ProMariner Charger Inverter problem

[coreychamness]

My first TruePower Combi (2500W) failed last June and was replaced with a new unit. Indications on the LEDs showed it charging but in fact it never did. It would not invert to A/c power either. Last weekend I was switching from charger to inverter in order to run a/c outlets while underway and the symptoms of last summer had repeated. I do not attempt to run the water heater but I do operate the microwave when needed. Today I removed the cover after disconnecting all power and discovered scorching on the inside. See the attached photo. I will now be attempting to get a new one via warranty. Has anyone else experienced this? It does get very hot in the port side aft locker where installed by the factory

 

[Mystical]

We had ours quit working on us this past summer. Was sitting on the hook enjoying breakfast and saw smoke coming from the locker and a very bad smell. No idea what caused it. Spoke with Promariner and they said they never have any issues with these units.

 

[jroyle]

Had the same thing happen on our Promariner 2500QS (Quasi Sine). I left the Hot Water circuit breaker on when I went to inverter power and it smoked the unit..I went to the Promariner 2000PS (Pure Sine) and it will shutdown on overcurrent and protect itself..I truly believe the 2500QS has a faulty over current protection circuit because it fries the components before shutting down. Although it was my fault I expected the unit to at least protect itself. I was very nervous testing the overcurrent on the 2000PS but it worked as advertised

 

[coreychamness]

I definitely concur with the "faulty" protection. Did ProMariner offer any remedy or did you switch to the PureSine model yourself since far out of warranty?

 

[STELLA L]

The pix in this post looks like my 1500 Pro Mariner QS inverter!!! At the Roche Rendezvous (end of Sept) when I switched from shore power to inverter forgot to turn off the battery charging switch and the hot water tank. Only took a second for this mistake and now am waiting for a new inverter. I do not understand why there is not a fuse to protect but if anyone has any ideas please let me (us) know. Also, would the Promariner 2000PS (Pure Sine) have the same issue if the charger and water tank were left on?

JIM & KARYN STELLA 25SC

 

[Irish Mist]

I had to replace mine as well ...one of two big round things , they look like capacitors melted off and was rattling around inside.. Was charging but would not pass power through .

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We had to replace ours as well but I created our problem by leaving the hot water and battery charger on by mistake. As pointed out here it would seem there would be safety device built in that would trip the unit off before it fried. One additional item I was told was to make sure there is plenty of air space around the unit so it has a chance to self cool.

Jim

 

[jroyle]

I definitely concur with the "faulty" protection. Did ProMariner offer any remedy or did you switch to the PureSine model yourself since far out of warranty?

I was so far out of warranty that I decided to not contact ProMariner although Andrew was kind enough to provide a contact at ProMariner. Got the ProMariner 2000PS on Amazon at a pretty competitive price. So far have made two dumbass switches to Inverter with hot water heater and electric bbque on, unit alarmed and shutdown properly. As my dad would say at times "Son, sometimes your just not the sharpest tool in the shed" 😀

 

[R Baker]

Also, not being the sharpest tool in the box....the common element here seems to be the switching sequence. The lack of an adequate protection circuit is another matter I think. What I try to do - but at times forget..

1. Turn off shore power switch at panel and turn off all 110V circuits in use.
2. Unplug cables
3. Turn on Inverter only when and if I need 110 V
4. Turn on 110V circuits I wish to use. I have yet to use the HWH powered from the inverter and will not.
5. Reverse sequence when going back to shore power or when finished with 110

As well I generally turn off the inverter at night unless 110 is in use.

 

[ddenver]

I am definitely also in the blunt tool group especially when it comes to marine electronics.

Additionally, although I am not pleased to be a joiner in this apparently NOT so little group, I too have ProMariner Charger Inverter issues. Although our unit is still charging correctly it will not "Invert" and shows a Red fault light but no corresponding audible alarm to help narrow down what the problem is.

Being that out boat is a 2011 model the Pro Mariner unit is also obviously out of warranty.

