Is this the right inverter?

[Eco Deal]

I think these situations are a combination of

1. Poor training
2. Solar companies set up with no electrical knowledge and just in it for the cash.
3. sales persons - commmission
4. poor surveys
5. MCS accrediation is a walk in the park (my 6 year old girl could become MCS accreddited)

 

[maks_sm]

Hi folks! I think I made mistake buying mppsolar.com inverter-charger. Its advertised as 1.6-3.2 kW but tripping on any load 1.5 kW, its noisy and it stinks when plugged to mains. And company does not want to replace it. Such great customer care! Today I found the same inverters on ebay.co.uk. You would not belive how many happy customers. Be carefull lads! I payed directly to company throug paypal. Will try to leave f/back there

 

[Gavin A]

Hi, which inverter specifically (make / model) are you referring to?

might be as simple as it needing wiring up differently to get it to carry the 3.2kW outputs - eg Power-One 3.6 Out-D inverters need the link putting in to get both sides working if run in single string / 2 strings parralleled to same input.

 

[MCS Renewables]

Interesting post on another forum :

Hello, I'm new to all of this, but over Xmas I had a solar PV installation installed by ECO-Deal. This should have taken 1 day at most I guess, but all in all it took nearly 5 weeks. Panels not arriving, wrong parts supplied, sick children, Xmas etc.


Original planned start date 17th December which came and went with no panels arriving- started a week or so later. Finish date 5th January after another interim visit and a missed appointment and tiles on my lower roof damaged by the company when installing the rails, nothing mentioned about the damage, it was up to me to point out the damage, it leaves me wondering what state the rest of my slate roof is in after seeing what damage had been done to the tiled roof, additional work and repairs to damaged roof carried out on the 18th January.


Now as far as I can see my installation is still not complete, I'm still not registered for FITS even though I signed a returned the docs on the 7/1/2013 and the layout of the panels with the SolarEdge montoring system is still incorrect. I have a contract which states that this would be done by ECO-Deal yet I am having to chase British Gas myself to get the work done, meaning I've lost the first 5 weeks of power generation (although it was quite low). I've also logged a call with Solar Edge to find out why my layout hasn't been completed and guess what? ECO-Deal have not done what is required.


I can't complain about the the system as that seems to work well, but ECO-Deal don't seem to know what they are doing at all, very shoddy workmanship in my book and have been blaming british gas and solar edge for the issues.


Update, my layout has changed today 24/2/13 and now my panels have dropped form 16 to 12 and the layout doesn't match the roof at all.


I wish I had never contracted ECO-Deal to carry out the work - keep clear of them if you want solar PV

Solar PV installed by ECO-Deal - not happy so far : Solar PV Output & Performance

 

[Worcester]

Hope that's not our Eco-Deal man from Up North...

 

[maks_sm]

Hi Gavin A, Thanks for reply! PIP 1624 HS inverter-charger model is advertised like 1.6-3.2 kWatt on ebay! It s tripping because current on AC side is over 7 Amps. 4 Solar pannels (Maximum 1 kWat all in parallel) charging 2 batteries 180 Amper-hours each connected sequence 24 Volts. So, 30 volts from pannels converted to 24 to charge batteries and then from 24 Volts batteries DC PIP 1624 makes 230 Volts AC. MPPSolar.com passed my details to lawers to chase me. I am scared lads, and taking chance to say "Good Buy" everyone and make my last wish. Next day I publish reply without changing. At least we hav a fun time

Hi, which inverter specifically (make / model) are you referring to?

might be as simple as it needing wiring up differently to get it to carry the 3.2kW outputs - eg Power-One 3.6 Out-D inverters need the link putting in to get both sides working if run in single string / 2 strings parralleled to same input.

 

[Gavin A]

ouch - do you mean their lawyers are chasing you for the posts made here?

Would surely be a lot better for their reputation if they got their tech guys on this forum to resolve the issue for you instead of bullying you into submission.

didn't realise it was a battery system - chances are that it's actually 1.6kW continuous, 3.2kW short term peak output from the inverter then, as this is how those inverters tend to work. This should really be explained in the sales blurb and technical literature though.

