Solar Power 2.2kw Inverter No Longer Outputs - Need Advice

BendBridge on 02/11/2020 - 12:39

My inverter no longer outputs anything. It appears to be running but the reading doesn't increament and the smart meter doesn't register anything, so there is no electricity fed in to the grid. It has been like that for the past few months.

I suspect the inverter is faulty and a replacement might be needed.

I need advice on the following:

1) What is the best way to fix the problem? Can I do any diagnostic apart from turning it on/off?
2) Can anyone recommend a good company/technician?
3) How much does it cost to replace a 2.2kw inverter? (New and refurbished)

Thanks.

/WhyTea

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Fergy1987 on 02/11/2020 - 12:45

    Any storms lately? Our inverter blew up and we claimed it on home insurance, Paid the excess and got a new inverter installed…………..and then all the panels got smashed on the weekend by hail. So its back to the drawing board lol

  • cauilfield on 02/11/2020 - 13:18
    +2

    get in touch with your solar retailer as your system might still be under the warranty?

  • mskeggs on 02/11/2020 - 13:39

    Similar happened to a friend. Got a replacement installed from a sparky on hipages or service seeking for under $750.
    Otherwise not cost effective.

  • Ocker on 02/11/2020 - 14:14
    +1

    We are in Victoria and with Citipower.
    I use the Powercpr/Citpower enrgy dashboard and can log in and see our daily (weekly, etc) net kWh we have drawn from the grid and also the surplus kWh that we have fed back into the grid

    • netjock on 02/11/2020 - 15:33

      This is a good way to find out.

  • avoidfullprice on 02/11/2020 - 14:18

    What model is your inverter?

    For my setup, there are two isolation switches which disconnect the inverter to the grid. Are the switches on?

    How long ago did you install your solar system? It may be more financially viable if you upgrade the inverter to 5kw and install another string of solar panels, for example. Not advice here, just something to think about

  • netjock on 02/11/2020 - 15:35
    +1

    For 2.2Kw it might not be worthwhile unless it is under warranty.

    Victoria Solar rebate is still on. You could probably get a new 6.6kw with 5kw inverter for between $1k - $3k depending on brand name of the components you are willing to settle for.

  • vitb1 on 02/11/2020 - 15:37

    If inverter isn't coming in, it could mean no power going into inverter from solar panels (so something wrong with one of the panels, or more likely the circuit breaker on the roof), or fuse in the inverter has blown (easy to get a replacement at any electronic store), or inverter is just dead.
    With my inverter, if it's disconnected from the grid, but power is still feeding in from the panels, there will be a warning message on the inverter.
    If is has completely sh!t itself, I'm sure there will be plenty of inverters in the second hand market from people upgrading.

    • BendBridge on 02/11/2020 - 17:46

      Went up to the roof to check the circuit breaker, it was ON. The one near the inverter was ON as well. The LED in front of the inverter lit up to indicate it's working, and the faulty LED was OFF. I could hear noise as well.

      I opened up the inverter but could see the fuse. Where could it be?

      BTW, I now recalled the inverter circuit breaker was dropped (tripped) a while back for no reason. I just pushed it back up. This happened a few times and then it appeared to be OK until I finally noticed there was nothing coming in from the inverter to the grid…

      UPDATE:
      After checking the manual online for PVEdge Inverter's 75% LED:
      75% LED(AC Grid)
      This LED has 2 modes of operation.
      This LED will be ON solid with all other LED’s off
      when the solar input is present and the AC grid
      is disconnected and/or awaiting reconnection.

      Does it mean the inverter have problem connecting to the grid?

      • avoidfullprice on 02/11/2020 - 19:11

        Is there a RCD breaker for the inverter as well? Like, a switch inside the RCD box?

        The switch between PVEdge and your meter, as shown on page 8 of https://www.latronics.com.au/sites/default/files/dl/product/…

        The roof switch and the switch next to inverter is for the red DC line I think

      • vitb1 on 03/11/2020 - 15:24
        +1

        Voltmeter would be you best friend here.

        My inverter didn't come on at all when the circuit between the panels and the inverter was interrupted.

        My breaker box wasn't sealed properly on the roof from the original installation 10 years ago, so moisture got in and eventually the breaker corroded and didn't trip the breaker.
        If you have a volt meter you can slowly diagnose where in the circuit the problem is. That was how I narrowed it down to the breaker in the roof, because like you, I saw that it was on and straight away presumed it was the inverter. After taking the inverter apart and checking that everything was working fine with the inverter, I managed to figure out it was the breaker and replaced it.
        ***Just be careful DC current is very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.

  • resisting the urge on 02/11/2020 - 17:17

    Find an inverter to replace yours, or spend some extra to upgrade. That is most likely what the installer will suggest. Each home has a certain number of credits, and they will want you to spend the extra ones allocated to yours, plus pay extra, to cover the work.

    But people sell all kinds of new and used ones on Gumtree, if you are patient they come up for anywhere from $100-$500 (if single phase and <6kW). Larger and newer are worth more. But read on-

    You can also get a bigger inverter, so long as your utility allows it. Most are fine up to 5kW but above will require submitting a form, or possibly more. Some sparkies can switch it over for you if just the inverter needs changing. But it is usually better to replace with the same size. Even smaller, for example, if at the peak your system can generate is 2000kW, a 2kW inverter will work fine. If you produce 2050W, you lose just 50W at the brightest hour of the brightest day. If the panels originally produced 2200W at peak output, but have degraded after 20 years, a 2kW would work fine (but may not be entirely legal, so ask your installer about it)

    If you put a bigger inverter on and then wanted to replace your panels, you could buy bigger ones, and simply change them over (the physical sizes and the system wiring must be suitable). But to claim an STC rebate for them, a CEC approved installer is needed and the inverter you use must be on the currently CEC-approved list (beware they retire inverters off this list to make it harder for people to re-use old ones (when changing their panels over)).

    List is here:
    https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/industry/products/inve…

    So ideally you find one that is on this list. Should you want to use an older one, you can probably use it until you upgrade.

    Note: When replacing an existing inverter up to the installed size, it must be approved by your network operator (Ausgrid/Endeavour, etc). Most older inverters that have been on the CEC list in the past are in this category, as network operators tend to defer to the CEC list. If you get a larger one, it must be CEC approved, and the moment they approve it, the STCs for future panels can be lost, because the regulations have some fine print designed to support the industry, not just consumers, that can trip you up here if you do not add the inverter's extra capacity to the capacity of your existing solar array/s.

  • Wolfjaw on 03/11/2020 - 08:37

    If you have a multimeter (and an electrical license 🤣) you could get more conclusive results but from your description it looks like you've lost the AC connection and from your comment of the circuit breaker that kept tripping it may have failed.

    A test you can do is turn off the AC circuit breaker and see if there is any change (led light status). If there isn't any change then possibly there was no current going through when the AC breaker was on.
    I've come across this many times.

    If the AC breaker is a combined RCD (it would have a test button on it that when pressed would trip it) then 100% it has to get changed as it can't be on a RCD. I'd call the original installer because they didn't install it to manufactures spec and aus standards

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