Favorite inverter? [RE-wrenches]

[Doug Pratt]

Steve, the "volley of popping noises" is the classic description of the 
big FET power transistors blowing. One goes, then the power surge takes 
out the neighboring one, etc. right down the line. I'm familiar with it 
thanks to my years of electric vehicle experience. There's nothing like 
600 amps at 144 volts to test the limits of your power transistors! Your 
customer's inverter needs a full set of FETs, and whatever else got 
scrambled by the resulting power surges. Pray for warranty coverage!

Best regards,
Doug Pratt
Real Goods Technical Editor


Steve Willey, Backwoods Solar wrote:
> 
> Steve Willey       steve at backwoodssolar.com
> www.backwoodssolar.com
> Backwoods Solar Electric Systems
> A few years ago I went out to Olympic peninsula to check on a customer 
> who
> had called Trace to complain of interference to his ham radio from the
> SW4024. Trace would not go out to check it, so he called me and we did 
> make
> the trip, taking a second 4024 and a Prosine to compare radio 
> interference,
> which results I reported on the wrench list. Everything was properly
> grounded and was a quality installation with conduit etc. We tried a 
> second
> unit with no change, so he accepted it as the design limitations of SW
> inverters and radio interference. He had a few more communications with
> Trace and that was it... until today.
> 
> He called today to report that the inverter has burned up over the 
> weekend.
> It was in charge mode from a generator, nearly finished tapered down to 
> 3
> amps of charging last time he checked, when they heard a volley of 
> popping
> noises. The inverter was emitting quantities of smoke. No fuses or 
> breakers
> interrupted, so he manually shut off an
> outside disconnect at the battery box, and cut the generator. The SW was
> covered with black soot which he wiped off an the nremoved it from the
> installation.
> 
> I had read about this happening years in the past, but never happened
> to my customers. Warranty is expired by just 3 months (sold August 
> 2000).  I
> will contact
> factory before telling him to send to a repair station, as they may be
> interested in seeing what burned. Any suggestions?
> 
> 
> 

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