Hi all, this is my first post here but I just wanted to warn everybody about the dangers of these new fangled types of electric generators.
I won't name the company as I don't want to get in trouble, but it wasn't one of the bigger names in these types of generators, more like a cheap generic Chinese brand that I purchased on Amazon about a year ago.
It seemed to be ok at first, the only issue being a very inaccurate battery charge monitor, but about 3 weeks ago I plugged a very low wattage device into the 240AC input (a hub for a smart light to be exact) and shortly after heard a loud pop that instantly caused that input to fail.
Anyways, I tried all the online fixes for this particular model, of which worryingly there were many, but none of them worked.
One of the fixes, which I tried today, was to completely deplete the battery and then fully recharge the battery and plug in a device again, which I did, only for it to make an even louder pop noise, smoke, and give off a very strong burning smell and then fail completely.
I had already contacted the seller, who has asked for it to be returned and refunded, but I am thinking about keeping it and reporting and sending it to any relevant authorities that may investigate things like this, as I believe it shouldn't be sold due to the fire risk.
So, I was wondering if anybody knows of any watchdog type organizations that I could contact to report this too?
Warren-Pat_01 said
11:13 PM Jun 9, 2024
Oh dear Stan,
I'd be content with doing what the seller suggested - at least they have offered to refund your money.
As for completely discharging your battery, I hope it's not an AGM as that sort of treatment will see you buying another in the not too distant future. I've also read that lithium batteries don't like it as well. Beware in the future.
If you must carry a generator, I'd suggest for service & spare parts that you stick with the more widely known units. Often repair shops won't touch the el-cheapo Chinese motors.
capnbooyah said
11:40 PM Jun 9, 2024
Of course It's a Lithium, there is no such thing as a portable AGM type battery electric generator as far as I'm aware. As for completely discharging the battery, It's completely acceptable as it is a LFP type. keeping in mind as I said in my original post, the AC input had completely failed so not sure how depleting the battery could damage it any further anyway.
-- Edited by capnbooyah on Sunday 9th of June 2024 11:45:26 PM
BarneyBDB said
09:23 AM Jun 10, 2024
Sounds like you are referring to a portable power station, not a generator that has a motor and actually makes electricity, not just store it.
dorian said
10:02 AM Jun 10, 2024
capnbooyah wrote:
... I plugged a very low wattage device into the 240AC input (a hub for a smart light to be exact) and shortly after heard a loud pop that instantly caused that input to fail.
Why would you plug a device into the input? If this is a portable inverter, then a 240VAC input would be for charging the battery. The 240VAC output(s) would power the loads.
Brianvicki said
10:06 AM Jun 10, 2024
I have a Renogy unit, and it is reliable and works great
Whenarewethere said
11:11 AM Jun 10, 2024
BarneyBDB wrote:
Sounds like you are referring to a portable power station, not a generator that has a motor and actually makes electricity, not just store it.
That's what I thought. A generator doesn't generate anything.
If it is actually a battery with various outlets. Build your own with quality components.
capnbooyah said
04:03 PM Jun 10, 2024
Geez, what a bunch of useless responses
Whenarewethere said
04:30 PM Jun 10, 2024
Could you clarify as it is simply not clear.
Is it a petrol or diesel generator?
Or
Is it a battery is a box?
Whenarewethere said
04:40 PM Jun 10, 2024
capnbooyah wrote:
I plugged a very low wattage device into the 240AC input
Should use output.
rgren2 said
04:45 PM Jun 10, 2024
capnbooyah wrote:
Geez, what a bunch of useless responses
Put up a photo of your appliance.
Dick0 said
05:01 PM Jun 10, 2024
Rather difficult to work out what the OP wishes to accomplish and what is the problem.
Some pics of the appliance would be helpful rather than that comment.
We only wish to help.
TheHeaths said
05:33 PM Jun 10, 2024
I see Stanley has taken his battery in a box, or whatever he has, and left the building, never to return it seems.
Sometimes I wonder what people expect when they are somewhat unclear with what they have. By his own admission, whatever he did have wasnt the best in class, but an eBay/amazon copy. The outcome is hardly surprising to me!
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 10th of June 2024 05:35:45 PM
Whenarewethere said
05:39 PM Jun 10, 2024
Comes to mind:
Whenarewethere said
10:58 PM Jun 10, 2024
TheHeaths wrote:
whatever he did have wasn't the best in class, but an eBay/amazon copy. The outcome is hardly surprising to me!
Not me either!
At the extreme best an accident waiting to happen.
This is why I bought Victron, I simply couldn't be bothered with the great expense of failed cheap rubbish in the outback. Additionally I duplicated hardware for redundancy.
Who wants to be stuck a 1000 km from anywhere with chinese forth rate products.
