Heart Interface Inverter...Is It Dead?

[Nick in Manitou]

When we purchased our boat about a year ago, it came with a Heart Interface Model HF32-3000X.

Nothing was connected to it and it was turned off.

Because there are no 110v outlets in the generator space where I wanted to run a small (.65 amp) dehumidifier, I figured that I would try the inverter.

I turned it on and tested an outlet on the front of it with a household outlet tester and it showed up as having no ground connection. Since the device I was trying to power has only a 2 prong plug I wasn't too concerned about the lack of a ground.

After I plugged the inverter in, I happened to notice that the ammeter on the Lewco battery charger in the engine room was bouncing around like crazy. As soon as I turned the inverter back off the battery charger ammeter went back to its very low and stable (normal) state.

I have had no experience with inverters up to this point and don't know what I am dealing with. I have not been able to find a manual for this unit. If the unit is dead I will probably just remove it and not replace unless I have a real need to do so.

I am making an assumption that the fluctuating ammeter on the battery charger indicates a problem and that the inverter should be repaired or disconnected.

Any thoughts?



Thanks!
Nick

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Is the inverter powering the charger?

 

[Nick in Manitou]

Sky,

No, the only thing that I plugged into the inverter was the .65 amp dehumidifier.

The fluctuating ammeter reading on the battery charger was there as long as the inverter was turned on whether anything was plugged into the inverter or not.
Nick

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I think the inverter was turning on and off searching for loads. This made the battery charger come on and off as the inverter drew on the batteries. Try a constant load on the inverter to see if that levels out the charger.

 

[Nick in Manitou]

Sky,

I will give that a try. Thanks!

Nick

 

[Nick in Manitou]

I had planned to see what the ammeter on the battery charger did when I ran the vacuum cleaner off the inverter...no luck.

As soon as the vacuum cleaner was turned on the inverter indicated "Overload". I reset the inverter, turned it off and on again a couple times and now as soon as it is turned on, it goes to overload.

I wonder what it weighs...if it is not too heavy I will pull it out of its confined space and open it up to see if perhaps it is just full of dust, etc.

If anyone has a manual that they could send me a scan of, that would be appreciated.

Any other suggestions? Anyone need one for parts?

Nick

 

[oscarvan]

A vacuum cleaner is a pretty good load, with a spike at startup....... I use a space heater at half power, usually 750W

 

[madhatter1]

When any motor (compressor) starts it monentarily draws FLR amps which is full locked rotor amps. Inverters and marginal generators will struggle with this. I have an 8500 watt genset that should start my small AC on my house but it will not. Running amps no problem. But even with start caps it cannot start the compressor. Also its probably overrated and not really 8500 watts.

 

[Nick in Manitou]

Well, I was going to try running lighting up a few 75w light bulbs with the unit.

But now when the unit is turned on it goes immediately to "overload" even if nothing is plugged into it.

I tried turning it on and off and "resetting" with the reset switch on the front of the unit and with the reset button up near the lower helm and either way the unit immediately goes to "overload".

Unfortunately, in order to access the unit I have to pull up the galley floor and at the moment, my wife is making dinner...

I realize that perhaps there is a simple next step I can take. There is a remote panel up by the lower helm and the next thing I will try is to disconnect the cable up to that panel and see if the unit responds properly then I might be one step closer to figuring out what the problem is. If the unit continues to go into "overload", it may be time to send the unit "overboard".

Nick

 

[oscarvan]

I'm assuming voltage is OK? If volts are low the amps go up, and depending on size the cables may not handle it. Most inverters give up with low voltage, but the number is often programmable. Yours may be set low....

 

[Nick in Manitou]

Oscar,

OK, if I can manage to get the unit to stay on and not go into "overload", I will check the voltage and see what I get.

Nick

 

[oscarvan]

And I was referring to the 12V side.....

 

[Nick in Manitou]

I tried to get the unit to come on and stay on long enough to test a couple various types of light loads and see what the result was - but I was unable to do so.

I disconnected the cable that communicated with the remote panel hoping that the problem would magically go away, but that was not the case.

At this point as soon as the unit is turned on it goes to "Overload".

The unit is labeled as 32 volt noted on the front cover of the unit. I checked the voltage at the batteries where the cables feeding the inverter are connected and got 36 volts.

I think it might be time to pull the unit out and get it onto a bench.

Does anyone know if I should expect this thing to be heavy? It is kind of back behind the batteries and the transformer, so it is going to be a challenge to haul out.

Nick

 

[Scarlett]

If that is an Inverter/charger check to see if it will operate as a charger, if so you might just need the inverted board. In a normal Heart inv/charger there are 3 boards, one for charge one for invert and one for the transfer switch. If you can find one they are only a couple of hundred dollars and super easy to replace. And yes they probably weigh about 30 to 40 lbs. Bottom line though is that is a very old unit and you would probably be better off to replace. John

 

[Nick in Manitou]

Thanks John for the estimate of the weight.

This unit is not the type that can also act as a battery charger.

At some point when I am looking for something uncomfortable to do, I will slither back into that corner of the generator space and pull that unit out.

Nick

 

[Nick in Manitou]

I DID find an electronic copy of the

Heart Interface HF32-3000x/HF32-3000SX Owner's Manual.

I did try to attach the document to this post as a .pdf but it is larger than the forum's system will allow. So if anyone wants a copy, let me know and I will send it to you via email.

Nick

 

[Boatsb]

It's an old POC. Technology has passed it by. A new inverter is cheap enough. Why spend all the time trying to fix an old less than quality product that probably didnt suit your needs anyway.

I sell inverter charger systems with far better performance for under $2k to sailboaters. Dont let them make you look bad.

 

[jim rosenthal]

These were not great inverters when they were made and the company that built them has been absorbed. I doubt anyone will fix it- even if they were willing to, parts may not be available.

I would remove it, throw it away, and install a good modern inverter. If you need an inverter. There are plenty of up to date units made by reputable manufacturers. You don't need an obsolete unit on your boat, with all the risk that it entails.