Solar IBoost+ experience

Cottage_Economy

I understood that the internal fuse is 16A and soldered, so not just a case of replacing it like you would a 3,5,or 13A fuse you can buy off the shelf. Also, I have to get someone in to confirm that it is not the immersion element, and if it is I have to replace that before I can get to the iBoost. 

The main bulk of the hot water we use is in the morning and the solar panels are not producing enough at that time to heat what we use, the boiler is. After speaking to my solar panel fitter he said that the iBoost fuse is very sensitive and even a power surge following a power outage can blow it. We frequently have power outages here as we are in open countryside and the power lines take a battering in high wind. 

I can’t justify the money going out for not a lot of benefit - there are more important things that need looking at in the house that we’ve been saving to replace/upgrade - so DH and I have agreed we’re not going to bother getting a refurbished unit. It’s another £150 plus fitting costs and just not worth it to us. 

JKenH

The fuse in my iBoost+ was not soldered and I replaced it with a 13amp fuse as an interim measure to see if that was the problem and that interim measure has become the long term fix.

Cottage_Economy

JKenH said:

The fuse in my iBoost+ was not soldered and I replaced it with a 13amp fuse as an interim measure to see if that was the problem and that interim measure has become the long term fix.

Interesting. Was the old fuse defo a 13A?

JKenH

The old fuse wasn’t 13amp. It was an oddball 16A with the fuse bit external to the cartridge/cassette (or whatever a normal plug fuse is called). I think I had to squeeze the fuse holder pegs together a bit for the 13A.

I wonder how many £150 exchange units just needed the fuse replacing.

13A and original fuse compared. 

I thought the original fuse had the fuse wire external judging from the solder tab but maybe it was just poor manufacturing.

paul991

recommend you  buy  the  correct fuse from  rs components or  farnells on the internet ,important if the fuse is  anti surge or quick blow

Cottage_Economy

We’re having a look at it now but haven’t got long enough torx headed screwdrivers to get down to undo it. DH is now scratching through 45 years of tools in his barns in case there is one.

Had an email back from Marlec, any warranty is invalid because apparently the unit is fitted too far away from the tank. Needs to be within three metres and says so in the installation guide. Ours in about one metre through the floor and then 6/7 metres along the landing to the airing cupboard. So the electrician employed by the solar company that fitted the unit didn’t do it according to the book.

Cottage_Economy

So we ordered the correct fuses from RS components yesterday, they turned up this morning we put a new fuse in, Reinstalled it, flicked the switch up on the MCB and there was a big bang as the fuse blew again. 

So I called a heating engineer this morning to come in and check the immersion element. Probably be a couple of weeks. 

gefnew

You could turn the isolator switch to the immersion off, then renew fuse and see if iboost works without the load being there.

1961Nick

If you've got a multimeter you can test the element. Anything less than 15 ohms & your element has failed.

A new element would be around 20 ohms.

Cottage_Economy

Ok, so we tested the iBoost this evening. Put a new fuse in and tried it with the immersion switched off, and it went bang. So the iBoost is definitely dead. We couldn’t see anything obvious on the circuit board - it all looked clean and tidy, no sign of anything shorting out. 

The resistance on the immersion element when tested last week was 18ohms. 

We’re going to get someone in to remove the iBoost and it’s wiring from the MCB.