At the very least, not worth the Wifey lifetime worth of reminders of male failure. Only the brain dead go there!
Hung, drawn & quartered (twice) comes to mind for the "deserving", they are not with it on any level of self preservation.
Also why I have 3 compressors for the tyres, & not cheap chinese sh..! & by the way 4 auxiliary batteries for redundancy (which will jump start with up to 1040 amps).
dorian said
03:21 AM Jun 11, 2024
@capnbooyah doesn't understand much, if anything, about these "new fangled" devices.
Why would anyone think that the following is a workable idea? It seems like something that Microsoft would suggest.
"One of the fixes, which I tried today, was to completely deplete the battery and then fully recharge the battery and plug in a device again, ..."
Dick0 said
10:14 AM Jun 11, 2024
TheHeaths wrote:
I see Stanley has taken his battery in a box, or whatever he has, and left the building, never to return it seems.
Sometimes I wonder what people expect when they are somewhat unclear with what they have. By his own admission, whatever he did have wasnt the best in class, but an eBay/amazon copy. The outcome is hardly surprising to me!
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 10th of June 2024 05:35:45 PM
Not the first one to pack up his toys and leave.
Whenarewethere said
10:35 AM Jun 11, 2024
TheHeaths wrote:
Sometimes I wonder what people expect when they are somewhat unclear with what they have.
Had that with architects over the years.
Their drawing don't work. They don't know how to fix their design. They don't know what they want.
Then they are offended that you can't build a scale model.
Those jobs I let go to others. Not worth the stress.
Corndoggy said
01:10 PM Jun 11, 2024
Gee. Was going to ask for help here for my thing e mabob that supplies my watch a macallit that plugs into the jigger thing so I can use my thing that I don't know what it does. But I'll ask anyways. Any help for me. LOL twice.
-- Edited by Corndoggy on Tuesday 11th of June 2024 01:11:13 PM
Whenarewethere said
01:28 PM Jun 11, 2024
Question asked at 9:55pm 9th June
Gone at 4:04pm 10th June
So from 8am to 4pm, thousands of us are permanently sitting at the computer to answer.
Patient person!
Greg 1 said
03:33 PM Jun 11, 2024
Like most on here, I was struggling to get my head around exactly what he was talking about.
I really did think at first it was a petrol powered generator, but slowly came to the realisation it wasn't and was most probably a powerbox of some sort with a lithium battery.
His response to a couple of people on here who were both trying to help him but were obviously as confused as I was and trying to get their heads around exactly what he was talking about was pretty disappointing to say the least.
I pity the poor supplier of the unit who has done the right thing but is still copping a **** sandwich from this guy.
dorian said
04:10 PM Jun 11, 2024
I'm trying to understand whether the OP plugged in the same device twice. The story doesn't make this clear.
Warren-Pat_01 said
03:22 PM Jun 12, 2024
X2 Greg.
My reply was to someone with a generator generating electric power. His question was ambiguous to say the least.
Whenarewethere said
04:26 PM Jun 12, 2024
You might want to put in a quality inline surge protector before 3.0kVA UPS, or at the 230v output of your inverter (I have a 15amp 230v socket for computers). Amazing the dodgy power supply in Sydney!
In an area of lots of rooftop solar, the grid can often have spikes of considerable increase in voltage that can damage sensitive electronic components that are now found in most household white goods.
An electrician mate says that he has seen voltage spikes regularly around 270 volts and fried circuit boards as a result.
Whenarewethere said
05:32 PM Jun 12, 2024
Most of Australia changed to the 230v ISO standard in 2000. I think Queensland was the last State to change in 2020.
In Sydney we live close to the transformer in our street & are often around 249 - 251v (measured with Kyoritsu RMS multimeter) in the evening!
The ISO Standard states a nominal 230 voltage which has an allowable voltage tolerance to the customer's point of supply of +10% to -6%. The preferred range of the Standard is +6% to -2%.
P.S. Those little green boxes next to the footpath one sees everywhere these days are correcting voltage. Generally upping the voltage.
Hi all, this is my first post here but I just wanted to warn everybody about the dangers of these new fangled types of electric generators.
I won't name the company as I don't want to get in trouble, but it wasn't one of the bigger names in these types of generators, more like a cheap generic Chinese brand that I purchased on Amazon about a year ago.
It seemed to be ok at first, the only issue being a very inaccurate battery charge monitor, but about 3 weeks ago I plugged a very low wattage device into the 240AC input (a hub for a smart light to be exact) and shortly after heard a loud pop that instantly caused that input to fail.
Anyways, I tried all the online fixes for this particular model, of which worryingly there were many, but none of them worked.
