Mecer 1200VA delayed switchover and surges

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Praemon

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Hi all,

Anyone with a Mecer 1200VA experiencing issues with delayed switchover and possible surges? I've had mine for about 2 years now, and it has worked fine until this most recent load shedding bout. For example, when load shedding kicked in last week my PC rebooted when it switched over to batteries, which never happened before. Then the next day my sound system - which is behind the inverter and a surge protector - blew. I found a fuse had blown and replaced it, but after working for another 20min it turned off and now won't turn on at all (tried multiple fuses to check).

On both occasions the load was never more than 50% and batteries were pretty much 100%. I did notice on previous load shedding events that my sound system would turn off when load shedding kicked in, but thought it was due to it being more sensitive and not necessarily too harmful. But now I'm worried that there's surges happening from the inverter since my PC is also now being impacted, and I'm worried about my TV and Xbox. Could it be a fault of some kind, or is this somewhat expected? Anything I can do about it?

Thanks!
 
I suspect your batteries need replacing
Im not saying it is the cause but it is the first thing I would test and swap out with a friends battery etc
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
I suspect your batteries need replacing
Im not saying it is the cause but it is the first thing I would test and swap out with a friends battery etc
Click to expand...

Possible. Could be causing a dip when switching over, although I wouldn't think that would damage electronics? Then again the speaker system was very old though, so maybe it couldn't handle the variable changes newer electronics can.

The only problem is there isn't anyone I can change batteries with. So I'd have to fork out for 2x Deep Cycle Batteries to check :eek:
 
Praemon said:
Possible. Could be causing a dip when switching over, although I wouldn't think that would damage electronics? Then again the speaker system was very old though, so maybe it couldn't handle the variable changes newer electronics can.

The only problem is there isn't anyone I can change batteries with. So I'd have to fork out for 2x Deep Cycle Batteries to check :eek:
Click to expand...
Well no, because you're on the 12v system so you'd need 1 new battery.
 
Lupus said:
Well no, because you're on the 12v system so you'd need 1 new battery.
Click to expand...

I have this one:

www.geewiz.co.za

1200VA Mecer Inverter + 2x 100AH Batteries Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - (720W) (150-200 cycles) - 12 Month Warranty

Mecer Inverter 1200VA (720W) + 20A Charger SIMILAR to INTELLIPOWER 3 or TESCOM 1000-200 UNIT Includes 2x 100Ah Battery + Steel Cabinet + Wheels All cabling included Unit Dimensions: 44cm(H) x 39cm(W) x 38cm(L) 12-month warranty on the inverter PLEASE NOTE: The 8-hour battery life is based on a...
www.geewiz.co.za www.geewiz.co.za

So I'd replace the 2 batteries with one? Or just one them by trying each one?
 
Does sound fishy.

Exact reason why I have Sonoff's watching my power coming in and out of my unit example:

1623663764298.png

Unless you have something similar you will have no way of knowing if the unit/battery or input is faulty.

I would start by testing the battery and then hit the unit with a volt meter and simulate load shedding to try and troubleshoot.
 
Praemon said:
I have this one:

www.geewiz.co.za

1200VA Mecer Inverter + 2x 100AH Batteries Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - (720W) (150-200 cycles) - 12 Month Warranty

Mecer Inverter 1200VA (720W) + 20A Charger SIMILAR to INTELLIPOWER 3 or TESCOM 1000-200 UNIT Includes 2x 100Ah Battery + Steel Cabinet + Wheels All cabling included Unit Dimensions: 44cm(H) x 39cm(W) x 38cm(L) 12-month warranty on the inverter PLEASE NOTE: The 8-hour battery life is based on a...
www.geewiz.co.za www.geewiz.co.za

So I'd replace the 2 batteries with one? Or just one them by trying each one?
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Yes those batteries are connected in parallel not series, in series would've given you 24v and is needed for the 2400va not the 1200va.
 
You only need one 12volt battery to run the Mecer1200VA

The Mecer2400VA runs on 24 volts so you need two 12 volt batteries in series
 
Praemon said:
Ah, okay. So the second battery is just an extra "reserve", but not needed. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Basically it's doubling up your AH, so with 1x100ah battery you'd get 600wh of usage, with the 2 of them you're at 1200. So you'd go from being able to run a 150w load for 4 hours to 8.
 
Yup, you could even use a healthy car battery for testing to see if there is a power dip
That is what I would do

But only as a test, car batteries dont like going flat.
 
AlphaJohn said:
Does sound fishy.

Exact reason why I have Sonoff's watching my power coming in and out of my unit example:

View attachment 1088457

Unless you have something similar you will have no way of knowing if the unit/battery or input is faulty.

I would start by testing the battery and then hit the unit with a volt meter and simulate load shedding to try and troubleshoot.
Click to expand...

I actually have a Sonoff POWR2 plug kicking around (had forgotten about it). I'll set it up and then turn off the power to the inverter and see what happens.
 
AlphaJohn said:
Does sound fishy.

Exact reason why I have Sonoff's watching my power coming in and out of my unit example:

View attachment 1088457

Unless you have something similar you will have no way of knowing if the unit/battery or input is faulty.

I would start by testing the battery and then hit the unit with a volt meter and simulate load shedding to try and troubleshoot.
Click to expand...

What are you using to get that type of data from the Sonoff plug? As the main app is very basic and doesn't even offer a way to download usage or logs (at least not on iOS).
 
Praemon said:
What are you using to get that type of data from the Sonoff plug? As the main app is very basic and doesn't even offer a way to download usage or logs (at least not on iOS).
Click to expand...

No idea what sonoff App looks like, used it once back when I got the products. Pretty sure it should have history in it somewhere?

As for what I use:
Raspberry Pi with Home Assistant but that is purely cause I like to be able to use my IoT without the need for internet or sending loads of data to China. That was just a simple History Graph from its web page. It can become a nasty time sync if you dont watch out, but has its rewards
 
AlphaJohn said:
No idea what sonoff App looks like, used it once back when I got the products. Pretty sure it should have history in it somewhere?

As for what I use:
Raspberry Pi with Home Assistant but that is purely cause I like to be able to use my IoT without the need for internet or sending loads of data to China. That was just a simple History Graph from its web page. It can become a nasty time sync if you dont watch out, but has its rewards
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've got a Raspberry Pi with HA, but haven't used it in a while. I think I'll give it a go and try set it up.

Maybe the app has a history download somewhere, but for the life of me I can't find anything other than daily averages and "realtime" data, which doesn't really help without interval logging.
 
Praemon said:
Thanks. I've got a Raspberry Pi with HA, but haven't used it in a while. I think I'll give it a go and try set it up.

Maybe the app has a history download somewhere, but for the life of me I can't find anything other than daily averages and "realtime" data, which doesn't really help without interval logging.
Click to expand...
You only need realtime data to see what is happening during simulated ls

History is good for finding out what did happen Automation is to cover prevention, like I have a 5 min delay before I switch back to AC so grid can stabilize.
 
Isn't this a case where there are 2 seperate issues, one being the PC rebooting indicating a dodgy power supply, and the amp failing because it doesn't like modified sine wave, and has nothing to do with transfer time?
 
wingnut771 said:
Isn't this a case where there are 2 seperate issues, one being the PC rebooting indicating a dodgy power supply, and the amp failing because it doesn't like modified sine wave, and has nothing to do with transfer time?
Click to expand...

That is very possible. That is why I said check real time if inverter is doing what it says it is doing.

If you PSU is to small it will def cause a PC to reboot on switchover.
High end Hifi amps (Valves) in general don't like modified sine. Cheap ones (Transistors) dont care about it.
 
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