[RE-wrenches] Off Grid Inverter Replacement Questions

[Jerry Shafer]

To much to cover right now but in short I have had no issues with the OB
inverters, you just put one with and CC and mate 3 seams to do the trick.
The Radian is nice, it is 240 VAC, its smarter but takes up allot of
additional space. Cheap quick fix is to put a 2435 in the place of the SW
and call it a day.

Jerry

On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 3:02 PM, Allan Sindelar <allan at sindelarsolar.com>
wrote:

>  Esteemed Wrenches,
> This question is prompted by a specific customer's situation, and I have a
> question related to this, but I'm mainly using the situation to ask a
> broader question.
>
> The specific situation: A customer's Xantrex SW+2524 has been acting
> erratically. Fixing the inverter is not the issue; the client is quite
> remote, and costs of diagnosis, parts and labor for these legacy units have
> gone up enough that the customer has already decided to replace the unit
> with a current product. From my perspective, the issues at hand revolve
> around how to safely and cleanly install a modern inverter into a system
> structured around old equipment.
>
> The specific question: Outback's FX series is the current product that
> most readily replaces the SW/SW+ series: it's also 120V in/out, and it has
> DC on the right and AC in/out on the left of a horizontally-laid out unit.
> However, several times in recent years I have heard disparaging comments,
> both here and in private conversations, about the purported drop in quality
> of Outback's inverters and controllers since Alpha bought them, but
> specifically because units, or parts of units, are now made in China,
> rather than in the U.S. What I want to know, please, are answers to two+
> questions: 1) what's the real scoop? what is now made where? and 2) what
> actual experiences, specifically product failures, have any of you had that
> directly relate to changes directly attributable to overseas production? In
> other words, how much of this is real and how much is rumor?
>
> The bigger question (and this issue will come up frequently in the coming
> years): the SW+, like the SW before it, operates at 120V AC on both input
> and output. More and more modern battery-based inverters input and output
> split-phase 120/240V AC. When should I hesitate to replace a 120V legacy
> inverter with a 120/240V unit?
>
> Among larger whole-house single inverters, Outback's FX and VFX units
> operate at 120V, but these are older models. SMA's Sunny Island is 120V
> only, but this is generally considered a weakness in typical SI
> installations, and these expensive units don't adapt as well as
> replacements in older home systems. Magnum's MS4024 is available in either
> configuration. Outback's Radian and Schneider's XW and Conext SW are only
> available as 120-240 units.
>
> Here are the issues that I see:
> Don't do it if a backup generator is 120V AC-only. It will work, but is
> hard on the inverters, as all charging current will come in on one leg of
> the inverter's AC input. Fortunately, relatively few generators are
> 120V-only; pretty much just the smaller inverter-generators. Most cheaper
> gennies are 240V, and either run through a step-down balancing transformer
> (which would be taken out with the old 120V inverter) or run out of
> balance. Many better portable generators have a 120/120-240 switch, making
> it necessary to only replace a cable and plug to add a second hot conductor.
>
> Also, most older AC switchgear, such as QO403 inverter bypass switches,
> are set up for single pole breakers, and would thus require replacement,
> and reworking in general on the AC side to handle two hot input and output
> conductors.
>
> But once the jumper between the two hot legs is removed in the AC main
> panel, and two hots are connected, making the panel 120-240, what are the
> concerns that I might not have anticipated? Are there any hidden dangers,
> or situations where this change could cause problems, especially in AC
> distribution?
>
> Thanks in advance. I hope that I don't regret posting this late on a
> Friday...
> Allan
> --
>
> *Allan Sindelar*
> allan at sindelarsolar.com
> NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional
> NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional
> New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
> Founder (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc.
> *505 780-2738 <505%20780-2738> cell*
>
>
>
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