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simonnhardy avatar image
simonnhardy asked

Dive Compressor

Hello

I have a bauer various dive compressor on our boat. Single phase and about 1hp.

We have 660ah of Winston lithium and a Victron Quattro 12v 500w inverter.

We also have a Dolphin M6 generator which is identical to the Paguro 600 rated at 5kw.

The dive compressor works fine on shore power.

It will not run directly from the inverter on battery power it trips and says inverter overload.

I have tried this with the Generator running but still I get Inverter overload ?

The compressor is connected to one circuit in our boat that has a 20A trip fuse which isn’t blowing it’s just the inverter that is saying inverter overload.

When I turn the compressor on it tries to start but after maybe one or two revolutions it doesn’t sound right and dust out.

simon



MultiPlus Quattro Inverter Charger
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seb71 avatar image seb71 commented ·

a Victron Quattro 12v 500w inverter.

Is that a Quattro 12V 5000VA?

I can't find any Quattro with only 500VA.

There is a Multiplus 12V 500VA and that does not have Power Assist/Power Control.


I have a bauer various dive compressor on our boat. Single phase and about 1hp.
[...]

It will not run directly from the inverter on battery power it trips and says inverter overload.

That is completely expected if the inverter is only 500VA.

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Alistair Warburton avatar image
Alistair Warburton answered ·

The Quatro units detect overload in several different ways, using both voltage and current, and the detection thresholds vary with firmware version.

There are docs, and at least i vidio on youtube describing the behaviours.

Assuming you meant 5000, because if ou meant 500 it will not work...

1hP is roughly 800W and for a single phase inductio motor, which you likely have, the starting load could easily be 5-6 times that so 4-5kW

Taking worst case scinario, 5kW is more than the Quatro can handle for an extended period but it should support that load for a short period.

5000W is over 400A on a 12V DC system is everything up to that?

Do you see any aditional alarm indications, low voltage for example?

Have you got power assist enabled?
Do you have dynamic current limit and weak AC enabled?
What AC current limit is set?

Depending on the speciffisc of the compressor you are either at or above the limit of what the inverter can do and the trip time you described suggests you are well into an overload condition or the unit is maxing out the DC capability and failing to reach its set AC voltage, which 'can' generate an overload condition.

However with apropriate AC limits and behaviour set up the combination of a 5KVA generatoe and 5KVA Quatro should work just fine.

Also check the compressor, if it isnt decompressing or has a poor start and or run capacitor it could be taking way more than 5X its rated current and still starting, eventually, given suficiant supply.

Whay is the breaker/fuse type? Look up its trip curve if its slow, motor rated it may take several seconds to rupture/open at many times it rated value.

A type D MCB for example will not reach its magnetic trip region, opening all but instantly, untill it sees circa 10 time its rated trip value. Untill then the trip cureve is thermal and could be seonds to minutes depending on the current.

What is your electrical system? at 120V 5kW is circa 42A so not suficiant to open even a moderatly quick MCB in less tn a few seconds.
At 230V a 20 MCB, of any type, will be taking 10's of minutes to open it if ever dose.

You need to collect information but I wouldnt advise doing that to your inverter multiple time and definatly not in quick sucsession.

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