Inverter Uptime and Warranty/Replacement

[PeterInSa]

Am wondering what is a reasonable time period for a 3000w or 4000w, 24v inverter to last before it has a failure if running 24/7.? Appreciate your comments.

The reason I ask is that some equipment sold in the US has longer warranties than the same equipment sold in Oz (agree there are different voltages/sales volumes involved).

I personally would expect that an Inverter should last 3 years prior to failure and would expect a replacement regardless of the warranty, providing I purchased the unit from a bricks and mortar company in Oz and expect them to honour consumer rights per SA/Oz.

I appreciate the gold standard, Victron equipment has 5 or 10 year warranty depending, but for various reasons, I will not be purchasing one their inverters.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/consumer-rights/consumer-guarantees-and-warranties

Victron 5 year Warranty

Warranty and repairs - Victron Energy

Warranty and repairs - Victron Energy

www.victronenergy.com

 

[sunshine_eggo]

10+ years for tier-1 hardware.

My neighbor replaced his 1996 vintage Trace SW4024 120V inverter because he wanted 120/240V split phase power. 25 years later it was working as well as the day it was installed.

 

[robby]

The cheap Chinese stuff is a crapshoot.
Based on videos I have seen and some posts I have read I would expect anywhere from 2-5 years depending on working conditions.

Nice and cool with moderate loads and limited surges should get you 5 years.
The hotter it’s run and the heavier loads you put on it and the life can drop significantly.

 

[timselectric]

1 to 50 years.
Depending on your luck. And how hard it is worked.

 

[peakbagger]

IMHO, inverter life is function of four things
Inverter Location - mount it in cool place like a basement or in a conditioned space and it lasts longer than one outdoors in the sun with the heat transfer surface area built up with insects and debris.

Surge protection - Put a high grade surge protector with low clamp voltage on the inverter 240VAC circuit and on the PV side if it is a long wire run like a ground mount. Utility surges can be cumulative on electronics and unless you have a power quality meter on the house you may never know it. Utility recloser trips are almost a guarantee of surge.

Overpaneling to the point where its clipping - IMHO most electronics last longer when operated at less than 100% load. Once the cooling fans turn on, its usually a good indication that the components are working hard. Economically it makes sense to overpanel but for longevity, underpanel.

Manufacturer - Some manufacturers outsource production to the lowest bidder, usually the long term name brands who build their own equipment are going to be better quality but some like Enphase are so far in debt that they had to sell new product at lower costs no matter that it was underbuilt.