Quirky Inverter Charger Behavior (ProMariner 2500)

[dbsea]

Hi All,

I've noticed some quirky behavior on my inverter charger. Each time I plug in, I follow the same procedure :

1) ensure AC breakers are off
2) ensure Inverter is off
3) ensure AC ELCI is off
4) plug in shore power to boat
5) switch on power at pedestal
6) switch on AC ELCI
7) switch on Charger

Perhaps once in every 5 times I return to the dock, when I follow the above procedure, I can see that there is 120V AC coming to the boat from the cable using my voltmeter, and the AC ELCI indicator is green, and my AC breakers work, but the ProMariner is not kicking on, and the AC Amps on the panel Voltmeter are registering ZERO. Each time this occurs, I leave it, and approx. 10-15 mins later, the charger kicks on. I've gone over the manual 2-3 times and can't find anything that would indicate that this is a "feature." Has anyone else experienced this or have any insights?

 

[knotflying]

Can you clarify? You say you are getting zero Amp readings on your 120 panel and your 120V AC breakers work. You have an amp meter on your panel? If so and there is no draw then it would read zero. If you are mistaken then the amp meter may be a volt meter and that would make sense that it is zero volts, but I am not sure what you mean that the 120 breakers work. Did you plug something in an outlet and it worked? I am initially suspecting an automatic transfer switch issue, but your explanation facts seem contradictory.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Agree with Knotflying in that you are probably describing the symptoms of a failed transfer switch in the Promariner. If that's the case, the Promariner is not sensing shore power and remains in inverter mode. This is a common fault and is not repairable.

 

[dbsea]

Can you clarify? You say you are getting zero Amp readings on your 120 panel and your 120V AC breakers work. You have an amp meter on your panel? If so and there is no draw then it would read zero. If you are mistaken then the amp meter may be a volt meter and that would make sense that it is zero volts, but I am not sure what you mean that the 120 breakers work. Did you plug something in an outlet and it worked? I am initially suspecting an automatic transfer switch issue, but your explanation facts seem contradictory.

my apologies - still learning all of these electrical terms... i meant the VOLT meter on my AC Panel. When the shore power is plugged in in the scenario I initially outlined, the AC ELCI will work (it has the green indicator next to it when i flip it on), and the AC breakers on that same part of the panel work. the AC VOLTS on the volt meter for the AC panel are reading zero, however. Also no lights on the inverter charger remote, and no lights on the inverter charger itself. I hope this helps clarify.

 

[BB marine]

What electrical panel do you have? 2 30 amp services or a single 30 amp service? Generator ? The gauge that you are reading is a Volt gauge. If you are plugged into shore power at least half of your panel should have shore power and the volt gauge should read 120 Volts even if the transfer switch has failed. The shore power comes in ELCI switch (on) and powers the hot water heater, the stove and Charger / inverter and you should see 120 Volts at the meter. When the Charger/inverter receives the 120V from the panel the transfer switch allows shore power to pass through the inverter powers outlets and Microwave and also powers the charger. The charger should be functioning ( inverter battery switch must be on) . If the transfer switch is not functioning. The 120 volt will not pass through the inverter and there will not be power to the three outlets circuits and the Microwave and the charger will not be turned on. The fact that the charger does turn on after 15 minutes is a unknown. I would advise a little more troubleshooting with a known good VOA meter and possibly some electrical connection checks. If all checks show no faults you may have an intermittent failure of the Promariner.

 

[dbsea]

Hi Brian, single 30a, no generator. In the scenario i'm encountering, the AC ELCI will light up and the breakers on that portion of the panel work, but no AC Volts on the voltmeter, no lights on inverter remote control (they flash when you turn it on, then they go out), and no lights on the inverter/charger itself.

