simple question? inverter warantys/ reliability

Re: simple question? inverter warantys/ reliability

What is the environment like?

If dusty/bugs/humidity/etc.... A sealed inverter is probably not a bad ideal.

If clean/dry environment--A vented inverter can work OK.

Note that fans are frequently the weak point of power electronics.

Keeping the electronics cool is a big help (for every 10C over ~25C, 1/2 operational life reduction).

Also, limiting large swings in operational temperature will help extend life.

Is the power/system required to operate 24x7 for years on end? Or can you just have a spare to swap in to get the power back up and running?

You can go crazy trying to add hardware to increase system reliability--But adding more hardware means more points of failure--Plus you need to design/monitor the system to make sure that you don't have a hidden failure ("standby" unit silently fails, and when primary fails, system dies).

For some equipment, you can get dual AC input power supplies. Here is one for a PC:

http://www.amazon.com/Dynapower-SS-400R8P-Dual-AC-Mini-Redundant-Supply/dp/B00H5NONIA
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I am a big fan of the KISS principle--Keep It Simple *upid (not you--just what the initials stand for).

If reliability is important--I would contact the folks at NAWS (among others) to find out what they would recommend as a reliable AC inverter. For example:

http://www.solar-electric.com/inverters-controllers-accessories/inverters/exsiwain.html

All Exeltech products are manufactured in the USA (Texas) - 100% designed and manufactured in their Fort Worth plant - right down to the PC boards, transformers, and enclosures.
We have been selling Exeltech inverters for over 15 years, and we have never had one single report of any failure of any type. In fact, we have never even heard of one going bad that was not grossly abused (i.e. like hooking the battery terminals to AC power).

Exeltech inverters have an MTBF(mean time between failure) in excess of 20 years and offers the most competitively priced ultra-reliable true sine inverters available anywhere. Exeltech provides back up power for the communications room in every U.S. Embassy, worldwide.

Exeltech inverters have the best pure sine wave output of any small to medium sized inverters, and seem to be almost indestructible under normal or even abnormal use. Exeltech also has the best warranty and repair policy of any inverter manufacturer that we know of (Exeltech quote):
...We also still support and repair units from 20 years ago, and do so for a flat fee. Case in point: If you accidentally reverse connections on an XP1100 inverter you bought in 1994, or an MX module from 1993 .. or even an old SI1000 from 1991, and blow it up .. if it's repairable, we'll fix it for $100 and (if possible) upgrade it at the same time. Turn-around time generally averages less than a week.

I am sure that the Exeltech's are not perfect (I believe we have had a couple of failures discussed here over the years)--But they are certainly worth thinking about.

-Bill