Victron Unreliable?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Yes, but both the OP and the two answers are woefully lacking in specifics.

Not helpful, one way or the other, at all.

Models, equipment, use...

Could even be battery monitors...

35 unit once and then again (replacement unit), condensation. We moved on.

120 unit - a component burned (overheated). Owner resolved to stay with the company. Replacement unit works OK.

Somehow, a 10 y.o. cheapo WAECO charger is doing fine used and abused on our own boat.

b.

[Canibul]

Is Waeco the same company that builds a version of a 12 volt icebox similar to Engels? I think I had one of those in Dampier Australia one time.


By the way, My new Victron BNV 602 quit working suddenly after two months of working just fine. So I knew the installation was good. I contacted Victron USA up in Maine. We had several email exchanges with me detailing the problem and the steps I had taken to troubleshoot it. All installed correctly, and I had voltage at the top of the signal wire. They sent me a new shunt PC board and meter, under warranty, no hassle at all.

Lets face it, for a piece of offshore equipment to be completely reliable it would cost so much we'd all be complaining that we couldn't afford it. (See mil spec) so for most of us, good warranty service is the most we can hope for. SO far, Victron USA is doing okay with that by my lights.

And I don't personally put a lot of value in warranty at all. It's almost always more expensive for us to return things to their origin than they're worth. I've been really disappointed by name brand stuff with good reputations that just fell apart here. Usually, if it fell apart under normal use, I don't really want another identical copy of it on the boat, any how. If the Victron smokes again and it's not something stupid I did, I'll not bother fixing it twice.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Is Waeco the same company that builds a version of a 12 volt icebox similar to Engels? I think I had one of those in Dampier Australia one time.

(...)

Very likely.

Dometic Group - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We have their chargers and inverters onboard. Inexpensive & reliable. Good stuff.

Cheers,
b.

[monte]

We had a victron 1600 w inverter on our last yacht. Worked well, never an issue. Just installed the same on our new yacht.

[simonpickard]

Loved our 12 / 350 watt inverter, until a few days ago when it died.
Need to send it back now, but should get a replacement for free which is good.
Just need to pay the postage.

[Hkalan]

Hello,

As for my experience... Only Victron item that has failed, has been ones that have been located in an engine room, and issues occurred in the hottest summer months with both DD 8V92 engines running for 12 to 14 hours straight... Had the warranty replacement shipped to me, and re-located them in a cooler location... No worries since.

I feel Victron is all great kit, and they stand behind their products.

Alan


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[exMaggieDrum]

Originally Posted by Rick R

Why not use it. With Victrons Power Assist feature, whenever elec load on the boat exceeds the capacity of the shore power, the inverter will make up the difference from the battery. Then when demand drops, the Victron will recharge the battery. This all happens automatically, and you can't even tell what is happening unless you look at the lights on the control panel.

We have a single 30A 120V shore power, and can run air conditioner, microwave, and the Admirals hair dryer all at the same time without overloading anything.

You give new meaning to the term "power user". Not for everyone but should be helpful for some. Everyone should take care that their boat's electrical safety equipment can handle all the juice. I helped a friend in Mexico replace a 30A AC switch after his Admiral's hair dryer melted it. It should have been protected by a circuit breaker but the circuit breaker was rated for more juice than the switch could handle. Unusual but it pays to be careful. Just watched a big boat burn up in my marina last week.

[Canibul]

Just this morning received the shunt PCB and a new display from Victron under warranty repair. They did not insist on seeing the old one first, and there was no cost involved other than the shipping from US to Turks and Caicos. And to be precise, Victron paid the shipping cost from Maine to Sarasota. I picked up the cost from Sarasota to here.

Pretty good customer support.

[Morrissey]

Victron is great! I have a Quattro 12/3000 , VE.net battery controller and Blue Power Panel for my house bank. Also a Phoenix 12/50 charger for my thruster/windlass bank.

The only issue I had was starting the BPP. Sometimes it took quite a number of attempts before it would boot up. Victron sent me a replacement, but it had the same problem. Turns out the BPP can be powered over the ethernet cable (and was originally installed that way) but also has an 'optional' 12V power connector. I added power to it directly and it now starts first push, every time. I suggested Victron change their advice: replace 'optional' with 'recommended'.

System design, installation and configuration for boats is crucial and should be done by competent marine electricians. I suspect reliability is directly related to quality of these things, as well as integrity of the rest of the boat's electrics that it integrates with. The PO and his car mechanic had made a complete botch of my boats electrics, so I basically had it re-done, properly. I did not install etc, but have played with the config subsequently. Very reliable, no failures.