[RE-wrenches] Outback Grid Problems

Wed Mar 31 11:45:21 PDT 2010

Ray,

The only fault warning we got was the batteries (a 48v, 1,000 amp hr  
HuP) were boiling and using a lot of water, and expected power  
production was down.  OutBack said this problem was corrected with  
new software.  The system was installed in 11/2005 and the inverters  
replaced in spring 2006.  If your inverters are newer, it should not  
be a problem, but it might be worth discussing with OutBack.

Good luck,

Randy Brooks
Brooks Solar, Inc.
Solar Power for People
140 Columbia View
Chelan, WA  98816
509-682-9646
Randy at BrooksSolar.com
www.BrooksSolar.com

On Mar 31, 2010, at 10:48 AM, R Ray Walters wrote:

> Ventilated, but small enclosure. Definitely a possibility to  
> consider. What fault warnings were you getting?
>
> Thanks,
>
> R. Walters
> ray at solarray.com
> Solar Engineer
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 30, 2010, at 5:58 PM, Randy Brooks wrote:
>
>> Ray,
>>
>> Is the inverter in a ventilated space?  We had a similar problem  
>> with older OutBacks in an unventilated shed.  OutBack sent us  
>> upgraded inverters and we vented the shed and have had no problems  
>> since.
>>
>> Good luck,
>>
>> Randy Brooks
>> Brooks Solar, Inc.
>> Solar Power for People
>> 140 Columbia View
>> Chelan, WA  98816
>> 509-682-9646
>> Randy at BrooksSolar.com
>> www.BrooksSolar.com
>>
>> On Mar 30, 2010, at 11:54 AM, R Ray Walters wrote:
>>
>>> I considered that there could be something happening due to the  
>>> grid, as this guy is way out on the end of the line going into  
>>> his own utility transformer.
>>> But then the inverter should show a fault light, and it should  
>>> try back again, once the grid voltage drops.
>>> Instead it initiates a full charge cycle and will not connect  
>>> till the next day.
>>>
>>> R. Walters
>>> ray at solarray.com
>>> Solar Engineer
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mar 30, 2010, at 10:57 AM, Brian Teitelbaum wrote:
>>>
>>>> HI Ray,
>>>>
>>>> Have you checked the grid voltage to see if there is variation  
>>>> during the day which would be enough to kick the inverters out  
>>>> of connection?
>>>>
>>>> Brian Teitelbaum
>>>> AEE Solar
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re- 
>>>> wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of R Ray Walters
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:43 AM
>>>> To: RE-wrenches
>>>> Subject: [RE-wrenches] Outback Grid Problems
>>>>
>>>> We currently have a Grid Tie system with a pair of Outback  
>>>> inverters that are regularly dropping out of sell mode, and  
>>>> letting the arrays spend all day charging the battery bank.
>>>> It seems to do this several times a week, and the customer is  
>>>> losing substantial production, and gassing the batteries too much.
>>>> It will reset itself the next day, or the customer resets it by  
>>>> turning off the inverters manually.
>>>> The system is 24 v, with an old array of 1800 watts running  
>>>> through 2 FM60s, and a new array of 2800 watts running through  
>>>> another pair of FM60s.
>>>> The battery bank is HUP about 4100 Ah @ 24 v (3 strings of 1375  
>>>> Ah each) Big battery, I know, but the customer is an electrical  
>>>> engineer, who wanted maximum storage capacity.
>>>>
>>>> Outback tech support has not resolved the issue, and this has  
>>>> turned into several service calls, and customer frustration.
>>>> We've tried running the controllers through the HUB, and also  
>>>> independently, and that doesn't make a difference.
>>>> I have numerous Outback GT installs dating back to 2003, and  
>>>> have never had a problem like this.
>>>> Any help or advice would as always be greatly appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you in advance fellow Wrenches,
>>>>
>>>> R. Walters
>>>> ray at solarray.com
>>>> Solar Engineer
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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