Inverter Help

MarleyWrigg

I got an off grid solar kit. Included is:

PICOGLF30W12V120VR - 3000 watt pure sine inverter charger - 12 volt
PV120POLY - qty 3 - 120 watt solar panel
SCC30A - 30 amp PWM solar charge controller
3FM225-X - qty 2 - 225 ah AGM deep cycle battery - 6 volts
Battery temperature sensor
PV30FTSET - 30 foot PV wire for solar panels to charge controller (female & male)
PVEXT06FT10AWG - 6 ft PV extension wire for solar panels
PVSCC06FTSET - 6ft wire from charge controller to battery bank
CBL08FT1/0 - 8 ft set of 1/0 AWG cable battery bank to inverter
CBL01FT1/0RED - qty 2 1ft jumper one for fuse kit and one for batteries
ANL300KIT - 300 amp inline fuse kit
PVMC4.A-2F1M - MC4 Branch 2F to M
PVMC4.A-2M1F - MC4 Branch 2M to F

I got everything hooked up and received confirmation that everything is correct. I can turn the inverter on and it says that it is on in both power saver auto and power saver off modes. However, when I try plugging anything into the output socket, nothing powers up. I only plan to use the output socket and not the AC input/output wiring. Does anyone have any ideas why the inverter is notnpowering anything? (The brand is AIMS Power).

BB.

The first question would be "what is your AC load"?

Many (most? all?) of the power save modes in AC inverters require a minimum AC load to function. Typically a minimum of ~6 Watts (or a bit more).

Second, the power save function is the inverter "turns on" for a couple AC cycles every second or two. If you load does not draw current enough current during that short cycle, the inverter will not turn on.

Using a modern TV, radio, possibly even LED lamp, may not draw the 6 Watts for a 1/10th second or less. Try something else (standard filament lamp, electric drill, small heating device, etc.) and see if the inverter turns on.

Also--Very important. The DC input to AC inverters needs to be short/heavy copper cable that is bolted up connections. For example, using a set of car jumper cables from the battery to the DC input of the inverter--Usually the inverter will "look dead".

If you have a DC volt meter, measure the DC input voltage to the AC inverter. Typically, the voltage must start over ~12.0 volts (to reset the inverter) and must stay above 10.5 volts during operation.

And for a 12 volt battery bank,  I would not expect much more than ~1,200-1,800 Watts with typical DC wiring (that is >>100 amps DC). And for your battery bank (12 volts @ 225 AH), 500-600 Watts would be "comfortable" maximum continuous load... Although with AGM batteries (properly wired and charged), they could output as much as >5,000 Watts (when used in computer backup UPS systems). But limiting your short/high power loads to 2,000 Watts or less would be my suggestion (longer battery life, more reliable system).

That is a start...

-Bill

Estragon

I had a quick look at what I think is your inverter manual online:

http://www.aimscorp.net/documents/PICOGLF10w-60w 071618.pdf

If I'm reading it right, page 18- DIP switch 3 is set to "0" by default, which is apparently inverter off, AC passthrough and charger operation. Moving the switch to "1" appears to enable searching for AC loads, and inverter operation.

mcgivor

Estragon said:

I had a quick look at what I think is your inverter manual online:

http://www.aimscorp.net/documents/PICOGLF10w-60w 071618.pdf

If I'm reading it right, page 18- DIP switch 3 is set to "0" by default, which is apparently inverter off, AC passthrough and charger operation. Moving the switch to "1" appears to enable searching for AC loads, and inverter operation.

Dip switch 5, AC priority or battery priority should be set to value 1, battery priority.

Cadence

There's a possibility of both. If the appliance is drawing more current than the inverter can handle, parts in the inverter will fry. If the appliance requires a higher voltage than what the inverter supplies, the appliance may not function properly.