Rutland 914i Problems

[ausnp84]

Hey guys,

We've had a Rutland 914i with HRDI controller fitted for the past year and much to our frustration, the controller failed for a second time last night.

The first time it happened, our marina was hit by 62kt gusts and the controller regulator failed (rather than something in the wind gen itself). We figured 62kts was unlikely to happen again, so took it on the chin, contacted Marlec and had them sort the unit for a very reasonable fee (I gotta say, Marlec's customer service is second-to-none as well).

Having now made our way down to Portugal, last night we had 35kts gusting 40kts (not for the first time this week I might add; it's been a pretty windy winter here) and sure enough, the controller failed again. This isn't the original unit either; they couldn't fix it properly last time so sent us a replacement.

Has anyone else had similar problems with their HRDI controller? Sending it back to the UK is going to be quite a costly exercise, especially if it's going to happen on a regular basis....

n

[PassportJoy]

While my boat (and 914i) was parked in LaPaz Mexico last summer the "tie down" that held the blades from spinning came loose in 85 knots of wind. When I returned in the fall the 914i would not turn freely. I suspect the bearings and brushes are needing replacement, that is not unreasonable for 5 years of use... However, the turbine never put out much juice it took 20 knots to really work and then only generated 6 amps. I talked to eMarine about repairing the unit and here is the lowdown:

$50 shipping each way from the west coast ($100), $75 per hour labor(2 hrs needed $150), $22 per bearing, 2 are needed ($44), brushes another $50, the blades are now worn and showing fiberglass hairs replacement blades are $19 each and 6 are needed. To put this 914i back in good condition will cost about $458... It is just not worth it and I would rather add another solar panel instead.

[DeepFrz]

I have not seen one good review of the 914 on this forum. You may want to take that into consideration before spending more money on it. Using the google custom search feature of this forum should bring up more posts about them.

[harst56]

[QUOTE=PassportJoy;2355422However, the turbine never put out much juice it took 20 knots to really work and then only generated 6 amps. I talked to eMarine about repairing the unit and here is the lowdown:

$50 shipping each way from the west coast ($100), $75 per hour labor(2 hrs needed $150), $22 per bearing, 2 are needed ($44), brushes another $50, the blades are now worn and showing fiberglass hairs replacement blades are $19 each and 6 are needed. To put this 914i back in good condition will cost about $458... It is just not worth it and I would rather add another solar panel instead.[/QUOTE]

Same in my case, it took 3 years for the bearings to wear out and MPPT to be replaced. All repairs done by Marlec. Never saw more than 4A for a very short time, mostly less 1A. Less 15 knots the WG is doing nothing.
On the meter, after repairs done, 2000Hrs in service:
100W solar panels - 2900 Ah
914i WG - 89Ah
In my experience now working with WG and PV together from 2003, previously AirX-Marine, a WG doesn't work together with PV