Equipment longevity expectations?

Recently inherited a off grid house and am debating how much longer I should expect the equipment to last,or if I'm already on borrowed time. The Original outback 3524 inverter and flex max 60 are now 13ish years old.

The charge controller will likely be upgraded to something larger when I expand the solar array. Probably switch to a 150/85 or 250/85 victron depending on panel selection.

I know of a pair of 20 year old Outback 3648's that were in daily use that entire time. The owner just recently switched over to a Sol-Ark with LFP.

Quality stuff, run it as long as it works.
OK to get backup equipment you can swap when needed.

Heat and humidity are what causes failures, including self-heating from higher current.

Take a look at Midnight Rosie and Classic or Hawkes Bay. Same engineers who designed some Outback equipment, also Trace (acquired by Schneider.)

My Trace SW4048 inverters are from 1999, still in use today. 130 lbs. each. I know of even older ones that are still working fine.

One does need a friend to help mount it though. Good luck getting that friend to help you mount another one.

Likely it depends on how it well it was installed, used and maintained by the folks before you. Other than that is things tend to fail at the worst possible time and when parts are unavailable. Backup planning is always a good idea.

Those products are what built those companies, they are built like TANKS, and 13 years ago, I believe the most expensive top quality there was, pretty much. Probably still get a few years out of that gear but you mentioned upgrades etc, if you do that, keep this stuff for backup. Not much resale cause they are old but sure could save your keister in a pinch if you got it.

Might even be possible to set it up on a portable dolly but with plugs to connect things. Or if you have outbuildings - garage ?

Pictures would be nice.

Is your inverter installed on a back panel that holds breakers and busbars?

My FlexMax charge controller and Magnum 4448 inverter are from 2014 or so and are still going strong. I converted to lithium and set up custom charge parameters in the old equipment. Everything is fine.

I bought my Outback 3524s and MX60s in 2004. They were running strong in July 2022 when I replaced the whole system with a SolArk 12K. (To the astonishment of many, the HUP SolarOne batteries were still functional, too). If you're going to upgrade, you will probably find it easier to just ditch the whole system and go to a 48V setup.

KITROBASKIN said:

Pictures would be nice.

Is your inverter installed on a back panel that holds breakers and busbars?

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It does not have any integrated breakers or bus bars. Ill be down there next week and can grab some pictures. Has large xantrex DC panel with a breaker for inverter and flex max 60 SCC.

I have been flip flopping on the 48v system idea. Need to spend some time down there and feel it out. Current dilemma is mostly battery capacity, slightly short on solar. The panels are all similar age and a real mix of oddball panels/voltage/current that work but don't quite match up. Keeping my out on a deal, may replace the mish mash 1400watts with 4 550 watt panels or 6 300ish panels. Will likely end up over panelling and upgrading to a larger SCC later.

Have consider buying 16 cells and building two 280ah 24v packs. If i replace the inverter down the road id consider buying a new BMS and combing to one 48 volt pack. Could also repack into 12v batteries for friends RVs that a reluctant to switch.

I bought a 1000 watt Xantrex inverter and a Trimetric meter in 1993 that has been used almost 24/7 since then. Over those 30 years I've cooked several inverters but the old MSW Xantrex and Trimetric meter keep on trucking.

Also have the trimetric but it is not calibrated at the moment, probably hasn't been in 3 battery bank changes. I installed a victron smart shunt so i can gather data on consumption and plan for batteries.

Dooug said:

Also have the trimetric but it is not calibrated at the moment, probably hasn't been in 3 battery bank changes. I installed a victron smart shunt so i can gather data on consumption and plan for batteries.

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I just retired the Trimetric in exchange for the TBD smart shunt. I'll toss it in my old electronics box where someday it'll be a collectable antique like the Commodore SX64 "portable" computer it is next to.

Llaves said:

I bought my Outback 3524s and MX60s in 2004. They were running strong in July 2022 when I replaced the whole system with a SolArk 12K. (To the astonishment of many, the HUP SolarOne batteries were still functional, too). If you're going to upgrade, you will probably find it easier to just ditch the whole system and go to a 48V setup.

Click to expand...

That's interesting to hear you mention your SolarOne HUP lead-acid battery still going strong at 18 years. When I went off-grid in 2018, I installed a SolarOne HUP lead-acid battery of 840 amp hour capacity due to that batteries reputation for longevity. It was one of the most expensive lead-acid battery options up front but the least expensive long-term due to its expected service life.

Back in 2016, when I was seriously researching equipment options, the new battery technologies like lithium-iron-phosphate that are so popular today, where still an emerging and pricy option with a limited track record. For that reason, I decided to go with tried and true lead-acid until time showed where the new battery technologies were headed.

It was estimated that properly cared for, my SolarOne HUP battery should deliver a 20 year service life. Now 7 years in, it is indeed giving me good service and I'm encouraged to hear of the long service life you got out of yours.