Just had my cheapo Solar Inverter come up with a "Relay Failure" so looks like I am up for a new inverter
Anyone have any idea on what this would cost? Original inverter is a 2.3kw system I believe.
Any suggestions of anyone in Brisbane (South-West) that does this type of work?
If you have any other tips too that would be great!
Nah apparently out of warranty according to the manufacturer. Came with the house when I bought it so I assume it's as old as the house.
Solar Service Guys have a good rep.
maybe get more panels and a larger inverter thrown in?
There can be issues with dealing with old systems needing service, as the standards have changed and changing an old system may require upgrades to unrelated components (e.g. cabling).
Repairing a defective part avoids any need to reassess the install for compliance that might be necessary if you replaced it with a different inverter.
I would seek out the original installers first, and if they can't be found, the inverter supplier.
A relay may be easily replaced, if that is actually the issue, if they inverter supplier has local repair services.
Assuming the inverter is accurate in diagnosis, then ideally a relay replacement would be the simplest (cheapest?) solution. Couple of hours labour should do it.
Otherwise, inverter replacement. Pricey, but possibly still cost-effective if you get quotes. Shouldn't need to upgrade unrelated components within the last 10 years, I don't think the install standards have changed enough for existing components to be unusable.
Lastly is a full system upgrade. Remember, panel efficiency has been steadily climbing over the last 10 years, so while your existing panels may have been OK, an entire new system might still be better bang for buck over its lifespan. Weird to think that it might be cheaper to replace than repair, but could well be worth investigating, especially if you're gaining (say) 100% greater efficiency than your existing system (i.e. 10% efficiency to 20% efficiency jump).
The standards changes might be NSW specific, but a couple of installers have raised them as an issue with fixing old systems.
I can't imagine there would be any circumstances where replacing the panels is a good idea.
Assuming they are less than 10 years old (a good bet for a 2.3kw system) they will still be outputting over 80% of that capacity, so the cost of removing them and replacing with modern panels that might pack a little more capacity in to the same roof footprint seems crazy.
2.3kW is a small array anyway, so the OP might well have plenty of bare roof space if they wanted more generation capacity by adding effectively a second system.
warranty item?
they usually have a 5 or 10 year warranty?
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/your-solar-panel-inverte…