New Xantrex - reliability and warranty?

[neelie]

I will soon be looking for a 3000W / 140A Inverter charger and also a separate 50A multi-voltage standalone battery charger.

Xantrex have the Freedom SW 12 and the Truecharge2 which on paper fit the bill.

In the last 12 months, have Xantrex lifted their game with respect to reliability and customer service?

Or has nothing changed since 5 years ago?

[senormechanico]

When you see a Xantrex dealer covered with black and blue spots, it's from people touching him with ten foot poles.

Steve

[btrayfors]

IMHO, much better choices would be:

1. Victron or Mastervolt inverter/charger; and

2. Sterling ProCharge Ultra AKA ProMariner ProNautic-P 50A battery charger -- worldwide voltage.

Hey, that's a Valiant. You want the best, don't you??

Have a drink for me at the Peninsula!

Good luck,

Bill

[neelie]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

IMHO, much better choices would be:

1. Victron or Mastervolt inverter/charger; and

2. Sterling ProCharge Ultra AKA ProMariner ProNautic-P 50A battery charger -- worldwide voltage.

Hey, that's a Valiant. You want the best, don't you??

Have a drink for me at the Peninsula!

Good luck,

Bill

Yes, I spent last night trawling the forums and sadly see nothing has changed in the 5 years since I last had a Xantrex inverter on our previous boat.

I was going cheap because I only needed them for 2 years, I was planning on converting to 220v/50Hz after that. But its not worth 2 years of agony and stress.

Victron it will be then They also do a Multi-volt charger. May as well get boxes which are colour matched.

Peninsula Hotel hey? I see you're a gentleman of refined tastes. The ABC and the seedier bars in Wan Chai are where I'll toast your advice. Grubby, but much more fun

[TOM]

Originally Posted by neelie

Yes, I spent last night trawling the forums and sadly see nothing has changed in the 5 years since I last had a Xantrex inverter on our previous boat.

I was going cheap because I only needed them for 2 years, I was planning on converting to 220v/50Hz after that. But its not worth 2 years of agony and stress.

Victron it will be then They also do a Multi-volt charger. May as well get boxes which are colour matched.

Peninsula Hotel hey? I see you're a gentleman of refined tastes. The ABC and the seedier bars in Wan Chai are where I'll toast your advice. Grubby, but much more fun

I must step in on Xantraxs behalf I have had "Outstanding customer service from there Australian agents and also in Brazil. I have had 3 Xantrax battery chargers replaced no questions asked one in Australia ,another in P.N.G. and another in Sao Paulo Brazil. It appears that they have worked out the bugs as the current charger is working fine. They do not ask for the faulty charger back just the seriel no.
I would buy again.

www.byamee.com

[senormechanico]

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

Steve

[neelie]

Thanks TOM. I have decided to minimize my risks and go with Victron.

Of course, any manufacturers product can fail. And I may be unlucky with Victron. I've just got to go with a gut instinct.

[s/v Jedi]

Hold on Neelie! You can buy Victron and keep it when you convert!!

Buy an EU version 230V 50Hz Quattro inverter/charger. Get the PC interface (cheap) so that you can reprogram it yourself to 240V 60Hz. Now just add their Auto-transformer which creates a 120-0-120 from that and you're done. The auto-transformer is not very costly and kinda small.

Then, later, you can program it back to 50Hz 220/230V etc. You can leave the auto-transformer so that you still have 110/115V for guests with a shaver for that voltage

[neelie]

SV Jedi.. Clever! Not just a pretty face!.

But does that not only account for the output side? What about using it as a charger? I'd be still stuck with 110V / 60Hz...no? For now I dont want to convert the gennie to 50Hz because I still have 110V consumers by way of AC and refrigeration.

[neelie]

Originally Posted by TOM

www.byamee.com

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

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by neelie

SV Jedi.. Clever! Not just a pretty face!.

But does that not only account for the output side? What about using it as a charger? I'd be still stuck with 110V / 60Hz...no? For now I dont want to convert the gennie to 50Hz because I still have 110V consumers by way of AC and refrigeration.

No, it'll take any frequency but voltage must be in the 220-250V range or so. Your gennie should be able to output that with windings in series I think

I have this myself, it really works.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, it'll take any frequency but voltage must be in the 220-250V range or so. Your gennie should be able to output that with windings in series I think

I have this myself, it really works.

Electrics are over my head, Could you give a bit more brief info on the Gennie windings in series,

I have a boat and an RV, Both with 110 and 240, It will eventually be all 240,
But at the moment its too expensive to dump all the 110 volt stuff for 240, Fridges, A/C, I will update it all as it Fails to 240.

I changed my 1800 watt Zantrex for a Powerjack 5000 Watt, surge of 10,000 Watts, Pure Sine Invertor, Both 12 Volt,

My RV has the generator which puts out the 110,
I want both my boat and RV to have the same electrical set up, and totally self suficient,


Thanks,
Brian,

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Electrics are over my head, Could you give a bit more brief info on the Gennie windings in series,

I have a boat and an RV, Both with 110 and 240, It will eventually be all 240,
But at the moment its too expensive to dump all the 110 volt stuff for 240, Fridges, A/C, I will update it all as it Fails to 240.

Thanks,
Brian,

It's easy, the trick is that autotransformer. It takes a 240V input and creates the 120-0-120V that you get on docks and campgrounds.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

It's easy, the trick is that autotransformer. It takes a 240V input and creates the 120-0-120V that you get on docks and campgrounds.

We have it around the other way, 240 volt here on the docks and camp grounds,

110 in my Bus and Boat, Their both American, and both now live in Australia, which is 240 Volts,

The Generator is built into my RV, as a part of the Bus, Its only been here a week, Finding any thing on it is a major Headache, as the wiring goes through the inside of every thing and cant easily be traced back to where it came from, or where it goes,

The boat is basically all in one spot, and easily traced, Looks like a lot of reading coming up on my new Generator on the Bus,, I will see if it has an Auto transformer on it,

I did get the Bus changed in the USA to 240, but some thing went wrong with the Transformer in it when I had the 240 lead connected from the house,,
It was near red hot when I finally found it from the smell, Under the bed,

Disconnected every thing, It was still cooking, So to avoid the bus burning, I chopped it out with Bolt cutters and got it out of the Bus, The Bolt Cutters were insulated, Thats why I used them,

Thanks for the Info, it all helps,

[neelie]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, it'll take any frequency but voltage must be in the 220-250V range or so. Your gennie should be able to output that with windings in series I think

I have this myself, it really works.

So you have both 110 and 220 coming out of the gennie?
Is yours a 3 phase output genset?

Looks like there's more reading and study for me to do. That will teach me to ask questions to which I don't already know the answer.

Thanks..
niels