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I fear Magnum is done.

I just purchased a MS4024 on eBay, mfg. date 7/22, so apparently they're not done yet. Made in Mexico, btw.
Did you buy it knowing of the issues with Magnum?

As of today still have not received my replacement inverter, It’s been almost two months. But it sounds like they are at least building them again, Sadly in Mexico. The guy I spoke with did say it may take 3 months.

Good luck with your Mexico made purchase. Another sad thing my replacement will also be hecho en mexico.
 
Yeah I was aware of their issues but my current MS4024 has been running 24/7 for over 16 years without missing a beat. There's something to be said for never needing customer service or parts. It's also mounted on a Midnite e-panel which isn't compatible with another brand so I'd have to redo a lot of things. I was able to replace my current unit in 30 minutes and now I have a fully functional spare. The new unit seems identical to the old one as far as I can tell.

I'm also 73 and figured I wouldn't outlive 2 of them.
 
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The fact that somebody talked to magnum tech support at all is pretty shocking. They haven't answered their phones since 2016 at least, had their equipment fail (during warranty period) back then and they were just as useless and unresponsive.

My neighbor got the shock of his life when his contact answered the phone for the first time in several months. He confirmed the struggles that Magnum is having with both supply chain and personnel retention, but was confident that things are turning around.
 
Distributor I talked to last week told me that they had their backorder cancelled after waiting 9 months with no inventory. They're now doing victron/sol-ark instead.
 
Update.

It’s been since October 2022 when I was told they started an RMA for me. After much bugging them I finally got a RMA number and an order number. They told me I should see an email in the next week confirming shipment of a replacement inverter.

I think it’s been almost a year now since I started all this.
 
My MS4024PAE (in a 4024+midnite-classic+mini-panel cfg) is past it's 5-yr warranty by a year or so, and still going strong ... every time I've ever emailed them (the only way I do business), they've emailed back after a day, and we've always received good advice. This thing is solid ...

I'm self-supporting, so haven't ever needed more than an occasional email to confirm anything I was thinking ...

If and when this workhorse finally dies, I might choose to try an EBAY'd 4024 replacement ... if the core of it, the 4024 itself, weren't so pricy (pretty much $3000), I would've had a spare on the shelf by now (I like redundancy in everything).

More likely, I'll see what I can do with $3k in moving to an AIO and 48v. Either way, it's a snap to roll out a temporary AIO scenario while decisions are made, parts are ordered/rec'd, solution put in place.

However, supply chains, support mechanisms ... they've all fallen by the wayside for most every company, or have morphed into something not pretty. Either be self-supporting, or be happy with the grid ...

I expect I'll be making board-level repairs before long, and hope I have a decent electronics bench in place by then ... as long as the world hasn't moved to potting the crap out of everything!
 
My MS4024PAE (in a 4024+midnite-classic+mini-panel cfg) is past it's 5-yr warranty by a year or so, and still going strong ... every time I've ever emailed them (the only way I do business), they've emailed back after a day, and we've always received good advice. This thing is solid ...

When was the last time this happened? My neighbor has tried all avenues and rarely gets a call answered or a return email.

Does your MS4024PAE drop to 58.3Hz output for several hours every day and then go back to 60Hz?

I'm self-supporting, so haven't ever needed more than an occasional email to confirm anything I was thinking ...

Cool. How would you address the above issue?
 
Even though I almost gave up trying to get into Magnums tech support via the phone, I sent an email and a tech (Michael Campbell) wrote back and was able to help me with a question I had with their MR-ARC remote. He then gave me his direct extension so I've been able to get in with no waiting on subsquint calls. He did say that since they were acquired the new owners are revamping their phone customer service department and expected it to be fully online shortly.
 
When was the last time this happened? My neighbor has tried all avenues and rarely gets a call answered or a return email.

Does your MS4024PAE drop to 58.3Hz output for several hours every day and then go back to 60Hz?



Cool. How would you address the above issue?
I now have a reliable connection I can PM you had s number. He always calls back within a day or same day.
 
Ditto to the above posts ... email always seemed to get responses ... checking my email history, my last email round, however, was 11/2021 (8 months prior to early thread dates), asking about THD from gen into inverter, and answered within 24 hours (some back and forth emails). I just haven't had many issues since initial setup. The frequency thing ... never seen it here.

I also admit to not having any kind of 24hr "power quality" monitoring solution in place ... I can spot-check with DMM, and try to review UPS (apc smart software), but don't have anything better at the moment. Open to suggestions on what should be implemented to monitor all power quality items and gather data (in my off-grid scenario, and with my inverter/mppt type).

How to address neighbor's issue is the usual ... lots of online research at many forums and other sources ...

https:// diysolarforum.com/threads/sunny-boy-frequency-shift-regulation-of-power-output-which-models-work-per-spec.6004/

firmware levels (these things have several levels of software, if I recall correctly), and perhaps his ME-ARC (if in the mix) is different than mine ... settings, so more variables to sort through.

