Xantrex gen support or Magnum load support or Victron power assist or Samlex power boost

[deardorffs]

anybody got experience with any of these hybrid inverter/chargers that control all sources of energy - shore+gen+batteries?

They can grab power from the batteries for short spike events like when you start up an a/c unit if your shore or generator can't do it without a voltage drop.

none of them are cheap from $1500 to $2500 un-installed & without control panels or their own energy management system controller.

They are rated up to 6000 watt short power spikes and 3-4000 watts continuous loads

They claim this allows you to resize your generator if you don't have one already or run two roof a/c's with your existing gen because all you need to worry about is their running loans not the surge loads.

My Dometic 15000 btu units have a locked rotor amperage of 66amps (8000 watts) & 16 amps (2000 watts) running specs.

Does this mean that if you get one of these hybrid inverters that you could run two 15000 btu a/c with only 4000-4500 generator watts?

If anyone knows about these what implications upon the scale of your battery pack do you have to worry about. I would think that the power draw from the batteries is so short that it wouldn't necessarily mean you have to increase your available amp hours.

 

[Bohemian]

http://www.technomadia.com/2012/04/boosted-electrons-better-views/

 

[porthole]

Since xantrex took over Heart Interface their customer service has gone downhill.

Magnum inverters seem to get good reviews. I'm considering replacing the onboard genny on the next trailer with a pair of magnums, batteries and solar, then just carry a small gen for when needed.

 

[deardorffs]

xantrex and victron per their documentation appear to not provide generator "support" unless their automatic generator start (AGS) is embedded in the system, and the AGS can control the generator, meaning on-board.

Spoke with Magnum today and he thought their system might have a similar requirement. While the Magnum has one of the better transfer/transition times of 16ms, he wasn't for sure that it could spool up in time to avoid a voltage drop if your running a smallish generator (meaning something less than an Onan 5500 watt on-board unit). So having the inverter support a smallish generator for when an 2nd a/c unit has its startup amperage surge might not work, because the voltage drop could cause the a/c controller or digital thermostat to drop out stalling the a/c startup.

Others have had success with the Victron and a smallish generator but again it required the system control module, AGS & the generator to be AGS controllable.

If your needs don't require generator support for a/c surge, then the hybrid inverter seems to work very well as it can handle 100% of those needs and simply calls on the AGS to start up the generator when the battery pack falls below a pre-set voltage level or to supplement shore power.

I continue to hear good things about the Micro-Air EasyStart module that is installed on each a/c unit ($300+ per unit). Its more advanced technology than a additional capacitor and per amperage tests demonstrated on youtube can reduce the locked rotor amperage by 60-70%, greatly improving the odds of starting and running each a/c with only 2000 watts of generator capacity.

Seems to be well thought of in the marine segment.

 

[Bohemian]

No automatic generator start system is evrr going to support instant start of a large load. No matter how fast the AGS control system responds, the generator will not be ready to suppott the load. It takes many seconds to start. A few minutes to warm up and stabilize.

 

[deardorffs]

i think your right.

I meant to imply in the original post that assume the small generator is up and running continuously as most likely it would be if your running two a/c units.

The question was does anyone know if any of these hybrid inverters (again with the small generator already running), can it spool out power from the batteries fast enough to avoid a significant voltage drop when the 2nd a/c unit starts up.

We know that the Victron can because of this youtube video --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zItm7k8S-uI

Thats with the small generator (2500 watts) being on-board and running before the (1) a/c is turned on.

So I'm basically asking if anyone has had any success with using a hybrid inverter to supplement say a 4000 watt off-board generator thats always running and powering 2 a/c units. Can the inverter supply power fast enough to absorb the amperage spike when the 2nd a/c starts up, in order to avoid a large voltage drop which then stalls the 2nd a/c's startup.

sorry i didn't make that point clearer in the original post.