inverter only puts out 91 volts

[inetdog]

Here is a URL to the inverter, but unfortunately for many of you is only in Spanish, being a Mexican brand. [URL="http://www.conermex.com.mx/files/file/HojasTecnicas/04_Inversores/inversor_cargador_de-baterias.pdf"] But it has lots of technical things at the bottom which are probably understood by all who know about those things. It's the model 1524.

There's no one within hours of here who knows anything about solar systems! And there aren't good electricians nearby either. It would likely be easier for me if there were. So I'm sure hoping that you all can help me! And I've tried to be as detailed as I know how to about things I don't fully understand, with the hope that it might give you some good clues. Thanks so much for trying to figure this out for me.

My reading of the pdf is that the units described there contain DC to DC convertors which will take 20-30 volts DC as input from solar or some other variable DC source and deliver a regulated voltage 24 volt DC out. (in other words similar to MMPT Charge Controllers? Or PWM CCs with a voltage boost circuit?) And in addition they contain an inverter to deliver line voltage AC, running from the batteries and having a 20 volt low battery voltage cutout. There is no indication of whether they actually deliver a proper controlled charging voltage profile or are just fixed voltage chargers. The manual itself should clarify that.
So there should be DC input terminals, DC load and possibly separate DC to Battery terminals, as well as DC input from batteries to the inverter and AC output of the inverter. I would be very careful to correctly identify these before trying to hook them up!

[Mike90250]

STOP. Don't try to ground the inverter - unless the manual states you should. Most mod-square wave (I refuse to call them mod-sine) inverters will release all the magic smoke inside, when you ground them.

Motors (fridges, fans, pumps) will consume 20% more power on mod-square inverters, and that gets turned into heat in the motor, not good for long motor life.

If the inverter wires, or the battery cannot deliver the huge starting surge needed @ 12V, for the 120V appliance, you get stalling motors.

So, lets back up, and how about you list for us, what you are trying to power, and maybe we can sort it out.

It's likely to end up with at least a 24V system and pure sine inverter though.

[dlnelsonroca]

will it ever convert to 120V?

Thanks for the answers! I checked and the inverter is a modified wave unit. Now my primary question is will this inverter give me 120V in my house? Right now the outlets are still reading 91, and my refrigerator won't run properly.

There are eight switches on the unit too, with an on or off option for each one. After reading the manual's explanations of what they do, it doesn't seem to be the answer. But maybe you are familiar with switches like these, and know better.

Also, I wonder if a wiring issue could play into this problem. I haven't grounded the inverter yet. The breaker panel is connected to the live and neutral exits. There are also live and neutral entrances, but they are hardly generating current, and are not being used. One thing I don't understand is in the installation directions it shows the entrances connecting to the breaker box, but there's no current at those entrances, so I hooked the exits to the breaker box to get current, also at only 91V. The directions also show the exit wiring to a breaker and small load, but they're not being used at all right now. This wiring diagram doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not an electrician. It just seems that a wired connection to the breaker box should have current running through it!

Here is a URL to the inverter, but unfortunately for many of you is only in Spanish, being a Mexican brand. [URL="http://www.conermex.com.mx/files/file/HojasTecnicas/04_Inversores/inversor_cargador_de-baterias.pdf"] But it has lots of technical things at the bottom which are probably understood by all who know about those things. It's the model 1524.

There's no one within hours of here who knows anything about solar systems! And there aren't good electricians nearby either. It would likely be easier for me if there were. So I'm sure hoping that you all can help me! And I've tried to be as detailed as I know how to about things I don't fully understand, with the hope that it might give you some good clues. Thanks so much for trying to figure this out for me.

[Sunny Solar]

if it is not a sinewave inverter and you measure the voltage with most multimeters that will be about the reading you will get..

[Mike90250]

If the inverter is modified square wave, it will not read the same voltage as a pure sine wave.

That's my only thought about it.


Modified waveform is often more like a square wave, and motors will consume about 20% more power with it. Sometimes the more expensive inverter (pure sine wave) will, in the end, be the better choice.

[dlnelsonroca]

Hi! My name's Dave, and I'm new to the forum and to solar power. I live in a very sunny part of Mexico (Oaxaca state, on the coast), and just installed a system that's supposed to generate an average of 5.5 kilowatt hours daily, more than enough for my smallish house. Everything is working well except that the inverter is only showing 91 volts. The panels and batteries are wired for 24, and the inverter is a 24 volt system. The panels read around 35 volts, the batteries (four 6 volt batteries wired in parallel/series) at 24.

For a short time we had the panels and batteries wired for 12 volts until we realized that the inverter was for 24. Would anyone know the probable or possible causes for the inverter not producing 120 volts?

I read that some systems have a low voltage output until appliances begin to draw current, at which time the system bumps up to 120 volts. But I ran an electric drill on it and the inverter and wall plug remained at 91 volts.

Thank you for your help!