[RE-wrenches] IQ8 "line noise" issues?

[Dan Fink]

Ferrite beads, cores and rings are NOT all the same. The RFI frequency
ranges they can suppress differ depending on the "mix" of powders used in
their manufacture. I carry a variety of them in my truck, some of each type
(ring, snap on core) and of Mix 31, 65 and 75. And a big cheap pack from
Amazon of unknown mix (even the seller didn't know) which seems to be
somewhere around Mix 43.

It's also important to identify both the source and the victim of the
RFI, as you can select ferrites to suppress either end or both. As in, is
there a noisy appliance in the house (something with a VF drive maybe?)
that's interfering with the microinverters, or are the microinverters
interfering with something in the house?

This document from Palomar Engineers goes into detail about the different
available ferrite mixes. These are ham radio folk, and they are very
helpful with tech support requests in diagnosing and mitigating RFI issues.

https://palomar-engineers.com/ferrite-products/ferrite-cores/ferrite-mix-selection

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting LLC
IREC Certified Instructor for PV and Small Wind Installation
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
NABCEP PV Associate
d <dan.fink at greendustrialtraining.com>anbob88 at gmail.com
970-672-4342




On Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 10:00 AM Jason Lord via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Hi Lars,
>
> It is likely that the IQ8 micro's are more subject to line noise then
> previous models.  We've had line noise and comm's issues in the past
> with IQ 7's as well.  A cheap solution that we have had some success
> with is to put ferrite core snap together chokes around L1 and L2 PV
> input wiring.  You can get these at Radio Shack for about $6-8 a piece.
> This would be a much cheaper solution then the Enphase filter.   You can
> also try the solid core type, and your installers can just pass the
> conductors through them as they wire the combiner box.  You can also get
> much less expensive in line filters that are similar to the Enphase
> filter on Amazon for $20-50 a piece.  Good luck and happy solaring.
>
> Jason Lord
> Mendocino Solar Service
>
>
> On 2022-10-27 8:21 am, Lars Ortegren via RE-wrenches wrote:
> > Seemingly out of the blue we've had a number of installs (all IQ8)
> > that are having Line Noise issues preventing the MIs from
> > communicating from the Envoy. In both of our recent installs they are
> > not in neighborhoods that have a number of systems, and the issue is
> > not finding too many, but finding very few to none .
> >
> > Enphase has suggested purchasing a Q-LCF-064-1P line filter ($500),
> > and I wanted to see if this is something that is "more common" on the
> > IQ8 that we should plan on as part of our pricing. Any wrenches found
> > cheaper alternatives that work?
> >
> > Lars
> >
> >  [1]
> >
> > Links:
> > ------
> > [1] https://californiasolarco.com/quote/
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