|
|
Post by yobarr on Aug 22, 2024 12:51:10 GMT 10
Does anyone here have knowledge on how to replace the fan on this inverter? After an hour or so there is a grinding noise emanating from the the inverter, and I suspect that it is the fan.
A quick belt on the inverter housing stops the noise but I would like to have it repaired properly before temperatures rise and I have to run the AC 24/7 in places like Port Hedland etc. Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by Mike Harding on Aug 22, 2024 15:58:47 GMT 10
The fan is an important part of that inverter. It will be selected to provide the appropriate amount of cooling and will likely be in a feedback loop to the microcontroller which sorts out what's going on.
Despite what others may tell you; it would be most unwise to replace that fan with anything other than a Victron part.
Replacing the fan should be a simple task (I haven't done it) and within the capability of a handyman but the replacement parts should be sourced from Victron.
It appears you have two options Yobarr:
1 - Take the inverter to a Victron agent and have them do the job
2 - Buy a fan from Victron and you/someone replace it.
Knowing that you are not comfortable with the intricate aspects of technology I suggest you take option 1.
Let us know how it goes please. I am a big fan of Victron gear and expect good service from them.
-----
Edit - a couple more thoughts:
It is possible one or two of the (probably) four screws holding the fan have come loose and the fan is now slightly off-centre so check the tightness of the fan's mounting screws.
it *may* be worth a shot of silicon lubricant into the fans bearings, if accessible. NB. this may totally stuff up the fan so caution is advised.
|
|
nobodyhere
Full Member
Posts: 202
Member is Online
|
Post by nobodyhere on Aug 22, 2024 16:45:08 GMT 10
|
|
|
|
Post by yobarr on Aug 22, 2024 19:22:04 GMT 10
Thanks fellas. More tomorrow.
Yeaterday I was lucky enough to run in to a chap who oncevwas a well-recognised Solar Electrician, but who has since closed-down his business and sold the trading name.
However, he has offered to inspect and test my unit, carrying out repairs as required, so looking good!
Thanks again for the help that was offered, and I will advise of outcome in due course. Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by Mike Harding on Aug 23, 2024 13:27:32 GMT 10
The variable RPM appears to be achieved by chopping the DC. Yuk! Users rightly complained about noisy operation at low speeds (because the poor commutator must have been going mad). Victron's fix retrofits an LC low pass filter to average the DC output.
I agree NH, that design would not have passed the first design review if I'd had anything to do with it! PWMing the fan may well have contributed to the early failure of its bearings too, as Yobarr seems to be experiencing. The good bit is that Victron have recognised this error and issued a fix which is free to dealers - one hopes end users too. Yobarr: it sounds like an easy fix with the Victron replacement kit but I don't know how hard it is to disassemble the unit - talk to the dealers. |
|
nobodyhere
Full Member
Posts: 202
Member is Online
|
Post by nobodyhere on Aug 24, 2024 0:50:55 GMT 10
The retrofit is for Quattro II. I don't know if such an issue affects the earlier Quattro model.
|
|
|
|
Post by yobarr on Sept 24, 2024 19:18:35 GMT 10
Thanks fellas. More tomorrow. Yeaterday I was lucky enough to run in to a chap who oncevwas a well-recognised Solar Electrician, but who has since closed-down his business and sold the trading name. However, he has offered to inspect and test my unit, carrying out repairs as required, so looking good! Thanks again for the help that was offered, and I will advise of outcome in due course. Cheers Finally got this sorted today. The chap who said he'd help me seems to have opted out as he neither answered my phone calls nor replied to messages that I left for him so I decided to call a couple of Victron distributors instead. However, these people showed little interest in helping, simply telling me to contact head-office after they said that they could not inspect or repair the unit. One chap said that he would be happy to remove the unit for me, but that it would then have to go away for "about 6 weeks" to be inspected and any necessary repairs made. As there is no way I'm going to be 6 weeks without an inverter I then started looking at prices for a new one, which turned out to be a wise move as quoted prices varied from a low of $3400+/- to a high of "about $6500". Luckily for me, the lowest price was from a supplier only 200km from where I was parked up, so I ordered and paid for a replacement Victron Quattro 5000 inverter, which arrived on site a few days later. A quick inspection of the faulty unit showed a mouse tangled up in the blades of one of the two fans, so I have sent that unit to head-office to be refurbished. Probably it then will sit in a shed at a friend's house as a spare! The removal of the faulty unit and fitting of the new one took only a couple of hours, so I then asked the technician to do a couple of small repairs on other stuff in the van. These repairs included getting my Truma Combi diesel heater going again after it decided a couple of weeks ago to no longer play the game. Initially the fault code said "No fuel" but the 20 litre fuel tank was full. The the codes then changed to 3 alternating examples, each saying, in a round about way, that there was insufficuent power supply, but tests showed 13.6 volts at the input. Several different electricians couldn't find a fault, so $250 later I still had no diesel heater. Anyway, the Victron dealer had it sorted in under 5 minutes, saving me from buying a new example at $3000 or so. Moral of the story is to take a bit of time to research any product you're looking to buy. Cheers |
|
