inverter replacement

[ralph day]

Hi all
I'm having to seriously consider replacing my 11 year old Xantrex SW4048.  It's throwing intermittent internal relay faults, shutting down.  A thump on the inverter case will clear the fault, but I'm not always around or awake when it occurs.  Think I should pull the cover and blow with some compressed air, or would the relays be all under little covers?

The outback VFXR3648A would be a straight up replacement at 120vac, but the Magnum MS-PAE4448 would  bring me into the realm of 120/240 split phase.  The only 240 load is my Mitsubishi heat pump, which runs nicely on the autotransformer for it's 240 supply. 

Any real world experience with either of these products?  Am I missing a gem somewhere else?

Always happy with the info coming from this forum.

Ralph

[Vic]

Hi Ralph,  nice to see you here ...,

First the SW and SW+ inverters have a bit of a history of the relays sticking.  The relays in the SW+es that I have been inside are Deltrol (IIRC)  60-ish Amp relays each with its own plastic cover.  The Deltrol relays that have used here for other projects have  a snap-in-place cover,  that is not difficult to remove,  at least when the relay is not mounted onto a board in a product  --  have never ditzed with the ones in the SW inverter line.

Believe that these relays are commonly available,  still,  from electronic parts houses.

Have not run any Magnum inverter,  but a person whom I respect,  has said that the Magnum inverters are slow,  or at least a bit slow in regulating AC output voltage,  IIRC.   They do appear to be a good buy,  but cannot say from experience.

All  FWIW,  Good Luck,   Vic

[Halfcrazy]

The Deltrol relays are semi sealed so compressed air wont help. Unfortunately when they start sticking they usually go down hill quicker.

If you are happy with the SW I am willing to bet you will not be happy with the Magnum, its regulation is a LOT slower (IMHO) than the SW. The Outback is a good choice as would be an XW Plus. Right now for price, features and dependability the XW Plus is top of my list I think

[ralph day]

Thanks Ryan
I hadn't really thought about Schnieder XW stuff.  It seems you need to buy some way to program all the big three now.  the old SW has everything in one box, all your control and programming without having to get something else.

ralph

[vtmaps]

It seems you need to buy some way to program all the big three now.  the old SW has everything in one box, all your control and programming without having to get something else.

I think it is just wonderful that the inverter control panels are separate devices.  These inverters can be stacked... if you had four stacked inverters with built in controls, you would be buying four sets of controls when one would be enough.  Also, having separate controls means you can mount the controls in a remote location.  My inverter is in the garage and I am very happy that I can control it from in my house.

--vtMaps

[ralph day]

Excellent points vt. 

If I'm going with one VFX Outback inverter, which Mate should I be looking at?  Are there different flavours?

Ralph

[vtmaps]

If I'm going with one VFX Outback inverter, which Mate should I be looking at?  Are there different flavours?

I only have a mate.  I think the mate3 is the latest and greatest, but I'm not sure of _ALL_ the differences.  If you have multiple outback devices (inverters and/or controllers) you probably want the mate3 and a hub, and you might want mate3 for just the inverter if you desire logging. 

--vtMaps

[Jacotenente]

I am using the Mate 3 with my VFX3524 inverter. It also has "Optics RE" software that is actually an Outback Power website/login. You can manage your equipment anywhere that has internet. I don't have their hub. The only issue I have with Outback Power is that my two Classics data doesn't show up on their Optics RE application software. I just use the Midnite Solar local APP and have both screens up on my computer.

[ralph day]

Mate 3 and OB inverter installed Aug 25 2015.  Really happy with what the system can do.  I have utility available, so there's lots of options for using grid in various ways.  Some functions are inverter dependent, others are system (Mate3) dependent.  The system dependent ones require the Mate to be there, the inverter ones you program, and the mate can be removed and the function will still be active.

Becasue the electronics are packaged in a smaller box than the big old Xantrex 4048 I replaced, the internal fan runs a lot more than I was used to.  Inverting or charging and it will run at 300watt load or greater.  The 4048 would only run internal fan at 1.5kw or so.   It's not in close proximity to 24/7 living area, so it's not a major concern.  I've noticed less hum from led light ballasts with the OB.

\Ralph

[ralph day]

Checked with OB tech support.  The internal fan turns on at 60C, off at 50C.  The temps can be checked on the Mate  3 display, and that's exactly how things are operating.  The noise level might be somewhat high because of the obstructions in front of the fan...the protective wire screen (to keep nosy fingers out), the foam dust filter and the dc cables right in front of it.  A muffin fan is really quiet when there's nothing in front of it's air intake (but it's hard on fingers).

Ralph