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Forum Index : Windmills : CFL’s and Inverters
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Sod Buster Newbie  Joined: 13/12/2014 Location: Northern IrelandPosts: 16 |
This is my first post having only just joined the forum. I have a home made wind turbine using a F&P motor running at 12 volts.This subject may have been raised before but I can't find it. Is it liable to damage a 12v to 230v inverter if I use only compact fluorescent bulbs. Having read somewhere that you need to use a tungsten type bulb all the time to let the inverter see the load. A professor is someone who knows more and more about less and less |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Sob Buster I cant see how a CFL would damage a inverter, sounds like a myth. Maybe someone had a inverter die and they blamed a newly installed CFL, the story spread from there. The only issue I've ever had with a CLF and a inverter is when I was using a 12v BP sinewave inverter and a single 8watt CLF. As the load was so small, the inverter kept switching from standby mode to online mode every few seconds, flashing the CLF. No doubt this was not good for the CLF. Fixed it by switching on a extra CLF. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| MOBI Guru  Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
Hi Buster, I have been off grid now and on inverters for 9 years and have not had any problems with CFLs which is all I use. I had the same problem as Glenn with the inverter cycling due to low load. It was a selectronics and had an adjustable threshold so I just altered that and all was fine. I have only had one CFL fail in that time also and that was due to a dry joint on the circuit board. Other than that, no failures and no problems. Maybe I've just been lucky? I don't think so. David M. |
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JFlynn Newbie Joined: 13/12/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 3 |
I agree with Mobi and Gizmo. CFLs shouldn't be an issue in this situation with respect to an inverter. |
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| Sod Buster Newbie Joined: 13/12/2014 Location: Northern IrelandPosts: 16 |
Thanks for the very quick response. Having blown up an inverter using only CFL's bulbs i'm a bit anxious. Truth is I was using a homemade voltage regulator at the time and I have recently acquired a Tristar which should be much more stable. Can anybody tell me how long you can expect from the bearings that come standard on F&P motor, bearing in mind it depends how much wind there is! They are mounted in the original plastic housing (machined down) and I have them reasonably well protected from the environment.  A professor is someone who knows more and more about less and less |
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wallablack Senior Member  Joined: 10/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 164 |
I have a cheap ARISTA 1000W Inverter I use for lighting in the workshop. I have never had an issue with CFL's but the two flouro tubes buzz like crazy when they are on the inverter...don't think it is a Pure Sine Wave inverter which I think makes a difference??? Not sure. Foolproof systems do not take into account the ingenuity of fools. |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
If it is a modified square wave inverter, try removing the cap ( in the fluro housing ) thats across the active and neutral. For pure sinewave AC it makes little difference, but for a chunky square wave, the caps draws excess current and buzzes. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Sod Buster Newbie Joined: 13/12/2014 Location: Northern IrelandPosts: 16 |
How do you know which type of inverter you have mine is a relatively cheap Waeco Perfect Power 1kw max. A professor is someone who knows more and more about less and less |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
See if you can find a model number, google it. Or if you have a CRO, you can look at the waveform. Or, take a fan ( like a desk fan or pedestal fan ) and plug it into a know sinewave AC outlet, like a grid connected power point. Turn the fan on to a low speed and listen to the noise it makes. Then plug it into your inverter and try again. If its a modified square wave inverter, you will hear a very audible growl noise that you didn't hear on sinewave AC. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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