Inverter Lifespan

[jason121]

the tv I'm watching is at least 15 years old and still going strong.

In fact looking around the room I can see a pair of 40 yearold speakers, a 30 year old hifi amp, 20 year CD, tape and record player, all working fine (well, actually the amp has developed a bit of a glitch, but still works after a bit of a tap).

Good quality electrical kit can last a long time, cheap tat won't.

Tapes CD records someone stuck in 70-80-90's

 

[edexlab]

I went to SMA a couple of years ago and they were quite confident of the inverter lasting about 20 years installed correctly this wasn't the salesmen talking but some of the Engineers, of course there will be some which will fail earlier, there's always a percentage of any manufactured item which will have shorter lifespans than others.

I'm inclined to believe them as I asked what the average age of inverters returned for repairs etc was, and the answer was 16 years for inverters installed for more than one year but the number of inverters returned in their first year was unpredictable as even though rigorous tests are carried out they don't compare to real life installed scenarios and they learn where the problems are and make changes throughout the production run of the inverter model, this seemed to me to be a fairly honest sounding reply and fits the idea of ''if it lasts a year it'll do many more'' .

In todays competitive sales spiel driven markets I would expect that if the same question was asked of some other companies I'm sure the figure given would be 20 years plus and they never get returns etc
They also said it was sensible to factor in the cost of a replacement for a system expected to last around 30 years

 

[Gavin A]

I asked the same of Power-One's technical manager for the Uk, and got the answer that the better models had a design life of 25-30 years in optimum conditions.

they have the advantage of not having external fans to get clogged up and fail, but the disadvantage of the fan unit not being user serviceable as it's internal.

 

[mechelec]

I asked the same of Power-One's technical manager for the Uk, and got the answer that the better models had a design life of 25-30 years in optimum conditions.

they have the advantage of not having external fans to get clogged up and fail, but the disadvantage of the fan unit not being user serviceable as it's internal.

Interesting! where does it get its air from then? does it circulate the air within the inverter which would be pointless or does it draw it from outside the enclosure leaving you with a fan that will still "clog up and fail" but is not user servicable.
If the cooling fan is so critical why are inverters often installed in loft spaces where the ambient temperature can easily hit 50 degrees, just when the inverter is working hardest. That has got to be a recipe for a shortened lifespan.

I am on my second TV in 7 years and this one has had to be repaired due to an inherant capacitor problem.

There will be a lot of PV systems sat on roofs with failed inverters that customers just wont have the money to repair.

 

[Ian-LS]

Interesting! where does it get its air from then? does it circulate the air within the inverter which would be pointless or does it draw it from outside the enclosure leaving you with a fan that will still "clog up and fail" but is not user servicable.
If the cooling fan is so critical why are inverters often installed in loft spaces where the ambient temperature can easily hit 50 degrees, just when the inverter is working hardest. That has got to be a recipe for a shortened lifespan.

I am on my second TV in 7 years and this one has had to be repaired due to an inherant capacitor problem.

There will be a lot of PV systems sat on roofs with failed inverters that customers just wont have the money to repair.

Sometimes it is because there is no viable alternative, and if this is the case an inverter with a derating temperatire of 50 degrees + would be needed and the loft will need adequate ventilation in the form of a ridge vent above the inverter if there isnt already one there. Sometimes though unfortunately it is because the installer doesn't know any better and simply its "we always install in the loft space" which we have heard many times even when there is a viable garage space where the consumer unit and suppliers meter is which will be much cooler or space under the stairs etc.

 

[SibertSolar]

Interesting thread. Not all inverters have/need internal forced circulation of air to cool down internal components. Using high quality components and a design focused on efficient layout of internal power-flow and passive air flow etc can avoid unwanted hot-spots internally thereby prolonging the lifetime of the inverter overall. A good quality unit that is matched adequately to the system should be good for 15+ years quite easily. Most top of the line string inverters have 10yrs warranty by default, with options to increase to 20yrs if required.

 

[FB.]

There will be a lot of PV systems sat on roofs with failed inverters that customers just wont have the money to repair.

