I'm posting a public service announcement for new, inexperienced owners like myself who are considering the EG4 Flexboss21 inverter. It can be installed either outside or inside, and this is a strong caution on installing it inside.
The Flexboss21 has small, high-speed industrial fans that spin up during light-moderate loads, generally starting at 6kWp of PV input. They are extremely loud. The spec sheet says "Noise Emission (Typical) < 50db@ 3' " - that's extremely misleading (and I dare say, legally baloney as well). I get readings of over 65-72dbA from 3 feet away, which is an increase of 200%+ in noise level, as each 10db higher is 100% increase in noise. If the FB21 can support 21kWp of PV input, then 6kWp is at best a minimal load and certainly fits with the "Typical" definition. It's also annoying as the level of noise oscillates with load variations.
I had this installed into my basement, right under my kitchen. I had it installed later after I purchased it early, because I was also replacing my aging roof and wanted the best possible conditions for my home solar install. So when the inverter starts up with morning sunlight, that noise pervades my entire house - extremely annoying. I tried to reason with Signature Solar to get a replacement for something I had no idea about until it actually went into operation, but they took a cheap way out by saying it was 180 days past purchase date and the inverter was working as designed (very disappointed in the lack of support & care for a new owner). Not coincidentally, they didn't allow my review on their site about the loud noise levels of this inverter.
So caution to all newbie buyers: if you want to install this inside your house, please be aware of the noise level! I personally would say it's really meant for outside, where you can annoy your neighbors, or maybe inside with sound-insulated areas, like a detached garage. I'm a little sensitive to higher-pitch noises, as with past work I've done, that meant either something was going to fail or was overloaded and needed correction. But I wish this had spelled out clearly to me in advance, as I would definitely NOT have purchased this for my inside location.
The Flexboss21 has small, high-speed industrial fans that spin up during light-moderate loads, generally starting at 6kWp of PV input. They are extremely loud. The spec sheet says "Noise Emission (Typical) < 50db@ 3' " - that's extremely misleading (and I dare say, legally baloney as well). I get readings of over 65-72dbA from 3 feet away, which is an increase of 200%+ in noise level, as each 10db higher is 100% increase in noise. If the FB21 can support 21kWp of PV input, then 6kWp is at best a minimal load and certainly fits with the "Typical" definition. It's also annoying as the level of noise oscillates with load variations.
I had this installed into my basement, right under my kitchen. I had it installed later after I purchased it early, because I was also replacing my aging roof and wanted the best possible conditions for my home solar install. So when the inverter starts up with morning sunlight, that noise pervades my entire house - extremely annoying. I tried to reason with Signature Solar to get a replacement for something I had no idea about until it actually went into operation, but they took a cheap way out by saying it was 180 days past purchase date and the inverter was working as designed (very disappointed in the lack of support & care for a new owner). Not coincidentally, they didn't allow my review on their site about the loud noise levels of this inverter.
So caution to all newbie buyers: if you want to install this inside your house, please be aware of the noise level! I personally would say it's really meant for outside, where you can annoy your neighbors, or maybe inside with sound-insulated areas, like a detached garage. I'm a little sensitive to higher-pitch noises, as with past work I've done, that meant either something was going to fail or was overloaded and needed correction. But I wish this had spelled out clearly to me in advance, as I would definitely NOT have purchased this for my inside location.
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