[RE-wrenches] Fronius IG vs IG Plus inverters

Tue Jun 28 11:43:32 PDT 2011

I replaced the IG at my house 5 times under warranty (the circuit board
failure that William described, no fires just some internal melting) before
finally getting them to give me an IG+, which has been working flawlessly
now for almost 2 years.
As a company we replaced all of the IGs we installed--a dozen or so--many
repeatedly. We never got an IG+ upgrade for our customers.
-Phil

On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:45 AM, Jimmy Thompson
<jimmy at southern-energy.com>wrote:

> All
>
> I have had good experiences with the IG Plus. It is easy to work with and
> the different power stages make for a more efficient inverter. The IG
> however is not very good in my opinion. The groundfault cards tend to go bad
> due to poor ventilation. Dust and dirt tends to get trapped inside the
> inverter. With that being said, Fronius always sent a replacement and was
> very helpful anytime I called.
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Howie Michaelson <howie at suncatchervt.com>wrote:
>
>> William,
>> Thanks for the clarification on the disconnect - I vaguely remember this
>> issue with Fronius we used in the distant past.  As I remember, several
>> manufacturers' early integrated disconnects were this way.
>>
>> All,
>> Anyone else have a particularly poor track record with Fronius?  Worse
>> with the IG vs. the Plus?
>>
>> Howie
>> --
>> Howie Michaelson
>> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
>>
>> Catamount Solar, LLC
>> Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
>> VT Solar & Wind Incentive Program Partner
>> http://www.CatamountSolar.com
>> 802-272-0004
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, June 28, 2011 1:21 pm, William Miller wrote:
>> > Howie:
>> >
>> > The IG has an integrated disconnect section, but it the electronics are
>> > not
>> > removable from the disconnect.  Therefore it is not safe to replace an
>> IG
>> > unless it is dark or you can tarp the modules.
>> >
>> > The Plus series has two chassis that mate.  You can turn of the DC and
>> > remove the electronics for repair, which we have had to do all too
>> often.
>> >
>> > We had an IG burst into flames and scared the heck out of the widow who
>> > was
>> > home alone.  She called the fire department and then called us.  Sure we
>> > get replacement inverters for the asking, but we get tired of asking.
>> >
>> > Wm
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > At 10:14 AM 6/28/2011, you wrote:
>> >>Thanks for the feedback Kistopher.  1 question:  I thought that the IG
>> >>also came with the integrated AC/DC disco as well as the IG Plus.  I
>> know
>> >>the IG doesn't come with the string fusing.  Am I missing something
>> here?
>> >>
>> >>Thanks,
>> >>Howie
>> >>--
>> >>Howie Michaelson
>> >>NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
>> >>
>> >>Catamount Solar, LLC
>> >>Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
>> >>VT Solar & Wind Incentive Program Partner
>> >>http://www.CatamountSolar.com
>> >>802-272-0004
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>On Tue, June 28, 2011 1:00 pm, Kristopher Schmid wrote:
>> >> > I have used both recently.  The IG Plus is nice for two reasons: the
>> >> > integrated DC disconnect and the onboard string fusing/combining
>> >> > capability.  Their tech support has been easy to work with and have
>> >> > reimbursed me for labor when needed with no questions asked.
>> >> >
>> >> > On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 11:24 AM, Howie Michaelson
>> >> > <howie at suncatchervt.com>wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Hi All,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Anyone care to relate the differences (pros/cons) of the Fronius IG
>> >> vs.
>> >> >> IG
>> >> >> Plus inverters?  Haven't used either and haven't dealt with Fronius
>> >> in 5
>> >> >> or 6 years.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Thanks,
>> >> >> Howie
>> >> >> --
>> >> >> Howie Michaelson
>> >> >> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Catamount Solar, LLC
>> >> >> Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
>> >> >> VT Solar & Wind Incentive Program Partner
>> >> >> http://www.CatamountSolar.com
>> >> >> 802-272-0004
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
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>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
>> >> > Thanks,
>> >> > Kris Schmid
>> >> >
>> >> > Legacy Solar, LLC
>> >> > 864 Clam Falls Trail
>> >> > Frederic, WI 54837
>> >> > 715-653-4295
>> >> > www.legacysolar.com
>> >> > solman at legacysolar.com
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>> >
>> > William Miller
>> > Miller Solar
>> > Voice :805-438-5600
>> > email: william at millersolar.com
>> > http://millersolar.com
>> > License No. C-10-773985
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>
> --
> Jimmy Thompson, Design Support
> NABCEP PV Certified Installer
> Southern Energy Management
> (O) 919.836.0330
> (F) 919.836.0305
> (C) 919.795.6649
> 101 Kitty Hawk Drive
> Morrisville, NC 27560
> www.southern-energy.com
>
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