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Old 19-06-2012, 16:30   #1
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Burned Xantrex

I have a Xantrex Trucharge 2 -20amp batt charger connected in the following arrangement: Bank1 = house batteries - three group 27 lead acid, Bank 2=main engine starting battery - lead acid group 27. Bank 3 = smaller battery for engine generator.

A few days ago I found one of the batteries in Bank 1 was warmer than normal, so I removed it. Checked and tested the others in the bank and everything seemed normal. Of course I knew this was the end of the bank so I went battery shopping the next morning. Next day went to the boat and there was a burned electronics odor. I checked the battery charger breaker and it was tripped. The fuses in the xantrex were all ok but when I removed it found out that the internals were smoked and black stains were visible in the exhaus of the cooling fan. Went to West Marine and of course the unit is two years old and out of warranty according to them.

Long story short I dont want another Xantrex. I would think that the external or internal fuses should have protected the unit. Any recomendations??
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Old 19-06-2012, 17:01   #2
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Xantrex is made in China, so buy a new Chinese one,

They are a lot less money for the same thing,

I just bought a 5000 Watt, Pure Sine Wave Invertor, for $500-00 AUD, It replaces my Xantrex 1800 watt one that got drowned,
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Old 20-06-2012, 07:08   #3
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Re: Burned Xantrex

I recommend the Sterling Drymount Ultra battery chargers. They provide a lot of options for the money and are about the same form factor as the Xantrex units. I have installed several of the Sterlings and they are performing well.

Marine battery charger - Pro Charge Ultra

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Old 20-06-2012, 09:15   #4
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Marine Battery Chargers - Installation Tips & Considerations - SailboatOwners.com
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Old 20-06-2012, 09:31   #5
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Hello...

I have always had great lasting reliability with Victron Energy products for all my marine chargers and inverters!

My newest is the 8Kw 24v Quattro inverter / charger

Alan

http://www.victronenergy.com/index.php
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Old 20-06-2012, 09:52   #6
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr B View Post
Xantrex is made in China, so buy a new Chinese one,

They are a lot less money for the same thing,

I just bought a 5000 Watt, Pure Sine Wave Invertor, for $500-00 AUD, It replaces my Xantrex 1800 watt one that got drowned,
If you look on ebay, you'll find there are a lot of re-manufactured Xantrex for sale. Kind of tells you something. I try my best not to buy made in china items. If I do...I'm usually disappointed.
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Old 21-06-2012, 00:27   #7
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Hello,

It is true what they say... you get what you pay for !

All Apple (MAC) computers and iPhones are made in China, but you can see the price is not like the standard China made computers and mobile phones.

We could all agree that "name brand" quality says a lot in many situations ! SMILE

We are always controlled by our budget to the brands we can afford !

Good Luck !

Alan
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Old 21-06-2012, 00:59   #8
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Re: Burned Xantrex

If I buy it from China, Its cheap and crap

If I buy the exact same article in the same box, same company made it, Looks precisely the same and has exactly the same specifications. From a company any where else than China,

It some how becomes a good product and I have to pay four thousand dollars for a item that costs me $500-00 if I buy it off the internet my self from China,

Its also delivered to my hand in less than a week,

I said before, My Xantrax 1800 Watt inverter supposedly made in the USA, was actually made in China, It was also designed in Canada,

Because it has a USA sticker on it, its better than the same thing from China,

Get real,

You buy cheap Chinese crap. you get cheap Chinese crap.

You buy quality Chinese products, you get quality products,

Most USA products are made either in China or Mexico, if you care to actually look into it,

It doesnt matter, You want to pay through the nose for your products, go for it,

All my Jap Crap and Taiwanese, Korean, Chinese, Leaves all other countrys for dead in their quality,

I do have a lot of it as well, and I have no problems with it either, It really is good stuff these days.

Cheers,
Brian,
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Old 21-06-2012, 07:32   #9
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Sorry...I'm not buying into that good China products are good. I'm talking boat stuff here. I would rather (and do) buy older US items that are old stock on ebay or US used items and rebuild them. My charger is an older (old stock) Phase III charger. Works great, 3 stage, no bells and whistles.
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Old 21-06-2012, 07:53   #10
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Re: Burned Xantrex

It's really hard to beat the Newmar Phase III for reliability.
Battery Chargers
I had been using Guest chargers and just replacing them every few years. When the last one cooked my batteries I decided to spend a little more and get a Newmar. I sell both brands and noticed we just did not get returns on the Newmar. Besides which they have great customer support if you have questions.
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Old 21-06-2012, 20:29   #11
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Re: Burned Xantrex

For the life of me, I can never figure out why these companies can sell a product known to fail every few year. It's no wonder the people get so pissed off.
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Old 21-06-2012, 20:45   #12
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Re: Burned Xantrex

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Originally Posted by Celestialsailor View Post
For the life of me, I can never figure out why these companies can sell a product known to fail every few year. It's no wonder the people get so pissed off.
They also have inbuilt obsolesence,

A Printer will only print so many pages and then craps out, unless you know how to reset the counter in it, Your up for a new printer,

Its almost the same price to buy a new printer with ink supplied than buy new ink for your current printer,

Yep. I am very pissed off with buy our own countrys companys products, when a lot of it is pure crap and they gouge the living daylights out of us for the prices of it,
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Old 21-06-2012, 20:48   #13
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Hello,

From my research. I have found that the owner of Victron is an avid mariner, and he designed the Chargers and Inverters as he uses them on his vessels, thus a brand made by a mariner for a mariner.

I have used Xantrex, as well as a standard China made inverter (no charger), but I have found Victron is durable and reliable !

If the USA Navy thinks the same, then there must be something good about Victron !



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Old 21-06-2012, 21:15   #14
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Yes, buy Victron and support the Dutch economy a bit... they need it as they are paying through the nose to save Greece, Spain, Italy etc.

cheers,
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Old 06-09-2012, 20:46   #15
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Re: Burned Xantrex

Quote:
Originally Posted by avazquez View Post

Long story short I dont want another Xantrex. I would think that the external or internal fuses should have protected the unit. Any recomendations??
I hear your plight, I had a Xantrex 2500 inverter/charger that went bad and I replaced it with a Xantrex 3000 3 years ago and now it is gone again and of course, out of warranty.

After many discussions with a variety of marine electricians, I have decided to go with a Mastervolt 4000 unit. Close to twice the price but should last three times as long from a quality standpoint from what I am told.
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