 

[Matt_M]

There is only 1 MPPT being used on this inverter (if it even has 2) because there is only 1 string entering it.

My computer froze while replying, so if you get this twice, apologies.
Here are 3 photos, one front & 2 side. Thanks.View attachment 13851View attachment 13852View attachment 13853

 

[maks_sm]

I suggest 1.6 to be DC charging power limit (actually it is 50 Amps gives you 1.2 kWatt and you are limited with 5 solar pannels only unless the pannels twisted a bit toward sun to spread max) and 2.4 suppose to be AC power limit but it is written on reset bottom 8.7 Amps and I repead tripping 1.5 kWatt so real insert is 6 Amps. Anyway it s so far of declared 3,2 kwatt. MPPsolar.com replyed that best way to use power under 1 kWatt as a few trips may damage inverter. And it stinks when connected to mains even without load. I have a couple of gas testers and will find out what gas it is.

First I asked company for refund and collection of item or replacement. The result is "they accept as insult and pass my details to solicitors". If they arrest me and bring from Ireland to Thailand? Lads, they knows my address! Anyway today I engaged dispute through PayPal as no other way available.

I do not think electricians or engineers on other end exist at all. When I asked what is best way to wire my 4 pannels (on the inverter it says 24-120 Volts so I could go in sequence and that gives me 120 V in Max or Seq-Parall gives me 60 V or parallel 30V) but no reply received. It is no instruction in book about that. Remembering that all declared may be just declared I plugged at my own risk all pannels in parallel

 

[Gavin A]

I suggest 1.6 to be DC charging power limit (actually it is 50 Amps gives you 1.2 kWatt and you are limited with 5 solar pannels only unless the pannels twisted a bit toward sun to spread max) and 2.4 suppose to be AC power limit but it is written on reset bottom 8.7 Amps and I repead tripping 1.5 kWatt so real insert is 6 Amps. Anyway it s so far of declared 3,2 kwatt. MPPsolar.com replyed that best way to use power under 1 kWatt as a few trips may damage inverter. And it stinks when connected to mains even without load. I have a couple of gas testers and will find out what gas it is.

First I asked company for refund and collection of item or replacement. The result is "they accept as insult and pass my details to solicitors". If they arrest me and bring from Ireland to Thailand? Lads, they knows my address! Anyway today I engaged dispute through PayPal as no other way available.

I do not think electricians or engineers on other end exist at all. When I asked what is best way to wire my 4 pannels (on the inverter it says 24-120 Volts so I could go in sequence and that gives me 120 V in Max or Seq-Parall gives me 60 V or parallel 30V) but no reply received. It is no instruction in book about that. Remembering that all declared may be just declared I plugged at my own risk all pannels in parallel

As I suspected, it's clearly advertised as being 3200W surge, 1600W continuous max output - I suspect the 1600 continuous is at 220V, so at higher grid voltages the output will be lower.

This inverter is a 1600w continuous / 3200w surge,

1600w surge 3200w 24v pure sine wave inverter charger inverter power inverter, View inverter charger, MPP Solar Product Details from MPPSOLAR INC. on Alibaba.com

I don't know about Ireland, but in the UK that also wouldn't conform to G83 standards as it outputs at a power factor of 0.8, G83 regs are for PF of 0.95 or higher.

I can't quite work out if it's actually supposed to operate in grid tied mode in parralel with the grid, or more as a UPS supply to supply some circuits seperately to the grid - if the latter then the power factor would probably be ok.

Are you actually a solar trained spark, or DIYer?

 

[maks_sm]

Do no trust Greeks!

Ireland have all same as UK standards. I am BSc in Physics, City&Guilds Engineering Technician e.t.c. So I am a bit understanding and bit curious why microwave shows 1.2 kWt on my Inverter instead of 0.7 kWt. I would belive 0.9 but no more.

