Xantrax True Charge 2 flashing fault and fuse light

[Bill Streever]

Hi all.

I have a very specific question.

I have a xantrax True Charge 2, about 3 years old.

It seems to be working fine (that is, it is charging the batteries as it has normally done in the past), but it's control panel is showing a flashing fault light and a flashing fuse light (the fuse light is the 60% charge light).

The manual has a table for interpreting fault and warning conditions. Flashing lights are warnings rather than faults. Unfortunately, the combination of a flashing fault light and a flashing fuse light is not in the manual. Nevertheless, I checked the fuses. All are good, based on zero resistance through an ohm meter.

I sent xantrax a message but have not heard back.

Other information: I am charging off of my gen set, so reverse polarity is not a real possibility (since the wiring to the charger has not been changed, and the flashing lights are a new situation).

We are in Cartagena, planning to head to Panama soon. We can live without the charger if needed; we stay topped up pretty well from our solar panels and with the current winds we will be motoring a fair bit for the coming weeks.

So, any suggestions?

Thanks! -bill

[smac999]

If your true charge 2 from 3 years ago still works consider yourself lucky! Most only lasted 6-12 months. They were total junk

The new ones are soposily better.

You’ll have to talk to xantrax for the lights.

[Bill Streever]

Thx SMAC999. Yeah, that occurred to me, too. But still, I hope to get a bit more time out of it. So far Xantrax has not replied, but if they do eventually send an answer I will post it here.

[john61ct]

They have a woefully poor CS culture, even with a superb product would avoid the company.

[evm1024]

If you decide to replace the remote panel Sexton's in PDX has one on consignment for $55. It appears to be new in an unopened box. Of course the lowest internet price appears to be in the low to mid $60's so the savings not too great.

[charris]

I went through 3 of these chargers before I gave up on them. Had similar indications and other faults. Xantrex had a good name but really messed that up with these problematic units. You are lucky to get the life you did. And don’t count on ever hearing back from them. They are throwaways with no parts or service. I replaced with a Master Volt about 5 years ago and it has been flawless.

[Bill Streever]

Charris: Thanks. Master Volt--I will see if I can get one. We stumble along with this one for a while longer, as I don't want to be hung up any longer in Colombia waiting for parts.

I'll post in the unlikely event that I hear back from Xantrex with a solution. (My current solution is to ignore the lights, since for now everything but the lights seems to be functioning well.)

[ronjgarner1]

I had an issue with mine when i changed my batteries from lead acid to AGM. There was a setting for battery type i hadn't changed. Changed it but fault wouldn't go away. Contacted xantrex. They got back to me with this hard reset which worked. You could try that.

"I would definitely try a hard reset of the unit to clear the fault. Disconnect AC shore power and then disconnect the battery positive leads from the unit. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before reconnecting. If the fault returns, it is a permanent internal failure and the unit would have to be replaced. "

[GWilly]

I’ve got a Xantrex inverter, and the last time I needed it serviced, the technician told me Xantrex had been bought out or went out of business. Either way, was advised to replace my unit, which I’m in the process of doing. So you may not hear from the company on your query.

[charris]

Yup. Xantrex is now Schneider. The line of chargers may have improved. Schneider is a serious player in the commercial world. I can also personally recommend the entire VictronConnect line.

[john61ct]

[QUOTE=charris;3000150]They are throwaways with no parts or service.[/QUOTEThat is exactly the attitude I meant, fatal IMO.

The maker should have strong support for repairs, even if it is through "certified" third parties. If it turns out it isn't worth the trouble, let the customer make that decision.

Xantrex just flips the world the bird says go jump in the lake.

[john61ct]

Sterling Power ProCharge Ultra and ProMariner Pronautic P series

are good lines, same design.

Both will let you optimize setpoints for all types of bank chemistries, pretty future proof.

[JD-Odyssey]

Originally Posted by charris

I went through 3 of these chargers before I gave up on them. Had similar indications and other faults. Xantrex had a good name but really messed that up with these problematic units. You are lucky to get the life you did. And don’t count on ever hearing back from them. They are throwaways with no parts or service. I replaced with a Master Volt about 5 years ago and it has been flawless.

Ditto here... we also went through three Xantrex units and then went to a ProMariner charger. The Xantrex units appeared to fail after running off our genset for extended periods of time. I think the non-sinusoidal AC may have killed them.

[troub]

So to summarize:
1 a fault light is flashing=something is wrong.
2 a fuse light is flashing=the fuse is what is wrong
3 if fuses aren't blown, reset the unit by disconnecting it for 30 min.

As for Xantrex being crap, well that may be, but I've had mine for over 7 years and the last three years I've been cruising extensively. I've only had this happen to me one time, just today, which is why I was checking this forum. Replacing a unit in a third world country is not always simple.

Now I'm on to a different issue which is what blew them.
But for now everything is working great!

CIAO!

[senormechanico]

Answering a five year old thread?