[RE-wrenches] Enphase / Inverter failures

[Jason Szumlanski]

William,

I am in what you would call a coastal environment in Southwest Florida.
Fronius blamed some of the repeated inverter failure sites on the proximity
to the coast, although we have many installations that are closer to the
coast is distance, but have not seen the same failure rate. It seems hit or
miss - no rhyme or reason. We have had up to 3 failures at single sites.
Some sites have experienced just one failure in 5 years (like the 3000W
Fronius on our building). I can't point to any single reason (exterior or
garage mounted, south vs north wall, coastal proximity, module brand/watts,
utility co, etc.) One thing I can say - I'm pretty sure that 75%+ of all
Fronius systems we installed have had at least one failure.

Regarding the roof replacement of electronics, we are blessed with mostly
single story shallow pitched roofs around here, so our inverter swaps are
super quick and easy.

*Jason Szumlanski*

*Fafco Solar*



On Tue, May 7, 2013 at 5:37 PM, William Miller <william at millersolar.com>wrote:

> BobO:
>
> I too was hesitant to install micro inverters for the reasons you cite:
>  why should I have to go on a roof to replace electronics? and, should
> electronic components even be on a roof?
>
> I am converted.  We have had a few failures, but a manageable percentage.
>  It does suck to go on the roof and to require two people in most cases, to
> replace an inverter, but we have managed.  I get $150.00 per inverter.  Not
> great, but better than nothing.   I add a few dollars to each Enphase
> install to build up a fund that, added to the manufacturer's reimbursement,
> covers my costs.  Consider this:  to replace most 5Kw or above inverters
> requires two people anyway because of the weight of the inverter.
>  Furthermore, when a 5kw inverter fails you've got to get out there, stat,
> but when a 215 watt inverter fails, you can put it on your schedule for
> when you are next in the neighborhood.
>
> I don't enjoy the PLC interference problems, which are rare. When they
> have occurred, Enphase provided continuous technical support, including
> factory evaluation of line filters and enhanced system analysis.  Did you
> know that each Enphase system has a built in spectrum analyzer? Tech
> support can provide a printout of interfering signals to help in
> troubleshooting.  Installing a separate AC load center to accept the AC
> return breakers helps with solving these problems.  I understand that the
> next release of Enphase inverters will be Wi-fi, eliminating the PLC
> protocol entirely.  When the communication works, (which it does most of
> the time) it is a very valuable resource.
>
> Micro inverters have added a degree of flexibility in system design
> hitherto unavailable:  The Enphase has allowed us to retrofit a few older
> GTBB installations, for example tieing two SR100 modules to one M190
> inverter.  We have also added a few micro inverters to string inverter
> systems that needed a few more watts but had no room for expansion either
> in existing strings into existing inverters, or no room on any wall for
> more string inverters.
>
> I would encourage you to try an Enphase installation.  I have nothing to
> gain for saying that, I just like the product and I want my fellow wrenches
> to have all the resources to provide the best design for a given challenge.
>
> We installed Fronius for awhile, but we had a greater than 300% failure
> rate (not a typo, every inverter failed at least 3 times).  There is not
> enough reimbursement in the world to compensate for that failure rate.
>  Most Fronius employees have been great to work with but two of them
> defamed me to an important client, and that has left me feeling less than
> supportive about Fronius.
>
> I am curious, what is your failure rate with Fronius inverters?  What
> climactic environment are you in?  Do you have coastal influences?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> William Miller
>
> At 01:21 PM 5/7/2013, you wrote:
>
>> I'm one of the many installers who still won't touch a micro yet. It's
>> not so much that there were failures early on, it's how companies like
>> Enphase HANDLED them. My understanding is that you basically got a
>> replacement inverter and got stuffed for your time and travel.
>>
>
>
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