Trace Inverter and Electrical Surges

[NEW2AS]

I am experiencing electrical surges with my inverter turned on, I charged the batteries with an external charger until they reached float voltage, During the day my solar panels seem to provide sufficent charge to the batteries and keep them at about 12.5-12.6 volts with the inverter off. At night I turned on the inverter (its a trace 2500watt inverter/charger) the batteries charge to 13.5 and stabalize for a couple of minutes, then I hear some relays or circuit breakers cycle and I charge to 14.7-15 volts and then it cycles quickly to 12.7 and back and forth between there and the 14.7 to 15 volts...my lights and appliances also start cycling up and down. Ive tried it with all of my lights and appliances off and it does the same thing. The only lights I get on my inverter (when I'm hooked to shore-power) are the bulk charge and the High batt lights. Has any one experienced this type of problem?

[thenewkid64]

Do you have the battery type selector switch in the proper position? It should be a little dial with an arrow on the end of the inverter where the remote control plugs in.

Have you used the inverter to charge the batteries? If you are on shore power and turn it on via remote it should be charging the batteries. If the shore power is unplugged then you would be on inverter power and drawing off the batteries. They usally have a charger rated at 45-50 AMPs.

Also what model number inverter do you have?

[NEW2AS]

Having run the inverter for about a year now I am pretty sure the swithches are in the correct position, unless you have to change them as the batteries age. The batteries are about a year old...I'll have to get the model # of the inverter it is about 7yrs old. Since I don't store the trailer at home I have to go look.

[thenewkid64]

The switches would only need to be changed if you changed battery types.

What I would try is this: Disconnect one battery and fire up the inverter, if it continues to have the same symptoms shut it off, and change the connected batteries and try again. If the symptoms are the same then the trouble is in the inverter.

I remember that mine (DR1500) had a sensitivity setting for load. This allowed it to "idle" at a minimal draw and only pull hard AMPs from the batteries as was necessary. This was a dial??? Near where you set the battery type. You may want to make note of it's current position and with the inverrter off run it from stop to stop a few times and then put it back to the original position.

If none of this works you may just have a defective unit. Before pulling it out and sending it in I would call Trace and see if they can offer any other troubleshooting.