Promariner -- rusted itself to death

[tkaustin]

2011 RT 25SC. The case of my Promariner 1500QS has shown rust for a couple years, and recently the entire unit has become an open circuit. It won't do anything. Removed it and opened the case. External examination showed the two circuit breaker reset buttons corroded sufficiently that they don't move. Internal examination showed heavy rust on just about everything except the electronics. Most disturbing is the veritable explosion of the laminations of the large transformer. This thing is toast; I won't spend any resources to resurrect it. Not only am I disappointed in it failing, but even more so, disappointed at the extraordinary rust inside. Note that everything else in the "electrical room", under the step on the port side of the cockpit is gorgeous. All other wiring is clean and secure.
Why would a Promariner not be prepared to exist in this environment as well as the rest of the electrical system?

Next question is the problem of whether to replace the unit with another Promariner. It's hard to do, given the problems I see here. Amazon led me to SUNGOLDPOWER 2000w Peak 6000w Pure Sine Wave. It's cheaper and seems comparable in terms of performance, including moving up to a true sine wave. A 2000W PureSine from Promariner gets near $900, whereas this one is $600.

Aside from the rant, I'm asking if any others out there have experience with electrical boxes other than ProMariner.

Thanks.

Pictures here. Should be open to anyone with this link. https://goo.gl/photos/mcTT4HkiYKsmniuHA

 

[knotflying]

The installation location of the unit has always concerned me. I have tell tail signs on my unit as well. If you read the installation instructions : LOCATION – This unit must be located in a dry, well ventilated area, free from unsecured hardware. Temperature is also a serious consideration. Do not mount this unit in areas where temperatures will exceed 40° C (104° F). Generally this includes engine compartments where operating temperatures are often exceeded substantially by temperatures after shutdown when airflow is lessened due to the lack of combustion air required.
Key word here is dry. Our Lazzaretts are far from dry. As far as a replacement goes, your replacement product seems to be constructed very similar to the promariner. Unless you change locations I think you will eventually have the same results. I see a few choices. a) Change to a different setup and get separate sealed charger and seperate sealed inverter and put in same location. b) buy your similar unit and relocate it to, perhaps, the cave? c) call promariner , tell them your plight and see if they will give you a deal on a replacement and either move the new one as I suggested or reinstall where it currently is with some type of shield for better protection.

 

[tkaustin]

I picked suggestion B. New inverter is now mounted in the cave. It's nice having it closer, especially now that the new one has a data panel displaying current operating mode... input & output voltages, load levels, etc. Working great so far and thanks for the suggestion.
I'll note it was a significant effort to extend the wires and construct a robust mounting platform, but I'm feeling pretty confident that this fix will last. Pictures will go up after I get the wiring all tidied up (if I remember to post).
Thanks again knotflying.

 

[knotflying]

It will be nice to see the installation.

 

[tkaustin]

Trying to post pics here. "Final" pic of course has no wires connected yet.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QHMzYOrhvBEAXVls2

 

[knotflying]

Looking good. Too bad it takes up so much room.

 

[BB marine]

Your install looks good. Your original unit did not fair well in its previous location. I agree with Knotflying the factory installed location is not the best for electrical equipment. The below deck area is great for storage but the elements are all there to decrease the longevity of electrical equipment. The ventilation is really non-existent if the engine is not running. We have a full enclosure so it stays dry but it actually increases the temperature. This can be a problem for all electrical devises including engine components. Your new location should eliminate all the elements. The only issue I would be concerned with is how long are the battery cables going to be ? A 2000W inverter requires a lot of amperage draw. When I installed my 2000W Kisae inverter the installation manual required 2/O cables no more then 5' from battery to inverter. 6' to 10 feet away required slightly larger then 4/O cables or 2- 2/O cables. Because of this I had to locate the inverter close to my battery bank.

 

[Chimo]

Just installed a Promariner 30A galvanic isolator in the port locker in with the battery switches. That's storage we use for fenders. (Pictures posted under Modifications in the album). No space to get this in with the batteries but I wondered about the humidity and ventilation. It shouldn't be too wet as the boat is kept in a boathouse and dry. The KISAE inverter and charger are in the starboard locker so the same concerns. That's why I wanted to capture the venting from the hot water tank rather than have it wander down to the bilge.

I wonder what is the reasonable life expectancy of electronics in such an environment? 5 years? 10 years? Probably obsolete to the point of needing an upgrade after 10 in any case.