[RE-wrenches] midnite new inverter

Fri Apr 12 07:32:09 PDT 2024

Just as a point of clarification: The Delta lightning arrestors (gray cans) are not surge arrestors and are not designed to protect sensitive electronics. They are lightning arrestors, it says so right on them. They are a spark Gap device and work on  Dv/DT.  The lightning arrestors do work for the designed purpose and are a good idea as a first line of defense. The surge arrestors like the MNSPD series are by definition a surge arrestor and specific break over voltages and should be used on all input and output connection points on a system. I would ever recommend removing a delta lightning arrestor, but would encourage installers to add a surge arrestor. The Delta lightning arrestors are useful to protect things like stator windings, transformers, and conductors, but they offer little protection for electronics like a surge arrestor is designed to do.
Pieter Huebner
Project Manager
Of grid Enterprises

From: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org> On Behalf Of John Blittersdorf via RE-wrenches
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2024 8:09 AM
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Cc: John Blittersdorf <john.blittersdorf at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] midnite new inverter

Bill,
   Now that you mention it I did not have an SPD near the inverter,  I have one  on 1 of 2 TOP Racks, other rack with old Delta... My inverter lives on my workbench to allow swapping other inverters in for load testing using my whole house with everything connected to ancient wiring which did not include an SPD.  I put them on all my customers' systems and have had no issues on most of them and have never had to replace one. .  I have removed lots of those grey cans but have not taken care of my own system !!!  The Fortress eflex was not fully protected either.  That strike would have been the perfect test of the SPD's if I had them all installed. I  had a perfect real world test of
Outbacks ACA with surge protection  on two GVFX inverters that had annual lightning failure until I installed their surge protectors.  There have been no more failures since (at least 10 years)  The lightning was so severe at that  location that the power company was constantly having issues on that power line.

John

On Fri, Apr 12, 2024 at 12:31 AM Bill Battagin via RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org<mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>> wrote:

John,

            Just curious if you had SPDs (like Midnites) in either system?  AC side, DC side

Bill

Feather River Solar Electric

Bill Battagin, owner

4291 Nelson St. (Shipping)

5575 Genesee Rd. (USPS, UPS)

Taylorsville, CA  95983

530-284-7849, 258-1641(cell)

CA. C10 Lic # 874049

Solar Powered since 1982

Home of the Sunny Side Up
On 4/10/2024 6:01 AM, John Blittersdorf via RE-wrenches wrote:
Time will tell where the failure modes are.   I still don't like all the eggs in one basket. Do you have to send the units back for repair?  Had enough of that with Trace SW series inverters..
For off grid, I'll stick to the tried and true for now.  For Grid tie it is just a financial hit.  For off-grid power loss it is more important to deal with right away..

I am going to try a Fortress Envy at my off grid home but will keep my Outback field repairable VFXR wired in just in case. I had a massive lightning strike between my house and a guest cabin 1/4 mile away and I lost power from my Fortress Eflex battery at the cabin and my Outback inverter at my house.  I replaced the control board on my inverter ( I always keep one in reserve as it is usually the only board failure due to lightning)  and was back on line in 1/2 hour and Fortress rushed me a new BMS board for the E-flex and a day later and a half hour swap had it back in service,  Now it is a different story with 2 Simpliphi batteries I have from a customer that failed.  I have to ship them to California to have them evaluated to see if we had damaged them by misuse.  Lots of expense and time lost.

John Blittersdorf
CV Wind Service / Off Grid Vermont
802-770-8625

On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 11:43 PM Scot Arey via RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org<mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>> wrote:
Wow, are we in the golden age of inverter/chargers? If it had 200-a.p pass thru it would be near perfect.

Begs the question: are stand alone charge controllers becoming a historical artifact?

Howard "Scot" Arey
Owner, Solar CenTex
254-300-1228
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