Yes, that's a concern and that's why, since I came onto this forum, I have advocated a "depreciation" allowance as a margin of safety, since the customer can't get the money back like in a bank account, and in order to continue earning FiT payments and enjoying bill savings when the system gets old, they may need to have built up a cash reserve to pay for repairs to keep the old girl running.
Solar PV owners should use about half of the FiT payments in the first five years to build up a repairs fund just in case they're one of the unlucky ones whose inverter fails in years 5-7. Such a "rainy day" fund is desirable anyway, since it might be the car which needs repairs, or the boiler - all of which can amount to hundreds of Pounds quite quickly.

 

[MikeyT]

I would expect string inverters to last around the 10 year mark, considering the positioning of most in lofts which are generally more dusty and very very warm! It also depends on the client, as the majority will have forgotten about the inverter after 5 years and probably would never even check on it. Though by the time they do fail, the cost of a new one would be considerably less than now, I would hope anyway! The cost-benefit of just changing it to purchasing warranty makes it a no-brainer in my opinion right now.

 

[SW1970]

Not having any knowledge about typical location of inverters I was quite surprised to read above that they are frequently installed in lofts. Most lofts I've seen are a bit of state, so whether from dust, rodent, ambient temperature or fallen junk, it's a harsh environment for such an expensive piece of kit. FB - your idea is a good one.

 

[Vegelen]

The inhernet inverter weak spot IMHO is the quality and type of capacitors installed inside them, aside from the human factor and innapropriate system design /installation.
I expect to see 1 or 2 Inverter failures in the first 20 years of service.

 

[SolarCity]

I don't think inverters failing outside of their warranty will be a big issue - judging by pricing trends I would say that in 5-10 years they will cost significantly less than they do now, and probably be a little more efficient.

 

[Vegelen]

Reductions in cost always tend to come at a price of long term reliability, as we can see in modern electrical appliances all around us.

 

[njcuk]

Interesting! where does it get its air from then? does it circulate the air within the inverter which would be pointless or does it draw it from outside the enclosure leaving you with a fan that will still "clog up and fail" but is not user servicable.
If the cooling fan is so critical why are inverters often installed in loft spaces where the ambient temperature can easily hit 50 degrees, just when the inverter is working hardest. That has got to be a recipe for a shortened lifespan.

I am on my second TV in 7 years and this one has had to be repaired due to an inherant capacitor problem.

There will be a lot of PV systems sat on roofs with failed inverters that customers just wont have the money to repair.

I think most customers could afford it, considering the initial outlays and returns they will be getting. Repairing one for £100-£150 is not going to break the bank.

Regards TV's, you've been unlucky. If I were you, i'd take out extended warranties.

 

[Gavin A]

Interesting! where does it get its air from then? does it circulate the air within the inverter which would be pointless or does it draw it from outside the enclosure leaving you with a fan that will still "clog up and fail" but is not user servicable.

it's designed to blow heat off the components and onto the reverse side of the heat sink on the front of the inverter, so doesn't draw air from anywhere it's just recirculating the internal air.

If the cooling fan is so critical why are inverters often installed in loft spaces where the ambient temperature can easily hit 50 degrees, just when the inverter is working hardest. That has got to be a recipe for a shortened lifespan.

yes, it will virtually always shorten the lifespan to some extent, but using inverters that are designed for higher temperature operation, fitted with higher quality capacitors, and either fitted with internal fans protected from dust, or easily replaceable fans, or even passive cooled reduces this impact, and I'm relatively confident should result in a 25-30 year optimal lifespan turning into a 15-20 year lifespan on average.

Depending on the airflow, temperature and dustyness of the loft of course, but the panels covering the south facing roof aspect does significantly reduce the peak temperatures, and we try to install an additional tile vent above the inverter if ventillation isn't too good, to reduce the worst of it.

I am on my second TV in 7 years and this one has had to be repaired due to an inherant capacitor problem.

There will be a lot of PV systems sat on roofs with failed inverters that customers just wont have the money to repair.

that's why cheap and nasty inverters with cheap capacitors are to be avoided like the plague, though it's not always obvious which makes this applies to.

 

[The Solar King]

A good indication of expected life is the price of extended warranties. Anyone who is good on the horses should be able to work out what the odds are of an inverter failing and needing to be replaced based on current cost. Just like bookies the warranty companies are in it to make a profit.