Axpert invertors

Quick question on the bolded part. My inverter is connected to to have everything except the geyser and stove connected to it. The thinking was that I can decide what to switch on or keep off during loadshedding. The electrician however said that the inverter (Axpert 3kva 48v) will however always be limited to output it’s rated wattage, even when on eskom. He claimed that when I’m on eskom and I decide to for example run the dryer or something and my usage goes above the 2,4kw that the inverter output is rated for the inverter will trip out (i.e. eskom is always going through the inverter power supplies)… To this end he installed a separate physical relay switch that automatically clicks over to inverter when the eskom supply drops.

Your statement above makes it seem that this is not the case?

No, the Axpert is always limited by virtue of it's design. The internal bypass relay is not designed to carry an infinite amount of bypass current. The bypass relay will handle the same amount of power the inverter is designed to deliver, perhaps a little more.

The earlier argument is about the longevity of the inverter electronics while in battery mode.
 
Whats the difference between the UPS vs Appliance mode in terms of operation of the Inverter?

According to the manual:

UPS mode: acceptable input voltage: 170VAC - 280VAC, transfer time: 10ms
Appliance mode: acceptable input voltage: 90VAC - 280VAC, transfer time: 20ms
 
10ms vs 20ms change over time. That's the only diff I have picked up. A tad silly really... They should just stick to 10ms and get it done with.

According to the manual:

UPS mode: acceptable input voltage: 170VAC - 280VAC, transfer time: 10ms
Appliance mode: acceptable input voltage: 90VAC - 280VAC, transfer time: 20ms

I guess it makes no sense to use the Appliance mode then? Seeing that all devices in SA connected to mains accept 220v?
 
I guess it makes no sense to use the Appliance mode then? Seeing that all devices in SA connected to mains accept 220v?

With tolerances...

But yes, UPS mode is the way to go. UNLESS you have a VERY BAD Eskom connection and your inverter keeps switching between bypass and battery mode. If you want to avoid the switching back and forth, you MAY consider using appliance mode.

Good luck with the longevity of your appliances though...
 
With tolerances...

But yes, UPS mode is the way to go. UNLESS you have a VERY BAD Eskom connection and your inverter keeps switching between bypass and battery mode. If you want to avoid the switching back and forth, you MAY consider using appliance mode.

Good luck with the longevity of your appliances though...

Err - if your voltages fluctuates THAT much, you have FAR bigger worries than the inverter :)
 
What your electrician said is correct. The way that you insisted (apparently) on having it installed, is not correct. You can not (ever) have more than 3KW of power on the Inverter.

In the time that load shedding starts, to the time that you get to 'switch off' whatever you feel that is necessary, you would have already damaged the Inverter, assuming more than 3KW is connected. It's dangerous, in that you can (and will) damage your inverter this way.

Really not the correct way to go about this.

EDIT: SO not only have you NO idea on how much load is actually connected to the Inverter, as it is being bypassed by the relay (thus you can overload at any time without you even knowing it), but seeing as you have no idea of the load (in Watts), you also have no idea of how long your batteries will last in the event of load shedding...

Thanks for the reply. I was advised that this would be the simplest way to do it. I did do my homework on how much wattage is drawn when everything that's usually on is on (barring the geyser and stove) and that's well within the limits of the inverter.

They geyser and stove won't ever touch the inverter thanks to the way he's set up the relay circuit. The only way for me to approach the limit of the inverter would be to boil the electric kettle (which we're doing away with in any event for a gas one) while running the dryer. That's what I meant with "within my control" those things just stay off. I also have a meter to read how much kw is being used at any time, so I do know what's being drawn from the batteries to know how long it'll last etc...
 
No, the Axpert is always limited by virtue of it's design. The internal bypass relay is not designed to carry an infinite amount of bypass current. The bypass relay will handle the same amount of power the inverter is designed to deliver, perhaps a little more.

The earlier argument is about the longevity of the inverter electronics while in battery mode.

Understood! Thanks for clarifying.
 
If anyone is looking, similar fuse / fuse holders are available at Outdoor Warehouse - National Luna brand.
 
As all of them are for "automotive" applications, and only one provides a voltage rating of 32V, I think it's safe to assume that all these fuses are rated only at 32V. They are thus no good for 48V battery banks.

Automotive (car) fuses are also fast blow fuses, not ideal. You ideally want slow blow, ceramic (not glass) fuses too in any case.

A 1000V/125A Fuse holder (din mount, 22x50 cylindrical) will set you back +- R125, depending on brand
A 1000V/32A Fuse holder (din mount, 22x10 cylindrical) will set you back +- R50, depending on brand
 
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