Cotek 1500W inverter powering new GE fridge

westbranch

Well we got the new GE fridge off the truck and leveled etc. THE BIG moment was when we turned on the power and waited for a SQUEEL from the inverter as it took on the surge expected to run the fridge. Expectations were for a start up surge load> 3000W....

Fridge GE Model GTE18GMHDRES 319 kWh Canada/ 358kWh US Stated capacity 17.5 Cu. ft
Powered by a Cotek 1500W, 24V

I watched the WBjr Live Data via the Local App and saw it read 38.8 A for a second (@ 27.5V = 1067W) and then drop to ~ 15A and slowly drop to the other daytime loads level before it shut off to cycle again later... :cool:;)
Later start-ups were flawless and drew about 20 A max observed and a guess-timate of 6-700W overnight based on WBjr Ah reading of remaining Ah

More to come when I study the data dumps I have...

ADD: on the Canadian side the unit is rated as a TYPE 3 16.5 -18.4 Cu ft, we saw the Sears sticker listing it as a 15.5 cu ft...???

animatt

Quick comment on cotek inverter. I have a 1500w 24v model. has duplex outlet. It is not hardwired. It was being using on a construction site. Working great. But workers over loaded it. It was powering a well pump.and while it does that it consumes ~750 watts. Then they started cutting concrete with 7 inch angle grinder. I am told it last about 15 minutes. Until it shutoff. Battery bank was and is large enough that it was not on low battery. SO it was probably operating overloaded most of that 15 minutes. It died.

I am in the process of reviving it. It has fried FETS and burnt fuses(hopefully just that). The fuses it has inside are soldered to the board. a bit annoying. When/if it comes back to life. I will be wiring output to breaker first. This way if someone overloads it , breaker will protect it . instead of working until self destruction. sorry to post off topic. something to think about it output is not protected by a breaker.

westbranch

Matt, all info is good...

Mine is a Transfer Switch ST 1500- 124 model and is hard wired so it does have CB protection,.... Man are they stupid, not just dumb.... The only issue I have and was aware of it is it has an upper limit of 30V and throws a Yellow caution on the remote upstairs at 28V, have to review the specs again now that we are using it on a 'normal living 'basis. up till now it was just lights and its tare load was more than the lights..
http://www.cotek.com.tw/upload/PDF/ST1500.PDF

animatt

yeah mine has the same 30v upper limit that can cause a bit of an issue. i am not sure the exact model. Mine is just used at a construction site right now so not a huge issue. I just turn solar breaker off and start using the inverter. Then turn back on solar breaker. my usage holds voltage down.

Also if i get mine working again I may mess with some pot screws in there. There are 2. my hope is one adjusts the high voltage warning/shutdown, and one would be low voltage disconnect. I have no idea where low voltage disconnect is. I suspect maybe too lower. I would bump up a bit. as well as bump up the high voltage disconnect maybe .5v .

Also in the inside there are some dip switches to adjust voltage. I believe 120v is the upper voltage but something like 115, 110, and about 105v are also possible with dip switch combinations.

Vic

Hi wb,

WOW, sounds like you have moved in to the new off-grid residence. A large step. Congratulations, enjoy it. Vic

westbranch

Yes, a big step... we moved a bed in last Nov. just before winter shutdown and first off was to add more PV to the batteries, they got 2 weeks of boost before I hauled the fridge out... this weekend willl be 4 more PVs to bring that battery up to 1120W STC, at 560W it was not quite able to recover completely, close but if we use it more from now till fall it will be losing a % or 2 a day , best figuring, base on the WBjr readings.... still learning how to read all the output from that little gem. So much more than my old XBM, totally un-downloadable. Now the interior finishing work starts... 8)8)