Old Trace Engineering Inverter/charger DR3624 Fan

backcountrybetty
backcountrybetty Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Hello I live in a remote cabin in the Frank Church Wilderness in the Idaho Backcountry. I am completely off-the-grid, power, food, haying etc. This past month I have noticed my almost 20 year old Inverter Charger box (DR3624) making a strange rattling noise in the heat of the day. I dug around and found out it is the fan going out in my inverter box. I have called around (Xantrex, Schneider Engineering) trying to find a replacement part for this fan (the part is a #2005 fan for the inverter). These companies have told me that they no longer sell parts for this inverter because it is too old. I was wondering if anyone on here had a suggestion for a website or store that sells old parts from this specific inverter. What these sales reps. told me was to replace the whole inverter, or just wait till this one burns out. I am avoiding burning out my system for fear it will happen in the middle of winter (I am snowed-in for 4 months) and replacing the whole inverter would be expensive and difficult to convince someone to backpack all the way into the ranch to help me replace the system..... Any suggestions???
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Simply measure the voltage at the fan leads when it is running at a good speed (is it variable speed, or just 1 speed)  and look for another computer case fan of the same size and voltage.
    Look at CPU fans, Case fans,  stuff like that try to get a close match.   Any numbers you can get off the old fan would be useful.

    If you want to be really clever, you can try to re-oil the bearing, under the paper label on the hub, is often a rubber seal, and a drop or two of 0-20 synthetic engine oil should help it.
    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

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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    The DR is not a famous Trace inverter :'( It is a modified square wave and not a very good one at that.

    My suggestion would be to replace it or buy a spare because if you are concerned about it failing in winter, it probably will!

    Current replacement is  Schneider CSW 40424 or just buy an Outback 24V 120vac inverter.
    Good Luck!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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