Get some power quality test equipment in there (if justified, and reasonably available) ... a great problem definition and proof (not just neighbor's statements) is half the battle.

discuss with an EE (if you can find one ... not many available on forums, but perhaps other, local sources?)

such (deep) research and "troubleshooting" seems to be a dying art? Even with you helping your neighbor, problem determination and troubleshooting to root cause isn't easy, and it has to be done methodically. From your posts, I believe you would do so ... whereas with/through a neighbor, even with you guiding?

And the problem itself? the grid has a range of frequency (and other power quality metrics) they are "allowed" to rise or fall to, even though they strive to keep it at 60hz ... what does any inverter company say about the same "range" of output; what are their "allowances"? Not just magnum, but all of them ...

Hope this doesn't sound inflammatory ... just trying to brainstorm ...
 
Ditto to the above posts ... email always seemed to get responses ... checking my email history, my last email round, however, was 11/2021 (8 months prior to early thread dates), asking about THD from gen into inverter, and answered within 24 hours (some back and forth emails). I just haven't had many issues since initial setup. The frequency thing ... never seen it here.

I also admit to not having any kind of 24hr "power quality" monitoring solution in place ... I can spot-check with DMM, and try to review UPS (apc smart software), but don't have anything better at the moment. Open to suggestions on what should be implemented to monitor all power quality items and gather data (in my off-grid scenario, and with my inverter/mppt type).

Stand alone inverter completely off grid.

How to address neighbor's issue is the usual ... lots of online research at many forums and other sources ...

https:// diysolarforum.com/threads/sunny-boy-frequency-shift-regulation-of-power-output-which-models-work-per-spec.6004/

N/A - no frequency shifting for grid tie or AC coupling.

firmware levels (these things have several levels of software, if I recall correctly), and perhaps his ME-ARC (if in the mix) is different than mine ... settings, so more variables to sort through.

That's been discussed with Magnum. Essentially, he finally gets in touch with someone, they say, "that's really weird, I'm going to have to get with Engineering," and then he never hears back.

Get some power quality test equipment in there (if justified, and reasonably available) ... a great problem definition and proof (not just neighbor's statements) is half the battle.

Kill-a-watt plugged in 24/7 to at least monitor it real time, and he loses 7-8 minutes per day on all clocks that are frequency dependent.

discuss with an EE (if you can find one ... not many available on forums, but perhaps other, local sources?)

Rural area. Hard to find folks with full sets of teeth, let alone one with an EE.

such (deep) research and "troubleshooting" seems to be a dying art? Even with you helping your neighbor, problem determination and troubleshooting to root cause isn't easy, and it has to be done methodically. From your posts, I believe you would do so ... whereas with/through a neighbor, even with you guiding?

I've been down this road, and I've personally invested several hours of diagnostic/research time over several months. This thing exhibited this behavior from day 1.

And the problem itself? the grid has a range of frequency (and other power quality metrics) they are "allowed" to rise or fall to, even though they strive to keep it at 60hz ... what does any inverter company say about the same "range" of output; what are their "allowances"? Not just magnum, but all of them ...

The only "grid" present is the one formed by the Magnum itself. The nearest power pole is two 40 acre parcels away.

Hope this doesn't sound inflammatory ... just trying to brainstorm ...

Nope.

It keeps coming down to there being no external reason this is happening. The vendor has no clue, and the first line folks at Magnum have no clue and claim to escalate it, but it just dies.
 
I had a hard time picking out the exact problems in this:

"Multiple calls and emails about a mysterious drop to 58.3Hz from 60Hz for several hours on some days unless he's pulling a heavy load on another inverter attached to the same bank running his well pump. On days he doesn't run his well pump, he loses 7-8 minutes on many of his clocks that are 60Hz dependent."

Can you/he break it down better for us?

Not sure a kill-o-watt is the right tool ... but, who has access to a (fluke) PQM in his area? Can he ask/pay the local grid folks to come monitor for a few days? Some electrician?

I looked around ... don't think I have any clocks that are still frequency-based, and would lose some time if frequency drifted ... all mine are digital (wall-wart, so range they accept is huge).

Does neighbor have "older" clocks, the kind that plug in? Is this the "big" problem for him, or how else is frequency drift causing grief? Other equipment being affected? This problem (once I can break it down) will make my troubleshooting list ...
 
I see a number of the Magnum units on Amazon now. I am running two Magnum mspae 4448 inverters. They have ran rock solid for the year I have owned them. I use around 30kw a day through the Magnums. The Magnum expandability is really great. I am running two Magnums networked together and you can hook up 4 to provide over 12kw of power. One of my two Magnums basically just idles and waits for some high current equipment to turn on like my hot tub.

The thing I really love about the Magnums is that you do not have to do anything. You do not need to be babysitting them or switching this off or that off. When I have low battery voltage and it switches to the grid then the inverters automatically go to standby and soon as the solar charges the battery voltage high enough then the inverters switch on with a slight light flicker and that is it.

