[RE-wrenches] Combiner breakers tripping

[Ray Walters]

I know, but I think Outback possibly had a bad batch about 20 years 
ago.  They were tripping just a year after installation....

Ray

On 5/1/2026 3:20 PM, jay wrote:
> They are both made by CBI of south africa
>
> I’m wondering if age is the main issue?
>
>
>
>> On May 1, 2026, at 3:08 PM, Ray Walters via RE-wrenches 
>> <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>> I've also seen some Outback 15A breakers in combiner boxes just trip 
>> when they shouldn't.  Replaced with Midnite and quit having 
>> problems.  As others mentioned, going to larger breakers is usually 
>> fine. I usually match the fuse rating for the module itself.  Many 
>> are 20A, which gets away from any edge of cloud stuff too.
>>
>> Ray Walters
>> Remote Solar
>>
>> On 5/1/2026 1:55 PM, David Coale via RE-wrenches wrote:
>>> It could be that the breakers are tripping due to the cloud-edge 
>>> effect.  This happens when you have a sunny day with a few puffy 
>>> clouds drifting by.  As the clouds start to shade the array, there 
>>> is a focusing effect around the cloud that will increase the 
>>> sunlight on the array.  If the breakers are close to the max output 
>>> of the array, then they can trip during these sunny/cloudy days.  
>>> Increasing the breakers to the next size up, if the wiring will 
>>> handle it, will fix the problem.  I have seen this in a few 
>>> installations.  Changing the breakers from 10 amps to 15 amps fixed 
>>> the problem.
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 30, 2026 at 9:31 PM All Solar via RE-wrenches 
>>> <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>     Wrenches,
>>>     I've got a c client with an Outback PV combiner with DIN mount
>>>     CBs. He's let me know a few times that 9 of 10 , or at least 50%
>>>     of the breakers are tripping for no apparent reason. He resets,
>>>     and all is fine for a few months.
>>>
>>>     I suspect something is wrong with the array vs. the breakers
>>>     needing replaced.
>>>
>>>     What should I be looking for and checking?
>>>
>>>     The client has made sure the breaker screws are tight.
>>>
>>>       * Off grid
>>>       * Pole mounted array
>>>       * Solarex 110 w Modules
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     Regards,
>>>
>>>     Jeremy Rodriguez
>>>     All Solar
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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