Schneider Conext SW 4048

[JoeHam]

Does anyone have experience with one of these?

My initial questions are about:

Reliability
Service
Ease of use
Efficiency

But I’m interested in any experience/opinion.

The first thing I’m not fond of is that it seems you need to buy a ComBox or SCP Screen just to get the basics setup. So one of those seems almost mandatory.

I also see that they sell AC/DC switchgear which looks nice but I doubt it’s worth the premium.

 

[MichaelK]

I have their 4024 model, and I would say it's rock-solid. I selected this inverter for my workshop where I expected to use 1000W+ power tools. Has powered every load I've thrown at it without blinking. Yes, you need the SCP to make adjustments, but their gear is designed for it to be mounted professionally.

I also have the XW+6848 in my cabin, which powers the well-pump. I haven't plugged in enough stuff yet to max it out. Running the well-pump, and a cement mixer, and power tools at the same time went well.

 

[GVSolar]

I also have the SW4024. Also rock-solid. And I even managed to brick it once by botching a firmware update. Schneider tech support talked me down - walked me through re-initiallizing it. Good surge, good peripherals, not super cheap like the all-in-ones, but no single point of failure either. Has about a 40w standby load (closer to 26w in reality). The SCP/Combox also give you some great monitoring and feedback real time (see below). Best.

 

[JoeHam]

I also have the SW4024. Also rock-solid. And I even managed to brick it once by botching a firmware update. Schneider tech support talked me down - walked me through re-initiallizing it. Good surge, good peripherals, not super cheap like the all-in-ones, but no single point of failure either. Has about a 40w standby load (closer to 26w in reality). The SCP/Combox also give you some great monitoring and feedback real time (see below). Best.

Glad to hear about good tech support.

The screen shots are from the ComBox?

Does the SCP alone also connect to a computer for data logging/visualization or is it just what you see on the SCP and no logging?

 

[GVSolar]

Those images are screen grabs from my computer. The Combox stores and displays cumulative data from solar, battery, loads and charging sources - My stored data goes all the way back to 2014 - when I first installed the system. It also allows you to monitor and program remotely (I use an iPad) - which is very handy. Being totally off-grid, it helps me to be a better system operator. Best.

 

[JoeHam]

Thanks again @GVSolar

All of the stuff I have read only talks of an Android app.

How are you getting an iPad to work?

 

[GVSolar]

The combox lives on the xanbus network and also on the wi-fi router in my house. That router assigns a web address which is accessible on almost any web browser, provided it has password access. My particular iPad is way old, but even its Safari browser give me complete access to all charts, graphs, data storage, device status and programming parameters. This also allows Schneider tech support to take a look at my system - if I choose to click a menu and give them remote access. As a general rule, I don't - but it's nice to have that ability.

 

[jbnc]

We have been using the SW4048 since 2018 in a grid-support ("self-consumption") residential system. The inverter has been reliable, but we have been disappointed by Schneider's claims that the SW series will optimize solar input over grid usage. Regardless of settings, the inverter will always pull at least 2 amps from the grid. This is supposedly to avoid backfeeding the grid and potentially harming utility workers in the event of a power outage. We also had to modify our system because we chose Chevy Volt lithium battery modules, which have a lower nominal voltage that doesn't correspond to the SW charging parameters. The recommended Chevy battery range is 38-49v, but the SW doesn't allow battery charge below 40. It also will not stop charging soon enough for these batteries. To avoid overcharging, we had to reduce grid support to 120v, L1 only, controlled by a solid state relay connected to the auxiliary port on our charge controller, according to battery voltage. This has prevented battery overcharge, but it further compromised the inverter's limitations related to charging parameters. People using similar combinations (SW4048 with Chevy Volt batteries) have since abandoned the SW for the Victron Quattro inverter, which costs 2-3 times as much as the SW. In hindsight, the aggravation, time, and money we spent retrofitting our system might have been better devoted to a more expensive inverter like the XW or Quattro.

 

[JoeHam]

I’ve had my SW4048 up and running since the fall of 2020 with a ComBox.

It has some quirks but it has been running nonstop since then without issues.

 

[RxJemm]

I had the 24v version running my house from 2012 to 2022 .. ten years of bad ass affordable inverter for the money. it ran two 12,000 BTU inverter ACs (split unit) with ease.

Replaced by its big brother .... sold it in January.