Midnite Solar E Panel, What happend?

Shooter Magaven
Shooter Magaven Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭
in Solar Product Reviews & Opinions #1
First let me say for the record, I'm a big fan of Midnite Solar products. Quality RE products Made in the USA.

BUT! I just received my MNEC175 ST/240 E-Panel from NAWS for my Magnum 4448PAE. I spent all day yesterday wiring up the panel, additional DC breakers, Charge controller, mounting the inverter, hanging it on the wall, and running conduit. This morning I put power to the AC in bus with the e-panel's breakers in by-pass and its AC inverter breaker off. When I did I noticed the BMK LED went green....hmmm. thats not right. I checked all my connections and verified the panel breakers were in bypass. So then I flipped on the inverter input breaker and my 30amp 2 pole in my load center tripped? Again, hmmm
So I'm all mounted wired and connected! There is no way I'm going to break it all down again and return it....Hell, it took 3 weeks to get it and my systems been down longer than I anticipated.
So, after quite a few curse words and flying debris, I got the Fluke and the wiring diagram from Midnite and went to work.
I was not happy, I found 3 factory installed breakers wired wrong.
One was the hot 2 in wired to the hot 1 out (red bus to black bus)
the other 2 were the red hot out wired to the inverter red in and vis-versa.
All were crossed on the AC in / by-pass breakers.
(I have photos, if I can figure out how to post them I will)
I don`t know what damage was done to my Iinverter, but after 3 hours of troublshooting, rewiring and re-torquing eveything I got it working correctly.

What happened here? Was this a one time thing?
The E-panel is a HIGH QUALITY, HEAVY DUTY, WELL DESIGNED peice of equipment that gives you a safe and clean, professional looking installation.Nothing about it is half-assed (except the final inspection I guess).
BUT, I highly recomend you cut off all the zip-ties and follow the wiring diagram using your finger to trace EVERY conductor and then check for continuity while fuction testing with a meter before ever conneting to the grid/generator/battery.

Maybe I'm stupid for not doing this before it was all mounted and tied in....but for a $600 cabinet, I dont think should have to
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Comments

  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Did you buy it directly from Midnite? The reason I ask is that several vendors buy the midnite kit, wire it up themselves, and sell it as a pre-wired unit. If you did buy it from Midnite, you should post your experience on their forum.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • Shooter Magaven
    Shooter Magaven Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭
    #3
    vtmaps wrote: »
    Did you buy it directly from Midnite? The reason I ask is that several vendors buy the midnite kit, wire it up themselves, and sell it as a pre-wired unit. If you did buy it from Midnite, you should post your experience on their forum.

    --vtMaps
    Puchased through NAWS, but drop shipped from Midnite solar factory So I assume it was wired by Midnite.

    thanks for the info/suggestion.
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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    here is the MN forum http://midnitesolar.com/Forum/index.php just choose your category to post in
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
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  • Shooter Magaven
    Shooter Magaven Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭
    #5
    westbranch wrote: »
    here is the MN forum http://midnitesolar.com/Forum/index.php just choose your category to post in

    Yeah, went there about an hour ago, had to register and wait to be approved. Still waiting for an approval email. Probably have to wait till Monday when they can can all meet to discuss if I am worthy of posting on their forum.
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  • halfcrazy
    halfcrazy Solar Expert Posts: 720 ✭✭✭
    #6
    I have approved your account on the Midnite Forum. Sorry we have to go through the admin approval but we got slammed with russian hackers and had to tighten the ropes. We do our very best to approve everyone within a couple hours even on the weekend.

    Please do either post on the forum or if you want email me direct ryan@midnitesolar.com and I will get to the bottom of this. We keep very good records and documentation so I will be able to pul your file up and review the pictures also and see what went wrong

    Ryan
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