Inverter only putting out 15VAC?

cralls
cralls Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Hi All,

So my inverter showed up today, it is a refurbished Magnum Energy MMS1012 that I bought from wholesalesolar.com and it appears to only be putting out about 15 volts of AC so I'm not sure if I'm missing something but I was expecting closer to 120 VAC, but I'm new to all this so perhaps I'm missing something. My setup is the following, I have 4 - 6V 232AH batteries wired in series/parallel to get to 12V 464AH. from there I'm going from the negative post on the first 12V set and the positive post on the second 12V set to the negative/positive on the inverter. On the positive line to the inverter I have a "Bussmann MRCB breaker 150 amp DC 12-48 volts". The bank is charged and is putting out 12.8V and when I flip the breaker on I get power to the inverter. Everything looks fine but when I take a multimeter and check the AC out wires there's only between 15-16 volts. Am I missing something or is there a potential problem with this refurbished inverter?
:: 3 - Suniva OPT330-72-4-100 Silver Mono Solar Panels | Magnum Energy MMS1012
:: Midnite Solar Classic 200 | 4 - Interstate 6V GC2-XHD-UTL
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Have you put a load on it yet?

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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  • cralls
    cralls Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭✭
    #3
    Yeah, I was wondering if maybe it didn't put out the full voltage until it was under load so I tried wiring a outlet to it and plugged in a small fluorescent shop light and it didn't turn on.
    :: 3 - Suniva OPT330-72-4-100 Silver Mono Solar Panels | Magnum Energy MMS1012
    :: Midnite Solar Classic 200 | 4 - Interstate 6V GC2-XHD-UTL
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    cralls said:
    plugged in a small fluorescent shop light and it didn't turn on.
    Try a larger load... perhaps a 60 watt incandescent bulb.  --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • cralls
    cralls Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭✭
    #5
    Wow, that did it! Thank you! Wonder why the flourescent light isn't able to start up? I plugged in a couple other things, a battery charger and a fan and they started right up and it went up to 119 volts.
    :: 3 - Suniva OPT330-72-4-100 Silver Mono Solar Panels | Magnum Energy MMS1012
    :: Midnite Solar Classic 200 | 4 - Interstate 6V GC2-XHD-UTL
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Seems like your inverter is in a standby mode. It takes a minimum of xx watts to "wake it up"

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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  • cralls
    cralls Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭✭
    #7
    littleharbor2 said:
    Seems like your inverter is in a standby mode. It takes a minimum of xx watts to "wake it up"
    You're right, the manual says 5 watts will wake it up but the flourescent light must not pull that when you turn it on... those fluorescent bulbs always flicker a bit to get going so they must need a certain voltage to excite the gasses to really get it going.
    :: 3 - Suniva OPT330-72-4-100 Silver Mono Solar Panels | Magnum Energy MMS1012
    :: Midnite Solar Classic 200 | 4 - Interstate 6V GC2-XHD-UTL
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