SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]

[William Miller]

Colleagues:

While this might be a nice pitch to sell a generator, I don't believe it
follows logic.  The SW has a feature that prioritizes AC input power (grid
and generator) over battery charging.  To wit, from the SW manual:

"The SW Series Inverter/Charger includes the ability to automatically
"back-off" the battery charger to prevent overloading a generator or
tripping a circuit breaker when other AC loads are being operated through
the inverter."

In other words, the inverter always directs power to the loads as a first
priority, and whatever is leftover is diverted to battery charging.  The
only scenario that would indicate the generator is too small is if it's
total output could not power the stove (and other loads).  I doubt the
generator lacks the ability to power a piezo electric igniter by itself.  I
checked specifications on the Whirlpool website, and they do not list the
actual current draw of any of their gas ranges, but it can't be that much.

If the generator is grossly overloaded, other charging problems would be
occurring.  If either the generator output voltage or frequency are too
low, the inverter is probably the most sensitive load, I suspect, and it
would not be charging dependably.  How about changing out the piezo
generator?  They can't be too expensive.  Let us know...

William Miller


At 06:53 PM 1/3/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>Scott,
>
>My bet is that the genset isn't powerful enough to both run the ignitor and
>charge batteries at the same time. A bigger generator is the answer (if your
>customer doesn't want to buy another stove!) I find old stoves for my
>clients all the time which use a standing pilot or a match! (The old ones
>are better anyway.
>;-)_
>
>Good luck
>
>Matt
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "scott" <scott at backwoodssolar.com>
>To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
>Sent: Friday, January 03, 2003 2:48 PM
>Subject: SW4024 and Pizzo Ignitors [RE-wrenches]
>
>
>> Any comments on this query? Many thanks.  Scott
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have an off-grid house powered by solar, an SW4024, and an Onan 4kw
>> generator (everything bought from you except the generator).  My
>oven/stove
>> is a current model Whirlpool (I think) propane stove with electronic
>> ignition.  The lighters are pizzo spark ignitors, not glow plug heaters.
>>
>> I've got a very odd and annoying problem that I can't figure out and was
>> hoping you might have some ideas.  When running the generator (SW4024 is
>> charging the batteries and passing the generator power through to the
>> house), the ignitor for the oven will not operate.  The stove-top burners
>> work fine.  When the generator is off and I'm running the SW4024 on
>> batteries, the oven usually works fine, but with certain other appliances
>> turned on the oven still sometimes doesn't work.  In particular, when we
>run
>> our christmas tree lights the oven ignitor won't work.


__________________________________________________________________
William Miller
Miller Power and Communications
PO Box 50, Santa Margarita, CA 93453
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email: wrmiller at slonet.org
http://millerpowerandcomm.com
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