Inverter Making Ticking Noise

Wxboy

I've been running my lcd tv and various other loads on my inverter as the sun permits for the last couple of years. Recently I am occasionally getting a ticking sound coming from the inverter and it seems to be tied to the tv. I've been trying to avoid running the tv on the inverter since I noticed this and there have been no issues when the tv isn't plugged in. If the inverter was ticking and I unplugged the cord it would stop. No issue with the refrigerator running or a Playstation 3 or various other small loads. Any idea what this is or how I can eliminate the problem? It seems like some kind of interference but I am no expert on this. The inverter is a Xantrex Prowatt SW2000 but It did it on my Radian the other day too so it doesn't seem to be a problem with the inverter.

Hard to describe the noise but it is a rapid ticking. Several ticks per second.

inetdog

Re: Inverter Making Ticking Noise

The ticking occurs with the TV plugged in, even when you are running other loads?
My first thought was that the inverter is set to go into a standby mode when it does not see any load and the TV is just not always drawing enough current to keep the inverter constantly on.
The parasitic load of the TV remote control receiver when it is not turned on could be an issue too.

BB.

Re: Inverter Making Ticking Noise

Try putting a 10-40 watt filament lamp (or a small table fan, etc.) on the inverter with the TV--See if the additional loads stabilize/stop the clicking.

-Bill

Wxboy

Re: Inverter Making Ticking Noise

inetdog wrote: »

The ticking occurs with the TV plugged in, even when you are running other loads?
My first thought was that the inverter is set to go into a standby mode when it does not see any load and the TV is just not always drawing enough current to keep the inverter constantly on.
The parasitic load of the TV remote control receiver when it is not turned on could be an issue too.

From what I remember the inverter was ticking with other loads running in addition to the tv. And believe it or not when I plugged the extension cord into the inverter it started ticking even when the inverter was off which also means the tv must have been off so I started wondering if it had something to do with the extension cord. I don't think that's the case though because with only the Playstation running on the same cord it doesn't tick. Very strange.

Also it doesn't do it all the time because before I plugged the tv into the Radian I tested it on the Xantrex, it wasn't ticking that day on the Xantrex so I plugged it in the Radian and it was fine. Then the next day I went downstairs and the Radian was ticking. Unplugged the tv and the Radian kept ticking then disconnected DC power to the Radian and it stopped ticking.

inetdog

Re: Inverter Making Ticking Noise

Wxboy wrote: »

From what I remember the inverter was ticking with other loads running in addition to the tv. And believe it or not when I plugged the extension cord into the inverter it started ticking even when the inverter was off which also means the tv must have been off so I started wondering if it had something to do with the extension cord. I don't think that's the case though because with only the Playstation running on the same cord it doesn't tick. Very strange.

Also it doesn't do it all the time because before I plugged the tv into the Radian I tested it on the Xantrex, it wasn't ticking that day on the Xantrex so I plugged it in the Radian and it was fine. Then the next day I went downstairs and the Radian was ticking. Unplugged the tv and the Radian kept ticking then disconnected DC power to the Radian and it stopped ticking.

The ticking sounds a lot like what I have heard described for some inverters when they are checking to come out of idle mode. But since it happens with other loads in place, that is not likely to be your problem.
Bottom line is that there may be something always going on the inverter at those intervals independent of the load, and that something only makes noise when certain types of load (high capacitance maybe) are connected.