Anyway, due to the seemingly large number of folks on this thread reporting failures to these units (ours is a 2500 QS model) I was wondering if anybody has acquired a Charger / Inverter from a different manufacturer (i.e. not a ProMariner) as a replacement unit and if so are you happy w/ your acquisition? If so, what other brand and model did you get?

Thanks for any hints or suggestions in this regard.

Take care,
Dan

 

[coreychamness]

I am so glad I made this post. Andrew told me they have experienced little or no problems with the Combi QS devices and he expected I would not receive much response. It sounds like this is fairly common. The overload protection circuit of the unit is definitely a problem. I did not attempt to use the water heater but I usually do operate the ice maker in the cockpit while u/w. I do note that the fan does not operate anymore which could then lead to an overheat failure and frying some components as well. My unit is just barely over a year since my original failed within a couple months. I did once successfully operate both the convection oven and electric cooktop simultaneously without any indication of problem.

Corey

 

[scross]

According to the prior owner of our 2009 R25 Classic, the stock power inverter failed sometime between April, 2014 and June, 2015. Do not know specific circumstances of inverter failure. It was replaced with a Xantrex PROSine 1800 inverter which seems to be working just fine.

 

[fairweather]

Our 2013 R-29 came with a Promariner 2500QS and performed flawlessly for the better part of two years. What it wouldn't do was run a Nespresso machine. I swapped out for the 2000TS (thank you Richard, Ranger Parts). Now have my espresso on the hook via inverter. And I have a perfectly good and tested 2500QS for sale for anyone that needs a replacement at a really good price.
Marc

 

[SGIDAVE]

Our 2013 R-29 came with a Promariner 2500QS and performed flawlessly for the better part of two years. What it wouldn't do was run a Nespresso machine. I swapped out for the 2000TS (thank you Richard, Ranger Parts). Now have my espresso on the hook via inverter. And I have a perfectly good and tested 2500QS for sale for anyone that needs a replacement at a really good price.
Marc

Hello Marc,

Why does a LOWER capacity inverter operate your espresso machine whilst the larger 2500W unit failed? Are you saying the 2500QS DID RUN the Nespresso machine for 2 years then stopped? Or, that it NEVER ran it?

dave

 

[coreychamness]

I'm sure it had to do with the QUALITY of the sine wave. The QS model provides a square-ish sine-wave which some a/c powered devices don't like. I purchased an espresso machine (Caffemotive Bacchi Espresso) that sits on top of the burner so that I don't have that type of problem. Thus far I am still experiencing trouble getting a response from ProMariner - even with the help of Ranger Tugs. Hopefully soon...

 

[fairweather]

Dave, Corey is right. the 2500 is a square sine wave. Won't run some finicky electric motors and electronics. The 2000 is a true sine wave, like household 110V. For two years, ran the Yamaha generator on the swim step to run the Nespresso machine. The 2000 will run any amperage in 110V i'll ever have (except HW heater). Life is good!
Marc

 

[jroyle]

I found with the QS2500 my GFCI outlets made an annoying buzz when running the inverter..I suspect the quality of the "sine" wave was far from a true sine wave. Running the 2000PS inverter my GFCI's are nice and quiet.

 

[coreychamness]

I still have no response from ProMariner - even with Ivan at Ranger Tugs emailing and calling. Terrible service response

 

[Captmike]

I have typically had good luck calling Promariner and getting good techinical answers. I use 800 824 0524. I am in the process of upgrading to the PS model as the QS model won't run the nespresso machine my wife desires (after all it is pleasure boating). The QS 2500 has run well for the last three years with no issues other than not running the nespresso machine. with that said, Richard has had difficulty getting the new PS machine to me and he doesn't know why. Wonder if something is up with Promariner?

 

[Tugbuyer]

Another point of feedback, FWIW- I upgraded from the standard Promariner QS2500 to the PS2000 over a year ago, for the primary purpose of running a Nespresso machine on the hook. It was a simple plug n play installation/replacement and the 2000 has performed flawlessly since. There is a minor tradeoff- the 2000 has slightly less power output capacity, however it has a more powerful built-in charger. And because it was in perfect working order, I was able to sell my used QS2500 and recover about 30% of the cost of the 2000, so it was a fairly reasonable net cost upgrade.