Xantrex (True Charger 20) - Thumbs down

[Leo MacDonald]

Hi All,

As per my belief in reporting on the good, bad and ugly, I just had a disappointing telephone chat with Xantrex concerning the True Charger 20 aboard E.L. (Unit is ~ 3 years old - warranty is one year.)

Background-
I noticed this spring that all indicating lights are out. (Yes Michael, 120 VAC breaker is closed.)
After getting it detached from the bulkhead at the NAV Station (no small feat - I had "Securely" mounted it) I found a "Do not disassemble - no user serviceable components inside." OK, I'll contact Xantrex for repair.

Telcon-
No such situation exists. They will not repair it, only sell you a new one (but for 40% off!!) It is also now made 'overseas'??
But, then the Factory Service Rep, Eric, tells me there IS an AC 8 AMP fuse inside that I can check. This is good. But what if the fuse is fine?
I asked the Service Rep for a schematic. He informs me Xantrex will not make it available, for sale or otherwise. The schematic is 'Proprietary' info.
The bottom line is if the unit is over a year old they will not service them and will not sell you the info to troubleshoot and repair the equipment yourself. Just send them another $204.00. UNSAT!!

Conclusion-
I have to admit I have been less that satisfied with Xantrex Customer Service in the past.
During the previous interface (concerning the “In-Charge” alternator Regulator), the Rep had;
1. English as a second language issues and
2. Little, if any, understanding of electronics or electronic mechanics.

I do NOT recommend the Xantrex line

[Russell]

This seems to be an all to common experience when dealing with xantrex. Which is a real shame because some of their products are pretty nice.

[tmsc]

Leo,

I have one of those that is about the same age. Knock on wood. I wonder if you would get a different response about repairing it if you spoke to a different person. Anyway, it would be nice if Cruising World, Sail, and/or Practical Sailor would print your findings in the Letters column. Maybe just maybe that might jar them a little. Doubt it but who knows.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Where did you buy it? I have found West Marine to be a pretty good go between when there is an issue with one of their suppiers.

[Ed Haley]

Just as an aside, we tied up to a dock at Kingston NY public docking area and plugged into receptacle #20. Immediately, we observed a "polarity reversal" signal on our electric panel board. All lights on the panel were not lit. No energy acknowledged. After that, no indicator lights came on. We tried other outlets but nothing would energize the Xantrex. We called a rep and tried some tests and observations but to no avail. There is a 250 ma fuse inside on the panel board (removal of cover required) for the AC side and when checked it was OK. Another piece of rep advice was to leave the input power connectors disconnected from the Xantrex for 30 minutes and retry. This resets the software to the default position but in our case, no joy.

This is not the first time a boat was damaged by reverse polarity at this marina. It's a shame they made no attempt to correct the problem.

This situation should also be protected against in the Xantrex since it's a common situation encounter. Bummer.

Leo, call me and maybe I can share some of the results of our experience.

[Jim Evans]

I've had exactly the same symptoms as Leo describes on my TrueCharger 20. I discovered that wiggling the wire connections at the output end of the charger brought everything back to life. To make a long story short, a phone call to Xantrex advised me to remove the case and tighten the screws that secure the output jacks to the internal wiring. I did that minor repair over a year ago, and I've been a happy camper ever since.

[Ron M.]

Not happy to hear about this.....I put one in a couple of years back and it has worked fine. My impression of the company was it made good quality stuff. I did call their cs dept. with a few questions when installing and they were available and helpful.
________
Honda VTX Series history

[Troy Scott]

I have this same charger/inverter. I'm not happy to learn they don't stand behind it. Most of the time, though, the better American suppliers will step up to the plate if they sold the problem unit to you, even if the manufacturer won't. Sometimes this isn't true, especially if I've paid the really rock-bottom price.

[John Danicic]

To all.

I too have the same charger but have found it to be very reliable.

I fear though that the customer service that Leo experienced is quite the norm for small electronic equipment in these disposable times. It is too bad but relatively simple devices like a solid state charger should last forever and if not, the company should gladly replace it for free. I would lean on Xantrex to do just that.

As for the reverse polarity problem that Ed Haley faced, I think that should have been caught before the charger at Mokita's AC circuit board. This spring while on the hard, I connected Mariah's AC system with a reversed extension cord. Mariah's panel polarity light lit up, the main AC breaker was tripped and nothing worked. Only by turning the cord and correcting the problem would any juice flow to the charger and the rest of the AC systems. Ed, with all due respects, you should check and see if your charger is connected before the panel or if your polarity circuit or main breaker is faulty.

Sail on

John Danicic
CD 36 -Mariah- #124
Lake Superior

[Leo MacDonald]

Hi All,
30 June 08 1536-1558, I talked with Arte (Xantrex Cust. Serv.) who is technically challanged and refered me to Eric.
On 01 July 08 ~1530, I talked again with Eric (Xantrex Cust. Serv.), 800-670-0707 x2, x2, (~25 min.) Telling Andy to connect me w/ Eric.
Basis of the Telcon below:
Re TC20+.
Leo; I checked the AC input fuse as you suggested. It is good, all the wiring is good, the output fuses (3) are good (not told about these ), no sign of damage or failed components,
I did find --> There is a multi conductor ribbon cable connecting the front panel. The very bottom wire with the red trace was pinched (during factory assembly), exposing the conductor to ground.
1. What is the function of that wire?
2. Will grounding that conductor result in all front panel lights out?
3. Will removing the ground and re-insulating the conductor allow the unit to function?
Eric; Cannot tell, I do not have the unit so do not know where that conductor goes. Insulate it and see if it works.
Leo; Well I do not have a schematic to tell you what it connects to.
Eric; We'll give you 40% off a new one.
Leo; Eric, we in the sailboat world are awary of the companies Xantrex bought up - 'Cruising Equipment', 'Hearth', 'Trace', 'Stat Power' (True Chargerline)', etc. We purchase and use this equipment based on those reputations. I am not satisfied with the current ‘pass through’ approach by Xantrex.
Eric; I cannot do anything else.

So anyone one suggest a reputable Battery Charger Company??

[Ed Haley]

[Leo MacDonald]

Hi All,

On 13 July I e-mailed my Problem, concerns and the construction fault on the ribbon wire to Xantrex Customer Service. Their response (RE: Case Number - 00107277) was prompt (and useless); ' . . If I wanted a new TC20, they would give me 40% off the new suggested retail price under their " . . . warranty Loyal Customer Program . . . "

So I brought the TC20 to an Electronics Repair / Sales shop which is a Xantrex dealer. He also could not get a schematic or for that matter any technical assist from Xantrex.

My request to the board;
Is anyone aware of an electronics shop that will work on the 'True Charger' line. If so, if please post, e-mail or PM me this info

BTW: So far I have contacted Guest, ProMariner and Charles Marine.
The Charles rep responded that;
1. They have schematics,
2. Will work on them for years,
3. They are repairable,
4. Warranty is for 5 years and
5. They are made in the USA.
The Charles Marine support was head and shoulders above the rest. As to pricing, for the approx. same output and capabilities, the suggested retail price of Charles was ~$100.00 over Xantrex. With the 'on-line’ suppliers the difference was quite a bit less.

[tartansailor]

I've had the cheapest model Guest for over 5 years now.
It is encased in a solid chunk of epoxy and is still going strong.
Periodic checks of my batteries always find them at 12.5+* volts.

* after 24 hrs.

Dick