Inverter/Charger

[Herman]

Here Mike

Just adding fuel to the fire Warranty • Product warranty*: 10 years for material and workmanship • Power output warranty*: 90% at 10 years and 80% at    25 years of minimum rated power output I will find out if it is true or not I will tell you in 5 years time 

[Herman]

With the industry standard comment yes stuff is manufactured to last x amount of years and why would they produce some thing last for a life time or more, for example the Ni-Fe cells last for ages possibly a life time or more so why make them for a one off sale and never see the customer again, well how about and industry that sells and services Ni-Fe for example I sell you the battery and I service them for a cost and when required I recharge them with new solution again for a cost so not only are you a provider but a service center much like we already do with vehicles (Planes, Trains and automobiles) but then I may be of the mark and waffling. I am not a greenie  I just do not see the sense in waste.

[Westbranch]

stuff is manufactured to last x amount of years and why would they produce some thing last for a life time or more

I think very similarly to you, logic and reliability of product for a fair price... I wish Exell (sp?) made a 24 volt unit, I like their warranty /repair concept, ''we can repair in the future for a reasonable price.''

(This may spark a rebuttal:)
Only one better IMHO is MidNite where the service for the CC's is unmatched, return and we will fix/repair/replace, as necessary,  if it is flawed at the beginning... ie not user damaged...

I believe a lot of products are made now looking solely at the MTBF and 'get it out the door as cheaply as possible' and if it is in the x% that fail at startup, we can absorb that cost and replace the unit ...  after an extended time period within which the consumer may give up seeking a replacement and live with the defective product... and most of the face to face flack taken by the retailer

[clockmanFrance]

gosh Westbranch!

Have you been following my debarcle with SMA?

As regards 'Midnite' products, may they keep producing quality and well thought out New products, something all other RE product manufacturres should aim for....?

I commented on The Aus Whirlpool forum, when somebody there mentioned about Midnite,s factory tour Video.      http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2484009

"Nice Video.

A real company, doing real work, with real knowledgeable folk and a real Customer care department, and a continues flow of New products.

They have their own Forum split into areas of their products. http://www.midniteforum.com/ And importantly you can actually talk on that forum to Midnite guys that know the products and openly discuss everything with no hidden agendas.

We here in Rural Normandy France have a range of cost effective RE products from new and used German SMA stuff, Morningstar Tristar, Outback and Midnite products.

I purchased a Midnite Classic 200 MPPT controller for handling 3kw PV on a tracker at 170vdc to charge my battery bank, (the best battery charging regime out of my 7off Dc controllers). I noticed that the internal fan cable was pinched on the case it still worked but I was unsure. Within a few hours I had a email and they openly discussed it on the forum and were ready to correct the fault at No expense to me. However they were also willing to talk me through doing a cable repair with gluelined heat shrink, without effecting the warranty, no hassle and the person that cased the Classic got a rollicking.

Over the years I have found that Midnite come top of my list for quality well made product, service back up, and ease of talking to the companies knowledgeable folk about pushing tech parameters etc.

Morningstar are next, good quality and hard working products, and a gentle trickle of New Products, they do respond with customer care but are very slow.

Worst are SMA, so called specialist advisors know nothing about sustainable RE, Customer care is non existent up until very recently. Their product range is expensive and diminishing, and they lock you into their products only with some unpleasant software tweaks. SMA on solar roof GTI's is their specialist area.

For me Midnite is what a professional RE manufacturer should be, and may they continue to do so.
Yes they are quirky, but at least the accountants Directors and slimy sales reps haven't taken them over.

Happy New Year Midnite. "

[Westbranch]

I just recently ( pre Christmas) received a placement power/control board that we hope is the solution for my lack of connection to the MyMidnite monitoring system/database,It was working till I did a FW upgrade and then nothing...  The staff has been very helpful in wading through stuff that is way above my paygrade (retired ), my issue has the DB manager baffled right now...  but there was no question about trying a few other options and the board showed up in the mail and included the return mailer.. 
PS sending stuff across the US/Canada border is not an easy process by courier, USMail is far better!!

