How to quiet MPP All-in-One fan noise?

[Balanceandpeace]

I was testing out my friends MPP PIP 1012LV-MS All-in-One and from Will’s video it seemed like a great, easy to install system for a van, but upon hooking it up, the fans run constantly even with the inverter off!

I’ve built my own Victron MPPT, Giandel inverter setup and would love to have the reduced wiring hassle of an all-in-one for my next system. Because I rarely run the inverter, my Victron setup is dead silent. No fans unless I turn on the inverter and run decent loads. Super nice because it’s a small van with electrical right below the bed.

Is there any way to quiet down the MPP? I asked Ian at Watts247 and he said they’re all kinda loud with fans running. Maybe a larger heat sink in there, or fan replacement?

Anyone else bugged by the noise of the All-in-One’s? How did you deal?

 

[Lt.Dan]

Mine are mounted in a compartment that you can't hear them unless you are very quiet in the middle of the night, but I am interested in improving the cooling capability of the unit, Because they get hot FAST.

I'm curious if anyone finds a quieter fan that also has more output?

The LV6548 fans are pretty easily removable too, but not sure about other models. Can anyone confirm?

 

[Smokin]

Use a Buck converter to slow the fan down. But not too much,

 

[wattmatters]

Mine is inside a well ventilated housing located outdoors. Noise is not an issue in this application.

If I needed to install an inverter in a living space where noise was an issue and the sound could not be baffled in some way without interfering with the cooling of the inverter, I would not choose this type of inverter.

Cooling is critical for the operating lifespan of inverter electronics, so whatever you do, try not to compromise the cooling system. If anything find ways to make it cool more effectively.

 

[Choco]

I've switched out mine.

Inverters with quiet fans?

I just bought an 8ZED 24v 1000w inverter. I'm probably pulling about 400 watts maximum at any given time. The fans kick on about every 10 to 15 minutes at a noise level a can only compare to a F14 at full throttle! well maybe a little exaggerated lol But you get what i mean. I can't understand...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Lt.Dan]

I've switched out mine.

Inverters with quiet fans?

I just bought an 8ZED 24v 1000w inverter. I'm probably pulling about 400 watts maximum at any given time. The fans kick on about every 10 to 15 minutes at a noise level a can only compare to a F14 at full throttle! well maybe a little exaggerated lol But you get what i mean. I can't understand...

diysolarforum.com

Switched out yours with what? The link provided has hundreds of fans.

 

[Choco]

Switched out yours with what? The link provided has hundreds of fans.

Thats up to the user, the website has filters to select fans via specs and size.

 

[NwCali]

I have a lv6048 that I will have to go into and change the fans out...

I've been a gamer a long while. If you can cool some of the best cpu's and gpu's with little noise I'm sure the same can be done with our inverters. They just use cheap fans or really noisy expensive ones...

 

[denmek]

ANyone has a good example on nice fans for the MPP 5k or 10k inverter ?

 

[Lt.Dan]

Heres some pics from when I took mine apart. Looks like the LV6548 has 3 fans. I dont know the fan size off hand, based on the part number, I bet they are 80mm x 80mm x 38mm. But they plug into simple 4 pin plugs just like in your PC. Heres a Noctua fan replacement: AMAZON LINK should be much quieter, and move just as much, if not more air.

 

[denmek]

thanks , you can find datasheet here:

https://www.bedek.de/files/luefter-technik/fan_search/datasheets/m-fan-datasheet-DA08038Z.pdf

 

[denmek]

Interesting fact, that those fans consume 10W each, not usre if this is included in the conversion efficency and consumption numbers.
Anyhow I would be highly interesting to reduce the overal system noise with better fans.

 

[Lt.Dan]

The noctua fans I linked use less than 1w. That is a 27w reduction and could make a difference! Unfortunately when the inverter is at idle, the fans are most likely spinning very slowly and not using the full 10w.

 

[denmek]

Hello guys,

I did finally built the MPI 10k with Grid Tie Setup + 23kWh LiFePo4 Battery. Noise level is realy surprisingly acceptable.
MPI5.5k is much louder.

Now looking for the optimal battery settings on MPI software. Not sure if somebody did already investigated here.

rgds,daniel

 

[Balanceandpeace]

Finally cracked my PIP1012LV-MS open and flipped the fans over so that they at least work with convection. This sadly hasn't changed the volume in any noticeable way, and will look into quieter fans. (*Tip if you are flipping your fans, disconnect all the AC, solar, etc wires and the whole metal assembly the fans are mounted to can be unscrewed to give better access to the fasteners holding the fan.)

Two different sized fans in the 1012 and both seem to be only 3-pin.
- EFC-08E12D-EF05
- EFS-06E12D-AF08

Anyone have recs for these sized fans? Or better yet a way to switch to 4-pin PWM fans so they're not all or nothing?

Side related to noise, do most of you keep the inverter on all the time? Or turn it on and off as needed like I do in my van? I started to have a strange experience when driving my van at night under street lights would cause the MPP Solar to beep and "turn on" like it does in the morning when solar panel voltage gets high enough and the charge controller kicks in. This beep was super annoying, mostly because in my small van, a loud beep pre-dawn would wake me up. Shoving a small piece of foam in the buzzer has quieted it down some, but is there a way to shut the buzzer off entirely? I have the alarms and beep settings off already in the menu, but that doesn't control the "startup" buzzer that apparently occurs under street lights and pre-dawn.

 

[LionKing]

Curious, if you replaced with Noctua fans and if they're noticeably quieter? I have a Voltronic Infini 10KW hybrid inverter with 3 cooling fans on top and in our hot summers + during peak daylight hours, the fans get quite loud. Thinking about replacing the fans to reduce noise without sacrificing thermal performance

 

[LionKing]

Does anyone know the fan part-numbers for Voltronic Infini 10KW hybrid inverter?

 

[A.Justice]

I switched a fan in a UPS out for a Noctua, and used one of these to slow it down. Pretty much silent now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S6ML21V/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_SVN3SSPREFWA6T1WB80W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jtwalters]

Made a quick video summary of how I swapped out the fans in my MPP LV6548. To be honest it was a PITA but now my unit is 10X quieter. Only problem is the airflow will be reduced from about 100CFM (max) to about 30CFM. If your unit is in a large open space with relatively close to room temperature it shouldn’t be an issue. My guess. I’ve only had it running for a day so I can’t comment on the longevity of the modification.

 

[Lt.Dan]

CFM is going to be a big deal. The LV6548 has always had problems with excess heat, if it is not in a climate controlled room, or space, then its not going to have a great time.

Load place a big part in this also. After a year of running them, I've noticed that if your load is always under 2000w, its a non issue. But when you are running 3-4000w continuously, it starts to heat up FAST. The inverter might have a 6500w continuous rating, but it does not mean that it will not take a small air conditioner to keep it cool enough to run at that load.