Victron Disappointment

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

.........
Plain and simple PARTS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE

Totally agree - parts should be available - it matters not why the part failed.

If it is good enough to supply the shunt as a part without the PCB, it is good enough to supply the PCB without the shunt.

[s/v Jedi]

Isn’t that fabulous, attacking a company for not having parts without even trying to contact them for warranty.

Victron has a stellar reputation for handling warranty. They once sent a brand new Quattro unit to me in the jungle of Panama and it arrived the 2nd day!

Call Victron, update us on the outcome.

[Time2Go]

I never attacked the company
just vented some disappointment
about parts availability.
I mentioned more than a few times
that I like Victron gear and even called the
712 a good bit of kit.
However It is a bit frustrating that I
simply can't send the company money and
get a part that I THINK has failed . I will be filing a claim.
Most likely they will send me a whole set-up
because I'm not going to say why I think it failed
(the system) just that it failed. Not an electrical engineer
so not going to guess or speculate.
I was perfectly fine NOT filing a claim and just buying the
part that I THINK has failed. Now I will file a claim
simply stating that it stopped working.
I will keep the group informed of the outcome

[ShoreFun]

I suggest you look up the Right to Repair movement.

It is a big issue for the military to the point Biden has pushed for movement. The manufacturers (Apple, John Deer, the auto manufacturers, outboard manufacturers) are all spending huge amounts of money trying to defeat any right to repair each state. Their arguements make little sense.

The gist is if any state were to require right to repair that would now require companies to sell parts, have manuals, and allow regular people to do computer diagnositics. This would force them to do it for all the country.

As a person who does do some board level repairs this is huge. You want to have fun, try to find out what the trouble codes mean for a Bosch dishwasher. Try to get parts for LG and Samsung appliances.

For those worried about how much taxes you think you pay. The real money suck is what the companies are allowed to pull from your pocket.

[s/v Jedi]

Also, next time electronics are installed, put some dielectric grease on the cable connector contacts before plugging it into the shunt

[BigBeakie]

Jedi, isn't dielectric grease, like Tefgel, an insulator? Would carbon paste be better to assure better conductivity between contacts?

[Rubicon King]

Originally Posted by ixnax

Actually, your bitch is about 200 bucks vs. 20. So you aren't freaked out the next time you are on land 200 bucks is nothing anymore.

Exactly, especially since Jan 21 in the states. What a mess we have on our hands

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by BigBeakie

Jedi, isn't dielectric grease, like Tefgel, an insulator? Would carbon paste be better to assure better conductivity between contacts?

No, a conductive paste will short the connector out and let the magic smoke escape. Dielectric grease is the exact right product for this, protecting the contacts from exposure to the environment, preventing corrosion.

The grease does not interfere with the connections. All good connectors make good contact, they don’t need help from conducting pastes. When the connector is inserted, the grease will be wiped off the contact surfaces automatically… it is designed to do exactly that.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Well, there is your problem: LIVED IN THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT.

I reviewed my BMV manual, and I DO fault Victron for not reiterating what would be common knowledge with any competent marine electrician. But your ignorance of this is NOT their problem.

But if I was Victron, I'd deny your warrenty claim.

Actually the fact that they did not counsel against the battery compartment is why they should honor the claim.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

The PCB is not sold as a replacement
part. The only solution is to file a warranty claim thru the dealer
you bought it from.

The best course of action is to try and buy your marine gear from a dealer that can support what you bought or one who knows how to get you out of these tricky situations. If you had purchased it from us, as you have with other items, we would have made every attempt to get you an RMA.

As we discussed, these connections are widely used in the industry and have been for well over 25 years without major issues. They are not just used by Victron.

We made no money checking on this for you, yet spent quite a bit of time trying to help you track this part down. I would ask that you remember that the next time you buy marine gear off the net from a dealer who offers zero support..

[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

The best course of action is to try and buy your marine gear from a dealer that can support what you bought or one who knows how to get you out of these tricky situations. If you had purchased it from us, as you have with other items, we would have made every attempt to get you an RMA.

As we discussed, these connections are widely used in the industry and have been for well over 25 years without major issues. They are not just used by Victron.

We made no money checking on this for you, yet spent quite a bit of time trying to help you track this part down. I would ask that you remember that the next time you buy marine gear off the net from a dealer who offers zero support..

You got that 100% correct
We definitely should have bought this thru you
as apposed to another web shop.
A sincere thank you for your efforts on my
behalf.
You’ll see more PO’s from me going forward.
PS: Really have learned a lot from your videos

[BigBeakie]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, a conductive paste will short the connector out and let the magic smoke escape. Dielectric grease is the exact right product for this, protecting the contacts from exposure to the environment, preventing corrosion.

The grease does not interfere with the connections. All good connectors make good contact, they don’t need help from conducting pastes. When the connector is inserted, the grease will be wiped off the contact surfaces automatically… it is designed to do exactly that.

Thanks for clarifying that

It's been a small point of confusion for me since I had a dodgey connection once and did put some Tefgel on it to see if it would help , and it didn't. I thought maybe because it Tefgel helps isolate dissimilar metals from each other for galvanic corrosion, which it does quite well, it might hinder conductivity enough to affect a connector.

Good point about the conductive paste, it would of course bridge across between the contacts. Thanks again.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, a conductive paste will short the connector out and let the magic smoke escape. Dielectric grease is the exact right product for this, protecting the contacts from exposure to the environment, preventing corrosion.

The grease does not interfere with the connections. All good connectors make good contact, they don’t need help from conducting pastes. When the connector is inserted, the grease will be wiped off the contact surfaces automatically… it is designed to do exactly that.

Originally Posted by BigBeakie

Thanks for clarifying that

It's been a small point of confusion for me since I had a dodgey connection once and did put some Tefgel on it to see if it would help , and it didn't. I thought maybe because it Tefgel helps isolate dissimilar metals from each other for galvanic corrosion, which it does quite well, it might hinder conductivity enough to affect a connector.

Good point about the conductive paste, it would of course bridge across between the contacts. Thanks again.

Further to Jedi's excellent advice about dielectric grease usage - as a generalisation, greases are formulated to stay in place under pressure, often extreme pressure (e.g. EP greases) - except for dielectric greases (at least for the good ones), they are designed to flow away under very low pressure yet stay in place where no pressure exists. As such, they are ideal to use in electrical connectors / connections.

My goto dielectric grease is Dow Corning No.4 (DC-4).

[rsvmille]

Corrosion sucks.

I'm not going to go through all the reasoning and arguing as it seems everything has been beat. I just want to add my 2cents on the product.

The Victron BMV-712 has been great for me. 6yrs, no problems ever. I've also installed in this and the Victron Smart Shunt for several others and not a single complaint.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by BigBeakie

Thanks for clarifying that

It's been a small point of confusion for me since I had a dodgey connection once and did put some Tefgel on it to see if it would help , and it didn't. I thought maybe because it Tefgel helps isolate dissimilar metals from each other for galvanic corrosion, which it does quite well, it might hinder conductivity enough to affect a connector.

Good point about the conductive paste, it would of course bridge across between the contacts. Thanks again.

Tefgel is a suspension of ground hdmp, designed to isolate mechanical fasteners. It is designed to prevent mating surfaces from touching… not very wanted for electrical connectors