So last year I bought 40kw of used Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) Toshiba Scib modules. I got a great deal on the batteries so was looking for an inverter to pair them with. The voltage range on my batteries are not common, however, so I did a lot of research before buying an inverter. The voltage range of LTO is 36-64.8v but 90% of the range is between 48v and 60v. So I keyed in on inverters at 60v or above.
The Sol-Ark 12k was an obvious choice for my needs. The unit I received had an advertised voltage range of up to 61v. However when I installed the unit with my solar setup, I could only charge my batteries to 59.1v. When I called to find out why I could not charge to 61v to company said that it can only do 61v for brief periods and with a temperature sensor and that 59v was the max sustained charge that the hardware could handle. But this was not information in the manual nor was this mentioned anywhere online. In fact, on the side of my unit, it clearly states the voltage range of of 43-61v with no qualifier that 59v is the actual upper limit that the hardware can handle. I feel like I got duped, right? I mean that information should at least be in the manual? Nope, in fact my manual states the upper limit of voltage to be 63v.
When I first called Sol-Ark to find a solution to the issue, the lady in the main office seemed genuinely concerned. She understood my position of believing I was getting something that was clearly written on the side of the unit, but actually getting something much different in real life. She promised to get to the bottom of the matter. I felt like I was in good hands. Then I got a call from someone else and after returning their call reached the sales department. The guy in sales started gaslighting me that I should have known the real voltage limit was 59v and that I should have called Sol-Ark prior to buying. Not a good sign, but at least there was a solution in the works.
So the solution proferred by Sol-Ark was to pay $1,000 restocking fee plus $450 shipping and I'd get a brand new 63v outdoor rated unit in exchange for my 59v (61v advertised) unit. I wasn't over the moon for this deal as I don't feel I was in the wrong at any point, but it was sufficient since I would be receiving a brand new outdoor rated unit (which was an improvement over the unit I had bought last year).
Well, today the "new" unit arrived and it was not a new outdoor rated unit. It was the same model unit I already own, except they have refurbished the unit to handle 63v charging. I can tell this because the wifi dongle is on the bottom, the sticker claims 61v, and the tamper tape has been removed and reapplied. This would be fine by me, except this is not the deal that was agreed upon. I would not have wanted to pay an extra $1450 for a refurbished unit. I would have asked for a clean swap and to share in the shipping costs. That would have been fair in my book, especially since my original unit has only been out of box for maybe 4 weeks and has been babied the whole time.
To make matters worse, the "new" unit appears to have some exterior damage -- as though there's been a lot of pressure put against the unit, either by a drop or maybe something heavy atop it at some point. There's some bent metal where it attaches to a wall and the casing is warped somewhat making removing the bottom panel more difficult. I don't know if this occurred in shipping or if it was something that happened before they shipped it. It is an old model so I am wondering if there's a reason they had an old one just laying around.
Then, and this is worst of all, when I pick up the "new" unit to move it to my inverter room, I hear a rattle on the inside like a bolt is loose somewhere. This is on the inside where I am not supposed to look or I'll void the warranty. Goodness. I was ready to accept my refurbished and slightly damaged "new" unit to this point, but now there's a broken element inside and I have no choice but to keep going with this mess of an experience. I'm pretty tired of trying to solve this and am pretty dismayed by the whole process. I could see damage sustained in shipping being the cause for the broken piece inside, but why send me a refurbished unit when you the deal was for a new unit.
I'm writing my experience here because I believe that people should know that Sol-Ark can do better in their advertising real world numbers, and they certainly can do better in rectifying a problem caused by their poor advertising. Also, if you have a non-common chemistry, you should not believe their numbers without calling them or you may wind up in the same boat as me. I was willing to bite the bullet and pay $1450 to trade in my unit for a brand new one. I thought this was an okay deal. Not one I was pumped about, but okay, I'll meet them halfway. But now I just feel like I've been lied to.
