System is 2x Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM in parallel, with single Narada 48NPFC100 and approx 6kW of panels.
I recently installed a system within 50m of the sea. It's in the Caribbean so we knew that overheating is also a challenge as temperature is consistently 30°C+, as a result we installed the system in a box within a room which had some airflow but netting on all windows to attempt to stop salt fog. The client understood the system would have a shorter lifespan due to corrosion but not quite that short, in hindsight I designed poorly for the conditions. The Growatt inverters started to show overtemperature alarms (corrosion on the thermistor terminals) and fan operation warnings (corrosion on fan connections to the control board?) after about a month and one of them had an internal short after 2 months due to salt water ingress internally.
We are in the process of building an entire sealed cement structure with an air filtration system to house the inverters. I am beginning to research other brands of inverter that may have better protection in harsh environments. It appears the Growatts are very poor in this respect, because I have 4 smaller EPEver inverters on the site in even less protected environments and they show zero signs of corrosion on the PCBs after an internal inspection. I suppose the Growatts don't have a clear coat on the boards while EPEver does?
I have also researched into circuit protection spray but they are very hard to get a hold of due to my remote location. Troubles of living in paradise!! I'm also not sure if the circuit protection spray would help with the corrosion at the connection of the thermistors to the control board.
I'm looking for any info on the following:
- Brands of inverter/controllers which are reputed to have better protection in adverse environments
- Circuit protection techniques ESPECIALLY for pin type PCB connectors (which don't cause additional resistance which will alter the temp readings)
Thankyou for any help!!
I recently installed a system within 50m of the sea. It's in the Caribbean so we knew that overheating is also a challenge as temperature is consistently 30°C+, as a result we installed the system in a box within a room which had some airflow but netting on all windows to attempt to stop salt fog. The client understood the system would have a shorter lifespan due to corrosion but not quite that short, in hindsight I designed poorly for the conditions. The Growatt inverters started to show overtemperature alarms (corrosion on the thermistor terminals) and fan operation warnings (corrosion on fan connections to the control board?) after about a month and one of them had an internal short after 2 months due to salt water ingress internally.
We are in the process of building an entire sealed cement structure with an air filtration system to house the inverters. I am beginning to research other brands of inverter that may have better protection in harsh environments. It appears the Growatts are very poor in this respect, because I have 4 smaller EPEver inverters on the site in even less protected environments and they show zero signs of corrosion on the PCBs after an internal inspection. I suppose the Growatts don't have a clear coat on the boards while EPEver does?
I have also researched into circuit protection spray but they are very hard to get a hold of due to my remote location. Troubles of living in paradise!! I'm also not sure if the circuit protection spray would help with the corrosion at the connection of the thermistors to the control board.
I'm looking for any info on the following:
- Brands of inverter/controllers which are reputed to have better protection in adverse environments
- Circuit protection techniques ESPECIALLY for pin type PCB connectors (which don't cause additional resistance which will alter the temp readings)
Thankyou for any help!!