I m fed up with bills. I have been chasing this idea for my own household for a couple of years, but installers charged so terrible price equal your electric bill for around 40 years. I sent them calculations but they were not impressed.

System I tryed to set in my house suppose to replace totally your electrical suply if you have enough batteries capacity and enough sonshine and good amount of pannels, charging batteries day and using AC anytime independent of supply. System has mains supply to charge batteries and supply through bypass also if we get nuclear winter. As we are not in Morocco I simply and unplugged inverter-charger from mains and plugged my fridge to AC supplying end. So solar pannels charging batteries and supplying my fridge only. The rest of my electric usage is on mains.

I think AC breaker working on current not on power unless something new. Anyway inverter shows produced Voltage 236 V. Will check if true tomorrow.

This is same inverter-charger 48 V if you like to see. PIP 1624 HS missing from screen on 1 st page or nobody bought yet 48 Volts to claim refund as myself

4000W 48V pure sine wave solar smart UPS inverter charger max 50A | eBay

 

[Gavin A]

Do no trust Greeks!

Ireland have all same as UK standards. I am BSc in Physics, City&Guilds Engineering Technician e.t.c.

in which case I'm a little baffled why you expect an inverter that's listed as being capable of peaking at 3.2kW for a maximum of 5 seconds, or 1.6kW continuous to be doing anything greater than 1.6kW... or be particularly surprised if it trips a little lower than this.

bit off to be complaining about that tbh, as it's doing what it states it will do give or take a small percentage.

Fridges have much higher surge currants on start up of the compressor than their actual ratings, so probably not the best thing to be using with an inverter like this.

you;re right, it will be current, so I've probably got that bit the wrong way round, was posting quickly.

lead acid batteries give off hydrogen on charging, but sounds more like to me that you're running the system too hot and burning off crap left inside in the manufacturing process... or worse. If you're going to buy cheap Chinese rubbish, it's a little unwise to be trying to run it well beyond it's official rated output - I'd think the advice to keep it below 1kW would be sensible.

 

[Gavin A]

that said, it actually looks quite an interesting device.

 

[maks_sm]

It was a book delivered in same box with inverter nothing saying about trippin limits, thanks for informing me.
I am not familiar with all perfect devices in market. The one I purchased:

1. Stinks plugged to mains, two hours work and concentration of CO2 four folds normal in the room with ventilation (Cheked today 9 a.m.). Imagine if you set it ON overnight inverter installed downstairs and never wake up. Fortunatly I set it up in my shed in backyard. I will repead test tomorrow and send official opinion to Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland if it is not late and somebody wakes up in better world.

2. Under rated power. When I ordered I e-mailed to mppsolar that in my household maximum power is 3 kWatt. Nobody from mppsolar.com advised me that it will be in danger to use anything over 1 kWatt and it will be tripping on 1.5 kWatt like it suppose to tripp on 3.2 kWatt with 5 seconds.

3. It s declared like 95% officiency. If It runs fridge 80 Watts inverter itself consume 120-200 Watts. 33,3 and less?

4. Ventilator produce noise like a few bad computers from early 90' s. Imagine it turns ON automatically in midnight and wakes up your neighbours, I m no saying about your family.

5. Finally If you pay for car with 4 wheels and get car with 3 wheels and trying to claim your customer's rights to refund or replace company unleash solicitors on you. Well done Mppsolar.com! That was last straw.

I hope your interest in mppsolar.com inverters dramatically increased.

 

[solarfred]

You paid tuppence for a device that if properly built and certified should cost multiples of £192!! Chances are it is being built from reject parts outside of the legitimate factory and I doubt it is pure sine wave.If you buy a car for £192 I would almost guarantee it has 3 wheels. If it goes up in smoke it will be a nasty experience so I suggest it is not used in the house. A noisy fan tells you it is poor quality as the fan should only operate on occasions when the unit has been running hot for a while. It suggests a lack of heat sinks. The CE certificate has been checked for conformity has it? I bet you did not pay any VAT either? Just a hunch

Apologies to the OP as this thread has been hijacked. Should really be a separate post.