question

Gari Williams avatar image
Gari Williams asked

Off Grid Washing Machine

I have 800Ah of LiFePO4 batteries connected to a Pheonix 3K inverter running at standard settings of 230v/50Hz. I am attempting to run my French bought Bosch Serie 2 washing machine from the inverter. I get very inconsistent results. Sometimes the program will run through without problems, other times it will stick in the wash phase etc. Whenever I connect to mains electricity the machine works without fault. Without wishing to lead suggestions I have started to focus on the drain pump. I have a suspicion that it does not always manage to start up and as a result the "smart" washing machine stalls in it's logic. For example there are times when it will not enter the spin cycle and this would be logical if a drain cycle just before that has failed to initiate.


I am looking for ideas as to what may be causing my symptoms and what I can try to get around them. The machine is definitely a 50Hz item so I am loathe to try upping the frequency. Is my 'pure sine wave' Pheonix producing a clean waveform? .... I do not have access to an oscilloscope to check. I'm considering buying a 'Bosch compatible' drain pump to see if subtle manufacturing differences may alter the outcome. Any ideas gratefully received.

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klim8skeptic avatar image klim8skeptic ♦ commented ·

You forgot to mention the model of your inverter.

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Gari Williams avatar image Gari Williams klim8skeptic ♦ commented ·

Inverter is a Phoenix 12/3000/230V

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3 Answers
ben avatar image
ben answered ·

I'm not sure exactly what monitoring capability Phoenix exports (or whether you have the VEbus gear to receive those reports and log them), but I think it is entirely possible that there is a transient demand of some sort that is pushing the inverter hard enough to affect the waveform and confuse some component.

Without expensive equipment and a lot of time, it probably will be pretty hard to figure out who to blame, as it were, especially since the issue is hard to create on demand.

I happen to have a different Bosch washer running on my Quattro system and it has no issues. But I don't think that really helps us much here.

Did you try contacting Bosch to see if they know of any issues? I understand the problem goes away on clean grid, but not everyone has exactly that in their residential settings, either.

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Gari Williams avatar image Gari Williams commented ·

Thanks Ben for your thoughts. Unfortunately I do not have VEbus components but maybe I should consider that as an option. There are no other high demand users the machine is connected directly as sole load. In a few weeks time I may have access to testing equipment and I will see how I progress from there. Other than this hiccough I'm pretty impress at the 230 odd amp draw as the machine heats water. The inverter copes with that element of the cycle no problem. Without such a high power heater element I'm sure a smaller inverter would do the task adequately ..... if only it would start up that (shaded pole, I think) motor in the drain system!

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edvanz avatar image
edvanz answered ·

Would a soft start help? Just a thought

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Gari Williams avatar image Gari Williams commented ·

I had thought about that EdvanZ. However, it appears that the problem motor is relatively small and any start up peak should easily be handled by a 3kW supply. That said I'm always willing to give any suggestion a go. Does anyone know what size capacitor is required or indeed will a capacitor affect the running of a shaded pole motor??

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cyberhom avatar image
cyberhom answered ·

Did you find a solution, as I am having the same issues.

I am coming to the conclusion that if you want to run a washing machine, don't utilise a Victron Inverter, the best explanation I have seen on here is about harmonics.

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