One of the fixes, which I tried today, was to completely deplete the battery and then fully recharge the battery and plug in a device again, which I did, only for it to make an even louder pop noise, smoke, and give off a very strong burning smell and then fail completely.
I had already contacted the seller, who has asked for it to be returned and refunded, but I am thinking about keeping it and reporting and sending it to any relevant authorities that may investigate things like this, as I believe it shouldn't be sold due to the fire risk.
So, I was wondering if anybody knows of any watchdog type organizations that I could contact to report this too?
I'd be content with doing what the seller suggested - at least they have offered to refund your money.
As for completely discharging your battery, I hope it's not an AGM as that sort of treatment will see you buying another in the not too distant future. I've also read that lithium batteries don't like it as well. Beware in the future.
If you must carry a generator, I'd suggest for service & spare parts that you stick with the more widely known units. Often repair shops won't touch the el-cheapo Chinese motors.
Of course It's a Lithium, there is no such thing as a portable AGM type battery electric generator as far as I'm aware.
As for completely discharging the battery, It's completely acceptable as it is a LFP type.
keeping in mind as I said in my original post, the AC input had completely failed so not sure how depleting the battery could damage it any further anyway.
-- Edited by capnbooyah on Sunday 9th of June 2024 11:45:26 PM
Why would you plug a device into the input? If this is a portable inverter, then a 240VAC input would be for charging the battery. The 240VAC output(s) would power the loads.
That's what I thought. A generator doesn't generate anything.
If it is actually a battery with various outlets. Build your own with quality components.
Could you clarify as it is simply not clear.
Is it a petrol or diesel generator?
Or
Is it a battery is a box?
Should use output.
Put up a photo of your appliance.
Rather difficult to work out what the OP wishes to accomplish and what is the problem.
Some pics of the appliance would be helpful rather than that comment.
We only wish to help.
I see Stanley has taken his battery in a box, or whatever he has, and left the building, never to return it seems.
Sometimes I wonder what people expect when they are somewhat unclear with what they have. By his own admission, whatever he did have wasnt the best in class, but an eBay/amazon copy. The outcome is hardly surprising to me!
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 10th of June 2024 05:35:45 PM
Comes to mind:
Not me either!
At the extreme best an accident waiting to happen.
This is why I bought Victron, I simply couldn't be bothered with the great expense of failed cheap rubbish in the outback. Additionally I duplicated hardware for redundancy.
Who wants to be stuck a 1000 km from anywhere with chinese forth rate products.
At the very least, not worth the Wifey lifetime worth of reminders of male failure. Only the brain dead go there!
Hung, drawn & quartered (twice) comes to mind for the "deserving", they are not with it on any level of self preservation.
Also why I have 3 compressors for the tyres, & not cheap chinese sh..! & by the way 4 auxiliary batteries for redundancy (which will jump start with up to 1040 amps).
Why would anyone think that the following is a workable idea? It seems like something that Microsoft would suggest.
"One of the fixes, which I tried today, was to completely deplete the battery and then fully recharge the battery and plug in a device again, ..."
Not the first one to pack up his toys and leave.
Had that with architects over the years.
Their drawing don't work. They don't know how to fix their design. They don't know what they want.
Then they are offended that you can't build a scale model.
Those jobs I let go to others. Not worth the stress.
Gee. Was going to ask for help here for my thing e mabob that supplies my watch a macallit that plugs into the jigger thing so I can use my thing that I don't know what it does.
But I'll ask anyways.
Any help for me.
LOL twice.
-- Edited by Corndoggy on Tuesday 11th of June 2024 01:11:13 PM
Question asked at 9:55pm 9th June
Gone at 4:04pm 10th June
So from 8am to 4pm, thousands of us are permanently sitting at the computer to answer.
Patient person!
I'm trying to understand whether the OP plugged in the same device twice. The story doesn't make this clear.
My reply was to someone with a generator generating electric power. His question was ambiguous to say the least.
You might want to put in a quality inline surge protector before 3.0kVA UPS, or at the 230v output of your inverter (I have a 15amp 230v socket for computers). Amazing the dodgy power supply in Sydney!
https://upssolutions.com.au/collections/eaton-ups-accessories/products/ups-solutions-single-phase-surge-filters-16a-iec-16a-input-output-sockets
Most of Australia changed to the 230v ISO standard in 2000. I think Queensland was the last State to change in 2020.
In Sydney we live close to the transformer in our street & are often around 249 - 251v (measured with Kyoritsu RMS multimeter) in the evening!
The ISO Standard states a nominal 230 voltage which has an allowable voltage tolerance to the customer's point of supply of +10% to -6%. The preferred range of the Standard is +6% to -2%.
P.S. Those little green boxes next to the footpath one sees everywhere these days are correcting voltage. Generally upping the voltage.