 

[knotflying]

I still do not understand when you say the AC breakers in the panel work. If they work, does that mean you have power at your 110 outlets? It is possible that Ranger/cutwater split your panel between those that operate via the inverter and those that will only work on 110V without going through the inverter. This eliminates the inverter from kicking in if you lose 110 power when on shore power. If this is the case the voltmeter may be used on the inverter side and not on the 110v shore power. This means when you are plugged into shore power you will have part of your panel direct and then the other part goes through the automatic transfer switch on the inverter or will use battery power for 110V when anchored out. Having a bad automatic transfer switch on the promariner is not unusual and as stated no repairable. There should be a black reset button on the side, see, if that when pressed, livens things up. It is unusual to have a complete failure when the entire unit is dead. Another thing, I assume that you have the promariner rocker switch in the up position? Up position activates charger and automatic transfer switch. Middle is off, Down is inverter only and no charger. I would think if your batteries are good and the switch is down that you would have a portion of the panel alive via the inverter from the batteries. If things work when that switch is down, do not continue using it that way. Your batteries will eventually discharge because the charger is not on. If things work that way then you definitely have a bad transfer switch and hence need a new inverter/charger. If you do need a new one go with xantrax. It is a simple change with little rewiring required.

 

[BB marine]

The panel is split. Outlets and Microwave are powered from either shore power or inverter. The shore power 120 Volts passes through the inverter and goes the the left side of the panel 3 outlet circuits and the Microwave circuit. Once again a VOA meter checking what has Voltage and what does not have voltage will help you determine the possible source of the problem. If the Promariner Charger/inverter does not turn on at all No invert no charge and all connections prove to be in good working order I agree with Mike the Promariner unit is bad. If the unit is only providing invert, the transfer switch is bad and the unit will need to be replaced. The variable that you presented is that the charger does come on after 15 minutes and all is good.
A step by step troubleshoot would save a lot of speculation.

Measure battery Voltage with VOA meter
Measure shore power Voltage at each outlet with shore power plugged in and not plugged in. Confirm battery switch for inverter is on.
Trace the wirings path from ELCI to panel to inverter/charger back to panel all connections good.
Check battery voltage before plugging into the boat then monitor battery voltage after plugging into the boat. Stay the same, Voltage lower? Voltage higher?

It is hard to speculate what the issue is in an intermittent problem. If a component doesn't work at all the component is bad. If it works sometimes it can be the component but it can also be connections (making and breaking)

Because of the Promariner 2500 having a reputation of transfer switch failure it is easy to point a finger at it. It very well could be the issue. I have never been a throw a part at an item to fix it. I like to prove the failure.

Three easy questions.

Will it charge the batteries ?
Will it invert?
Will 120 volts for shore power pass through the Promariner 2500?

If the answer to any of those questions is no and all connections are good, Inverter battery switch is on, inverter charger is switched on, Probably a bad unit.

 

[dbsea]

thanks all. I will spend some time investigating before buying anything. As with everything else, the supply chain for inverter/chargers is...sparse. 🙂

I should note that the inverter function works just fine. All breakers and outlets across the boat work as expected when disconnected from shore power and inverting. It is only when plugging in to shore power 20% of the time, that the Inverter/charger is not sensing the shore power and kicking the battery charger on, even after flipping the promariner rocker switch up, with the ELCI breaker on. The AC voltmeter is in the left half of the panel (spilt from the ELCI side) as Brian mentioned, so if the AC current is not getting from the ELCI to the inverter and back to the left panel, no surprise that it's not registering any AC volts. This behavior leads me to believe that either there's a bad connection between the ELCI and the promariner, or the promariner is having issues as y'all have said.

 

[dbsea]

I have found what I believe to be the problem. The wiring on the back of the shore power inlet was very poorly stripped, haphazardly installed, and subsequently very corroded. My suspicion is that the combination of these things was causing enough current to get through to light up the ELCI, but not enough for the charger to kick on, that is until the shore power had been connected for a while and caused the connection to heat up, and enabling it to be more conductive, hence the 15 minute behavior I described. I replaced the corroded Furrion shore power inlet with a new stainless marinco one, and a matching new marinco cord. Everything is working. We’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks, but this would be a much less expensive fix!

 

[knotflying]

Sounds good! As Brian suspected, hopefully a bad connection. Everyone should check those wires at the connection of the shore power receptacle. I have seen several not stripped properly or tightened enough and causing severe heating up at the connections.