So what would you all do here? What is reasonable for me to ask of Sol-Ark? How much cost should I bear in this whole fiasco?
Picture on the unit clearly states the voltage range of 43-61v.
The Sol-Ark 12k was an obvious choice for my needs. The unit I received had an advertised voltage range of up to 61v. However when I installed the unit with my solar setup, I could only charge my batteries to 59.1v. When I called to find out why I could not charge to 61v to company said that it can only do 61v for brief periods and with a temperature sensor and that 59v was the max sustained charge that the hardware could handle. But this was not information in the manual nor was this mentioned anywhere online. In fact, on the side of my unit, it clearly states the voltage range of of 43-61v with no qualifier that 59v is the actual upper limit that the hardware can handle. I feel like I got duped, right? I mean that information should at least be in the manual? Nope, in fact my manual states the upper limit of voltage to be 63v.
When I first called Sol-Ark to find a solution to the issue, the lady in the main office seemed genuinely concerned. She understood my position of believing I was getting something that was clearly written on the side of the unit, but actually getting something much different in real life. She promised to get to the bottom of the matter. I felt like I was in good hands. Then I got a call from someone else and after returning their call reached the sales department. The guy in sales started gaslighting me that I should have known the real voltage limit was 59v and that I should have called Sol-Ark prior to buying. Not a good sign, but at least there was a solution in the works.
So the solution proferred by Sol-Ark was to pay $1,000 restocking fee plus $450 shipping and I'd get a brand new 63v outdoor rated unit in exchange for my 59v (61v advertised) unit. I wasn't over the moon for this deal as I don't feel I was in the wrong at any point, but it was sufficient since I would be receiving a brand new outdoor rated unit (which was an improvement over the unit I had bought last year).
Well, today the "new" unit arrived and it was not a new outdoor rated unit. It was the same model unit I already own, except they have refurbished the unit to handle 63v charging. I can tell this because the wifi dongle is on the bottom, the sticker claims 61v, and the tamper tape has been removed and reapplied. This would be fine by me, except this is not the deal that was agreed upon. I would not have wanted to pay an extra $1450 for a refurbished unit. I would have asked for a clean swap and to share in the shipping costs. That would have been fair in my book, especially since my original unit has only been out of box for maybe 4 weeks and has been babied the whole time.
To make matters worse, the "new" unit appears to have some exterior damage -- as though there's been a lot of pressure put against the unit, either by a drop or maybe something heavy atop it at some point. There's some bent metal where it attaches to a wall and the casing is warped somewhat making removing the bottom panel more difficult. I don't know if this occurred in shipping or if it was something that happened before they shipped it. It is an old model so I am wondering if there's a reason they had an old one just laying around.
Then, and this is worst of all, when I pick up the "new" unit to move it to my inverter room, I hear a rattle on the inside like a bolt is loose somewhere. This is on the inside where I am not supposed to look or I'll void the warranty. Goodness. I was ready to accept my refurbished and slightly damaged "new" unit to this point, but now there's a broken element inside and I have no choice but to keep going with this mess of an experience. I'm pretty tired of trying to solve this and am pretty dismayed by the whole process. I could see damage sustained in shipping being the cause for the broken piece inside, but why send me a refurbished unit when you the deal was for a new unit.
I'm writing my experience here because I believe that people should know that Sol-Ark can do better in their advertising real world numbers, and they certainly can do better in rectifying a problem caused by their poor advertising. Also, if you have a non-common chemistry, you should not believe their numbers without calling them or you may wind up in the same boat as me. I was willing to bite the bullet and pay $1450 to trade in my unit for a brand new one. I thought this was an okay deal. Not one I was pumped about, but okay, I'll meet them halfway. But now I just feel like I've been lied to.
So what would you all do here? What is reasonable for me to ask of Sol-Ark? How much cost should I bear in this whole fiasco?
Picture on the unit clearly states the voltage range of 43-61v.