took them more than a month to replace the bad circuit board. In my case that was not a big problem because my boat was on the hard anyway (and I bought another charger to maintain my batteries, which I now understand I must keep as a backup).

The warranty service was not at all the main thing -- the cost would have only been 90 euros or something if my unit had not been in warranty. All that is nothing compared to the immense hassle of removing and reinstalling the unit.

Other defective Victron gear I have includes the expensive isolation transformer, which was defective out of the box, with oversensitive breakers which eventually died altogether. Victron issued a service bulletin suggested to remove and bypass the breakers. I did not send the unit in for warranty service because the hassle of removing it and hassle and cost of shipping it would have been much more burdensome than just repairing the unit myself in situ. I haven't gotten around to it because I no longer keep my boat in a marina, so rarely on shore power now, never long enough to create a big risk of stray current corrosion. Anyway, after installing the isolation transformer, there was zero improvement in my anode consumption -- I was just in a hot marina, as it turned out. On my mooring, anodes last longer.

[s/v Jedi]

Okay, I'll try again:

You get 240V from the dock, that is great. Now try to get 240V from the generator too. Which brand/model do you have? My Northern Lights can be jumpered to change it.

When you have 240V from both shore and gen, you can connect these to a Victron Quattro, EU version. It's output will also be 240V, which you connect to a Victron Autotransformer and then you have both 240 and 120V. Done.

[neelie]

Thanks for the advice - this looks like the way to go.

[TOM]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

A truly good product would be one which DIDN'T need to be replaced.

Steve

Come on , think off all those "Customer Service" people who would be redundent . Not to mention the spare parts industry. Millions lost in airfreight transporting spare parts and replacements. A TRULY GOOD product is one made by a company who stands by it and supports it.

[TOM]

Originally Posted by neelie

Hey Paul, Just looked at your web site - great trip!.. and a good read as well. Where are you now?

Tabago Cays , swimming with the turtles. thanks for reading our blog . Good luck with the Victron all the reports i have had is that it is a great product,

www.byamee.com

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by TOM

Come on , think off all those "Customer Service" people who would be redundent . Not to mention the spare parts industry. Millions lost in airfreight transporting spare parts and replacements. A TRULY GOOD product is one made by a company who stands by it and supports it.

Like when Algore said Hurricane Katrina was a good thing because of all the construction jobs it created...?

I hope you just forgot to include the <sarcasm> or or after the post.

Steve

[truant]

Had 3 Xantrex 60 amp truecharge circuit boards go up in a year. Replaced with a Pronautic 60 amp charger and have not had any problems. Fortunately, the West Marine extended warranty replaced all the defective units.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by truant

Had 3 Xantrex 60 amp truecharge circuit boards go up in a year. Replaced with a Pronautic 60 amp charger and have not had any problems. Fortunately, the West Marine extended warranty replaced all the defective units.

You see, no matter how stuborn you were by keeping with Xantrex, in the end they worn you out by failing again and again, and you gave in to another brand which sokved your troubles