Has anybody ever experienced issues with Luxpower SNA5000 and slightly humid conditions?

I have 2 in a parallel config. When it’s humid (mostly when raining) my inverters keep tripping, i.e it sounds like a switch going on and off. Eventually after constantly tripping (disconnecting AC and reconnecting) it trips completely and I have to reboot the setup in order to restore power to the house, even though I have a 5kw battery. Happens the entire day until nighttime.

One of the solar technicians I’ve dealt with says it’s my battery which I completely disagree with cause it only happens on humid, rainy days… 

My inverters are both installed in my living room and I live in the Garden Route.

If anybody else have the same issues, what did you do? Will the manufacturer replace them under warranty as both are only 3 months old?

I feel like returning them and pay the difference to replace them with 2 LXP 5kw models…

Extremely dissatisfied 

You obviously have an electrical leakage problem somewhere.  The question is, is it inside the inverter or outside?  Outside would mean (1) your house wiring or (2) auxiliary electric or electronic add-on modules that form part of your inverter system (communication interfaces, isolators, fuses, monitoring devices, etc).

My highest suspicion is on house wiring.  For example, old houses often have their light circuits **NOT** connected to the earth-leakage unit.  When you powered the house from Eskom in this instance, you would never have been alerted.  An inverter however, might have purposeful monitoring circuitry, or it might inadvertently be effected by leakage.

Leakage inside the inverter is highly unlikely, but not impossible.  Firstly your system is new, and secondly you have TWO inverters.  They will not BOTH pick-up internal leakage.  Internal leakage is possible if any foreign matter gets inside.  For instance, ants could carry crap into the unit.  Once the air gets moist, this could interact to become a somewhat conductive layer of dirt and leak across PCB tracks, etc.    

In military electronics and very high grade commercial equipment, PCBs are conformal coated.  This is a type of lacquer coating that is isolating and prevents leakage.  But conformal coating can be a huge nuisance when PCB fault finding and repairing.  The application would also dictate possible conformal coating.  For instance, micro-inverters live in un-kind environments and are thus very likely to be coated, or even totally embedded in some rubber compound.

My advice is as follows:

1. Ensure that your inverters have a good reliable earth.  An unreliable or missing earth can cause all sorts of strange effects.

2. Try to isolate certain circuits (i.e. switch off certain circuit breakers) and see if you can eliminate the problem in this way. If you know which circuit gives the problem, corrective action can then be taken.  The most likely culprits are junction boxes and outside light fittings where there is a good chance of ants, wasps and any other creepy-crawly from building nests or leaving droppings.

 

Also have 2 SNA 5000  Luxpower inverters in parallel.

Problem started with a communications error message. Sent the inverter to Luxpower for repairs. They informed me that there was moisture damage ( unit is 10 months old) were very helpful , cleaned the unit and returned it. That solved the communications error but l now have a Bus voltage high error ( EO 19 ). Problems all on the one inverter.

My installer now informs me that this unit should not be used within 30 kms of the coast. If this is the case Luxpower should be aware of it and disclose it prior to sales. 

Makes no sense to me as l have a 5 year old Mecer in the same garage which works perfectly. 

The second inverter still works perfectly.

My installer has also advised me to replace the SNA model with the XP which has a IP 65 rating.

 

1 hour ago, Bill Gibbens said:

Also have 2 SNA 5000  Luxpower inverters in parallel.

Problem started with a communications error message. Sent the inverter to Luxpower for repairs. They informed me that there was moisture damage ( unit is 10 months old) were very helpful , cleaned the unit and returned it. That solved the communications error but l now have a Bus voltage high error ( EO 19 ). Problems all on the one inverter.

My installer now informs me that this unit should not be used within 30 kms of the coast. If this is the case Luxpower should be aware of it and disclose it prior to sales. 

Makes no sense to me as l have a 5 year old Mecer in the same garage which works perfectly. 

The second inverter still works perfectly.

My installer has also advised me to replace the SNA model with the XP which has a IP 65 rating.

 

@Bill Gibbens I had to do the same.  My units first started with random errors and eventually started tripping constantly to the point where I had to power them down and switch over to just AC. 

I now have 2 LXPs and don't have any problems.  Just note that the EPS output of the LXP models is lower than the AC output in some models. My LXP models can only do 3KW each in EPS mode whereas on AC I get the full 5KW per unit.

But I agree, you will have to replace it!  Fixing it postpones the inevitable of them blowing eventually.  With mine, on a really hot day, you could see water drops forming on some of the circuits when removing the bottom black part.  Both my units were put up in my living room as that was the only possible place so I can't say that humidity was that extreme, after all, I'm in Mossel Bay, and it's generally not humid here.  I'm within 600m of the ocean so that might've contributed a bit

Edited September 6, 20232 yr by DanielJF

21 minutes ago, DanielJF said:

@Bill Gibbens I had to do the same.  My units first started with random errors and eventually started tripping constantly to the point where I had to power them down and switch over to just AC. 

I now have 2 LXPs and don't have any problems.  Just note that the EPS output of the LXP models is lower than the AC output in some models. My LXP models can only do 3KW each in EPS mode whereas on AC I get the full 5KW per unit.

But I agree, you will have to replace it!  Fixing it postpones the inevitable of them blowing eventually.  With mine, on a really hot day, you could see water drops forming on some of the circuits when removing the bottom black part.  Both my units were put up in my living room as that was the only possible place so I can't say that humidity was that extreme, after all, I'm in Mossel Bay, and it's generally not humid here.  I'm within 600m of the ocean so that might've contributed a bit

Which LXP model inverters do you have?

I have 2x LXP-5K Hybrid models now

1 hour ago, DanielJF said:

I have 2x LXP-5K Hybrid models now

Hmm, the datasheet seems to suggest 4KW without solar and 5KW with solar.

 

Got the info from here: https://luxpowertek.com/hybrid-inverter-lxp3-6k

Bit disappointing that the SNA5000 can output 5KW from battery and the LXP5000 only 4KW.

I was going on the spec sticker on the invert:

 

Thanks, will double-check on the website.  But do agree, it is disappointing seeing that it's much more expensive model

Edited September 6, 20232 yr by DanielJF

4 hours ago, DanielJF said:

I was going on the spec sticker on the invert:

 

Thanks, will double-check on the website.  But do agree, it is disappointing seeing that it's much more expensive model

It is what it is. 

That's why specs are provided. SNA is mostly used as a off grid inverter where buyers of the LXP would use it as on grid but still have the Plus of also providing off grid power during LS.