Interesting lightning phenomenon

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Desert Rat
Desert Rat Solar Expert Posts: 138 ✭✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
Around 1 AM yesterday morning we had a thunderstorm, and there were several lightning strikes less than a mile from my house in the space of a few minutes.
I got out of bed to look at the storm, and noticed that the cooling fan on my Trace SW4024 inverter was running. I felt the exhaust air, and it was not the least bit warm. I shut off the inverter at the control panel, and the fan continued to run. I then shut off the inverter breaker, and the fan quit. Switched the breaker back on, and turned on the inverter, and it came on normally w/o the fan. Everything is now working fine; there was no damage to any of my equipment. In 11 years of living with this inverter, I have only seen the cooling fan come on 3 or 4 times, and only on very hot days when running a big load like a welder. Thoughts?
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #2
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    Lightning can confuse electronics and the software.

    Several decades ago, when we began electrostatic discharge testing (walking on carpet type discharges), we could really confuse/crash computers. So, difficult to predict how failures will manifest themselves.

    ESF damage to ICs is something to avoid. Many unknown failures to chips are the result of surge and esd hits and why esd control is practiced in electronic assembly.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • jonr
    jonr Solar Expert Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    You may want to put a couple of TVS diodes across the inverter. Wiring can act like an antenna and while the fan seems harmless enough, there might be cumulative damage occurring too.

    I am available for custom hardware/firmware development

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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    SOMETHING happened. I'd have a spare inverter on hand if I were you. ESD damage is cumulative, and one event softens the hardware up for the next.
    I've got a bunch of the midnight SPD's all over my AC & DC wires. (I've got several 1,000'+ runs everywhere.) Lots of antennas to pick up stray voltage
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    the guys are right and you may have gotten off lucky. you need some protections and spds are a good way to start.

    edit to add-- the diodes are good too as i've mentioned those in a few places in the forum.
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  • KC-watts
    KC-watts Solar Expert Posts: 37 ✭
    #6
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    My favorite was how the compact fluorescent lamps dimly flickered in the shed (underground wiring) during a wild electrical storm.
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  • Desert Rat
    Desert Rat Solar Expert Posts: 138 ✭✭✭
    #7
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    Thanks, guys. I have three lightning arrestors in place--one at the array combiner box, one at the DC disconnect, and one at the AC breaker box.
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,746 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: Interesting lightning phenomenon

    Make sure that you are connecting the SPD on the right side of the disconnect! The surge protection is less effective if the disco is switched off ! When the strikes are close you should be shutting down if you are home BTW.

    The damage that does not show right away is called Latent Damage. The worst part of this damage is not only that it can cause a failure at some point, it can change how a normal failure escalates. The SW 4024 is way out of support life and this is not a bad time to find a spare. I have them from time to time BTW as I replace them with XW's.
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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