INVERTER RANDOMLY SHUTTING DOWN

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backroad
backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I have a Magnum 4448 Inverter that is about 6 years old.and has been functioning great until this last week (same time I put the place on the market). I tried everything I can think of, including resetting every thing to the defaults, lowering the low voltage cutout point, adding an extra fan. Its doing this mostly in the daytime. Also does it when the generator has been running and I shut the gen off, but not always. My battery voltage is definitely topping off daily. I'm kind of at my wits end and thought I might some of you much smarter people ponder my problem. of course I plan on calling Magnum Energy tomorrow but I'm sure I'll be treated like a pregnant step child. I'd look into a different brand of Inverter but my current on is mounted to a midnite e panel. THANX BUNCHES IN ADVANCE.....
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,746 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Just setting the LV disconnect lower is really not going to tell you much. You need to log the DC with a good DVM and get the data to really troubleshoot. I doubt the magnum logs faults, warnings, and errors for you. It seems odd to me that a large system solar wise like this needs a generator much where you live. If it is in a hot shed out in the desert, you may have cooked the magnum. Maybe they can help, good luck! Intermittent failures are the worst!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #3
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    I have the overkill generator to run my large/high volume 220v air compressor, my Miller 220v MIG Welder and anything else electrical I might come upon.

    Its funny that the inverter took the 73 degree weather to cause me grief. Maybe the place was having separation anxiety with me putting the property up for sale.
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  • mmag
    mmag Solar Expert Posts: 57 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
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    My inverter had a similar problem, and it was a slighly loose connection from the inverter to the epanel, I would suggest cleaning and tightening all the terminals, bad connections do odd things
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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #5
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    Good Idea. The only connection I've checked in 6 years are the DC cables on the battery bank and the inverter. I will open the e panel in the morning.
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,746 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
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    backroad wrote: »
    I have the overkill generator to run my large/high volume 220v air compressor, my Miller 220v MIG Welder and anything else electrical I might come upon.

    Its funny that the inverter took the 73 degree weather to cause me grief. Maybe the place was having separation anxiety with me putting the property up for sale.


    Temperature cycles are one of the main causes of electronic failures
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #7
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    Agree with Dave about thermal cycling... I used to evaluate computer disk/tape drives. I had an environmental chamber setup to cycle from 40F to 120F (specs for drives) 2x per day--After 2 weeks, the "poor quality" drives would fail. The good quality drives would go for month or more, no failures.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #8
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    I actually had a pleasant talk with a tech at Magnum Energy and it appears that I may have had a communication problem for my inverters entire life (not that Magnum will help me out). I have never been able to get my AGS to work because of no communication. I probably have a bad control board.& have probably never been able to change my settings on the inverter other than the default settings. They highly recommended a service center in Gilbert Az called Tekris Power Electronics. I also talked with NAWS and the recommend the same. The only thing that Magnum could recommend temporarily trying was moving the remotes com cable to the port that usually goes to the AGS. I did that and we'll see what happens the rest of today & tonight. I'll pull the inverter in the morning & head to Tekris with it and just run off my overkill diesel generator the rest of the week.
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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #9
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    Quick update. The inverter is now at Tekris in Gilbert Az. The first thing the guy did was a sniff test and no hot or burnt smells. (said that was actually a good thing). Should know something about the problem in a couple of days. I'm certainly glad that the diesel fuel prices are still down ($2.47 gal.) and the generator is running well as usual, even with some 22,000 hrs on it. Hasn't reached it's half life yet.
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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #10
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    There are 2 replaceable boards in the inverter and of course the one that was bad was the expensive one. Right at $1000 to repair it. We decided to stretch the budget and go for a new updated 4448 PAE unit at $1935 shipped to Bagdad. They tell me it will arrive tomorrow. Its sad that the original inverter only lasted 6 years.
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  • backroad
    backroad Solar Expert Posts: 185 ✭✭
    #11
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    Hung the new inverter on the old midnight e panel today, hooked up all the wires just like the old unit and everything is working wonderful. My inverter is located in a purpose built 6'X6' wood shed that is slightly vented in the eves. I'm considering drilling a bunch of good sized holes in the upper roofline area on 2 of the peaked ends of the roofline and adding an exhaust fan to one side just above the inverter. Am I wasting my time or might this help life expectancy of the inverter electronics. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #12
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    If you can prevent dust/bugs from getting in the building/inverter, for every 10C you reduce the inverter's electronics, you will get a ~2x improvement in lifetime.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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