
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:06am
Post Subject: Electrical issues with inverterHi folks, I've been having some electrical issues with my Victron inverter box which I can't resolve and would appreciate any assistance. A short while ago, I started to notice a buzzing sound coming from my inverter box, which was very unpredictable and intermittent. This would only happen when I had the boat plugged into the shoreline mains socket, not when running on batteries only. After a few weeks, I then noticed what sounded like a 'crunching' noise coming from within the inverter box at the same time it was buzzing - like there was a bunch of switches inside flicking up and down quickly, like it didn't know whether to be on or off. Then after a while I noticed a smell of burning coming from somewhere in the bedroom, and when I opened up the back doors of the boat, there was a thick layer of smoke drifting across the back deck of the boat. I then reached outside and pulled the plug from the socket to disconnect it from the mains. When I inspected the socket outside the following day, I found that what looks to be the live pin had charred and blackened (see pic) - so this is obviously not good. Do any of you folks have any idea what could have caused this? I was not using any heavy appliances at the time - just lights, 12v fridge and TV. I've replaced the mains power cable itself in case this was the cause (I couldn't actually see anything wrong with it) - but it still started making the same noises again a few weeks ago. I've reported this to the boatbuilders, and they said they've never heard of this happening before. There are no signs of any fuses blowing, or any burnt wiring in the main control panel. I've even invested in a thermal imaging camera, because these can help you to see behind the walls to detect any hot spots or anything potentially short circuiting, but no joy. Any suggestions as to what may cause this would be much appreciated. Many thanks Nick
