Solar iBoost repair

[shbs]

I have a Solar iBoost that is putting out 400 volts when it should be off and outputting nothing when it should be on.
Does anyone have any experience of working on these or have a circuit diagram? Marlec, the company that makes them, does a repair service for newer ones but not for my 2015 model. They just said, buy a new one.
Stuart

[Mr Gus]

Context would be good, why did they say that?

Too push new sales?
The old unit is heavily flawed design & troublesome?I
Repair is long & costly taking into 2way delivery, bench & spares time?
post covid parts supply problems?

Something else?

Marlec have a long history of product output & service for boater w/turbines etc, the iboost has been around a while, so im curious, did you speak to an actual service and engineer for rational explanation / insight or just an office spod on a phone?

[shbs]

Marlec just said they don't keep parts for the older models of iBoost

[Mr Gus]

Thats a shame, & quite backward looking, especially as service & repair can help form a company reputation for quality product edging consumers to the higher end of the market as a result.

More e-waste.

[Marcus]

I have a Solar iBoost that is putting out 400 volts when it should be off and outputting nothing when it should be on.
Does anyone have any experience of working on these or have a circuit diagram? Marlec, the company that makes them, does a repair service for newer ones but not for my 2015 model. They just said, buy a new one.
Stuart

I don't have any experience of the iboost, but my thoughts so far:

1. Leaving aside the 400v reading for a moment (i assume this is a single phase 230v unit), outputting voltage when it should be off and not outputting when it should be on suggests the CT is the wrong way round/on the wrong meter tail, or the unit needs resetting.

If it isn't 1. Then we possibly need more information on what's going on:-

Are you measuring output with the immersion disconnected (400v reading suggests the element is disconnected)?
Have you verified that the immersion is 'on' i.e. presenting a load to the iboost (ballpark 18ohms L-N at the iboost terminals for 3kw)?
I believe the unit can connect to two immersions, switching to the 2nd when the 1st is hot - Are you measuring the voltage on the primary output?
When you say it's 'not outputting when it should be 'on', is the unit displaying/indicating that it is trying to output?

What was happening (or not) that prompted you to look for a fault in the 1st place (water not being heated at all? Water being heated with grid power?)?

[shbs]

Thanks for your input Marcus.

I forced the iBoost to pair with the current sensor again and it seems to be working now.
During my research and fiddling with the iBoost I discovered that it actually outputs modulated DC rather than AC. I guess that's why I was seeing such high voltages with my meter set to AC. On DC, I got around 210v.

I first suspected something was wrong when the iBoost seemed to think the water was always hot. I attached a panel heater and it was on when the iBoost said - cylinder hot, so I checked my smart meter readings and for the few days I had the iBoost on, my meter readings had gone up considerably.

All seems fine at the moment but I'm seriously considering ditching the iBoost and buying a battery system.