Power Vent FAQs
Trace Inverter related questions
Q. Where are the auxillary relays in the Trace SW inverter?
A. The relays are located on the left side to the rear of the inverter behind the access panel for the ac hookups.
Q. How do I wire the Power Vent to the Trace auxillary relay?
A. Make sure the inverter is off and there are no ac inputs connected to the inverter! Remove the upper access panel on the left side of the inverter. You may use relay 9, 10 or 11. Generally R10 is the easiest to get to. Sometimes a flashlight and a mirror can be handy. Each relay has three spade terminals labled “C”, “NO”, “NC”. Use the “C” or common terminal and “NO” or normally open terminal to switch the Power Vent. There is no power available at the relay terminals until you wire it. Run the fused positive wire from the battery to one side of the relay. The positive wire to the Power Vent from the other relay terminal. (You will need the appropriate female spade connectors to do this). This creates a switch to turn the vent on and off. The negative wire from the battery to the Power Vent does not get connected to the relay.
Q. How do I program the Trace relay?
A. This information is in the Trace manual in more detail. You must access the Setup Menu in the Trace inverter. (Push the red and green buttons simultaneously.) Cycle through the Menu Headings until you get to the auxillary relays. Cycle through Menu Items until you get to the relay that is wired to the Power Vent. Set the volts as per the table in the Power Vent instructions. Press menu item once and program the hysteresis as per the table in the Power Vent instructions.
Q. What is “hysteresis”?
A. The difference between the relay activation and deactivation.
Outback Inverters and Charge Controllers
Q. Can I run a 12 volt Power Vent from the auxiliary relay?
A. Yes. The Fx inverters have a 12 volt DC powered relay that has enough power to run one Power Vent. There are disadvantages and advantages to this. Hook up is easy. The fan will always run at one speed due to the regulated voltage source, most likely providing longer life. When the Power Vent is run directly from the batteries the fan speed goes up and vents more at higher voltages . To do this with an Outback auxillary relay requires an additional relay switched by the 12 volts Outback source, but powering the Power Vent from the batteries.
Q. Can I run a 12 volt Power Vent from the auxillary relay on the Charge Controller?
A. Yes. The auxillary relay on the Outback Charge Controllers is rated at 1/4 ampere and 12 volts (3watts). The 12 volt Power Vent is rated at 2.2 watts.
Other Questions
Q. Can I stack two Power Vents in a row to move more air?
A. No. If you need to move more air you can use two vents, but each one must have its’ own vent pipe. You could combine the two exhausts into one larger vent. i.e. combine two 24 volt Power Vents with 2″ outputs into one 3″ vent pipe using an inverted wye.
Q. Is the Power Vent Explosion proof rated?
A. There is no explosion proof rating on the Power Vent. The fans are brushless dc motors using electronics to switch the fields without arcing. The cost of an explosion proof rating is prohibitive. We have done in house explosion proof testing. Please see Power Vent Testing under specifications.