[RE-wrenches] SB2500 Refurbish program gone

William Miller william at millersolar.com
Tue Feb 19 13:18:24 PST 2013


Friends:

SMA is no longer offering refurbished SB2500 inverters. If you find a dead 
one, the only option is to acquire a refurbished SB5000US for 
$700.00.  This is touted as an "upgrade" but I don't see it that 
way.  Rarely will you want to add more solar.  Usually the system was 
originally designed to either fill the roof or provide the needed solar 
energy.  Furthermore, try matching strings of modules from a 5 or more year 
old system with new modules.  Ain't likely to happen.  And the 5000US is 
just bigger and won't always fit where the 2500 was.

Added headache:  The SB5000US inverters are sent out sans accessories, 
specifically: mounting bracket, bug screens, fasteners or AC/DC 
disconnect.  They are sent as if you are replacing an existing 5000US and 
have those parts already.

The AC/DC disconnect function may not be needed since you already should 
have AC/DC disconnecting means outboard of your 2500 (or 1800, for that 
matter), but the AC/DC disconnect is part of the mounting system.  Without 
it the bottom of the US inverter is just swinging in the breeze.  An option 
is to build a flat bracket, pretty easy to do, but you would want to be 
warned in advance so you bring the material and metric fasteners.

It is a shame that with such a large installed base of SB2500 inverters out 
there that the factory will no longer repair them.  Is there a third party 
repair shop I don't know about?

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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