MidNite is at the top in my books!

[Herman]

I have found it very surprising how many companies down (well not surprising) do not use MidNite products or Ni-Fe Cells and do not rate them, these same companies are just happy to sell SMA Sunny Boy stuff and not much else, I think it has to do with the guaranteed in x years I will stop working.

Where as MidNite, Ni-Fe and probably some other companies  do not get a look in due to how well their product preforms and how long it service life is, not including Support from the manufacture, so there are good ones out there you just got to do your homework to find them, this I initially did find difficult being a newbie to the world of solar as I did not no what the hell I was looking at and reading stuff from the developers is mumble jumble and like trying to read a computer manual were as MidNite state this is what it does and shock I does it well yeah I am rambling once a again     

[Westbranch]

there are good ones out there you just got to do your homework to find them, this I initially did find difficult being a newbie to the world of solar as I did not no what the hell I was looking at and reading stuff from the developers is mumble jumble and like trying to read a computer manual

Herman, I believe this goes under 'paying your dues'...?  NO?   

I'm sure we have all suffered that fate at sometime...

[russ_drinkwater]

Just a note on life expectancy of gear. We have an old solarex panel here which is approx 20 years old from a water pump system.
The panel is a little discoloured but still puts out 5 amps @ 17 voc (approx 60 watt panel).
No electronic circuits in it of course, but still a goer. And very old tech.

[Cniemand]

Russ : I fully believe Panels will last for ages. I am questioning if inverters and charge controllers have finally matured enough in the solar market to also have such long lives or are they still relegated to being replaced in 10 year intervals.

[mike90045]

expect 10 years,  rejoice if you get more.   High power electronics don't last as long as a portable radio does.

[dgd]

Russ : I fully believe Panels will last for ages. I am questioning if inverters and charge controllers have finally matured enough in the solar market to also have such long lives or are they still relegated to being replaced in 10 year intervals.

I have been using PVs since early 90s starting with OZ made Solarex 40 and 60 watt poly types
Well made, brown anodised frames, completely sealed and although I onsold them I still drive by them and see them still in use.

Mid 90s bought over 100 Siemens M55 monos. More than half had problems, h2o got through a junction box, seeped along ribbon trace and corroded it away. Just about impossible to repair, lost 6 like that. Over 30 had solder on traces over cells develop bubbles and solder runs on top of cells. Another 10 or so had glue/silicone sealant holding one or both junction boxes dry up, fall apart then box fell off breaking traces. By 2000 had disposed of the lot. Siemens junk.

2000 bought 30 Japanese Mitsubishi 190 200w pvs. Good QC, frames
clear anodised alu, never had a problem. on sold in 2006

Went MX60 mppt so now had first chinese 120w 12v pvs so they could be in 3s 51mpv.
QC awful but they worked well for 4 years until some started h2o ingress between front glass and ali frame resulting in cell edge corrosion on cells near ali frame.
So annoying that they were replaced more 12v 140w pvs, old 120s all went into garbage crusher,
25 year warranty was useless as supplier had disappeared.

I know many PV sites where PVs bought in last 5 years are already exhibiting potential problems.
The major issue seems to be QC of cheap PVs.

dgd

[Cniemand]

DGD : You have had a bank of PB cells since 1999? 16-17 years and they are still good?

[dgd]

Yes, since 1999, Century Yuasa Enersun SSR1025-4, six to make 24volt bank
17 years old. The best batteries I ever invested in.  Very rarely equalise but Absorb high at 29v and try never to let them get down to 70% SOC.
http://www.cyb.co.nz/content/documents/enersun/enersun-ssr1025-4.pdf

dgd

[Cniemand]

Designed for 7 year life @ 20% DOD. Yet you got 17. That's impressive!

[Westbranch]

DGD, what does that 30  DoD amount up to in watthrs?
Types of loads? etc