When I am on the grid due to low solar then the inverters are drawing idle current from the batteries. I never have to worry about the inverters sucking the batteries dry because the idle current is so low. I have not been able to measure the current draw with my Victron Smart Shunt because it is so low.

I have not needed repair and if I do then I will probably pick up another Magnum since I like them so well.

I am currently running the whole house off of the Magnums and not using any grid power. I currently am running a hot tub and a pool pump in the summer for the big energy drains.

I have done electronic repair all of my life so cracking open a Magnum is not something that I am afraid of. It sounds like I would be able to get most anything I need off of Ebay. Typically, I do not usually contact any service facility.

I do not regret purchasing my Magnums at all. I guess I am one of those Magnum dinosaurs because I love my Magnums.
 
I had a hard time picking out the exact problems in this:

"Multiple calls and emails about a mysterious drop to 58.3Hz from 60Hz for several hours on some days unless he's pulling a heavy load on another inverter attached to the same bank running his well pump. On days he doesn't run his well pump, he loses 7-8 minutes on many of his clocks that are 60Hz dependent."

Can you/he break it down better for us?

He also has a Sigineer 24V/6kW on the same bank for the well pump. They aren't connected in any other way. He didn't have sufficient PV to power that pump, but he can offset about 70% of it. When he'd run the pump for about an hour, it would draw the battery down even at peak PV and delay the time the battery hit absorption voltage (2X Outback FM-80), and sometimes 58.3Hz wouldn't happen. On other days when the pump wasn't ran, the Magnum would drop to 58.3Hz at the approximate time the battery hit absorption voltage and would stay at 58.3Hz for about 6-8 hours.

He's since installed a smaller pump (2hp) and enough PV to fully power the pump AND charge batteries, I don't know if it's still happening on pump days, and he doesn't know off the top of his head, so he's going to document it the next time he pumps (typically only 1-2 days/week). He expects it is because resetting clocks is a daily event.

Not sure a kill-o-watt is the right tool ... but, who has access to a (fluke) PQM in his area? Can he ask/pay the local grid folks to come monitor for a few days? Some electrician?

I trust a kill-a-watt to report a frequency value. He actually has two. One in the pump house with the inverter and one in the kitchen. They are always in agreement. He's also confirmed it with a Klein CL800. I've confirmed it with my Fluke 116.

I looked around ... don't think I have any clocks that are still frequency-based, and would lose some time if frequency drifted ... all mine are digital (wall-wart, so range they accept is huge).

Microwave clock (2 year old Panasonic Inverter microwave). Oven clock. Bose clock radio - pretty much all the clocks in the kitchen.

Does neighbor have "older" clocks, the kind that plug in? Is this the "big" problem for him, or how else is frequency drift causing grief? Other equipment being affected? This problem (once I can break it down) will make my troubleshooting list ...

Nothing else is affected. I get that it's not a big deal from that regard, but the inverter is operating outside of published specification for an unknown reason creating a noteworthy daily nuisance. Generally speaking, when I find something that is running outside of specification, I am not willing to consider that it is as reliable as it should be. This odd behavior may be indicative of a premature failure.
 
He also has a Sigineer 24V/6kW on the same bank for the well pump. They aren't connected in any other way. He didn't have sufficient PV to power that pump, but he can offset about 70% of it. When he'd run the pump for about an hour, it would draw the battery down even at peak PV and delay the time the battery hit absorption voltage (2X Outback FM-80), and sometimes 58.3Hz wouldn't happen. On other days when the pump wasn't ran, the Magnum would drop to 58.3Hz at the approximate time the battery hit absorption voltage and would stay at 58.3Hz for about 6-8 hours.

He's since installed a smaller pump (2hp) and enough PV to fully power the pump AND charge batteries, I don't know if it's still happening on pump days, and he doesn't know off the top of his head, so he's going to document it the next time he pumps (typically only 1-2 days/week). He expects it is because resetting clocks is a daily event.



I trust a kill-a-watt to report a frequency value. He actually has two. One in the pump house with the inverter and one in the kitchen. They are always in agreement. He's also confirmed it with a Klein CL800. I've confirmed it with my Fluke 116.



Microwave clock (2 year old Panasonic Inverter microwave). Oven clock. Bose clock radio - pretty much all the clocks in the kitchen.



Nothing else is affected. I get that it's not a big deal from that regard, but the inverter is operating outside of published specification for an unknown reason creating a noteworthy daily nuisance. Generally speaking, when I find something that is running outside of specification, I am not willing to consider that it is as reliable as it should be. This odd behavior may be indicative of a premature failure.
A possible solution or maybe just a band aid would be to purchase another mspae 4024 and then network them together with the me artr such that the new one is the master and the one with the frequency issue is the slave. The slave would have to be in sync with the master and then it could not go to the 58 hz frequency.
 
He also has a Sigineer 24V/6kW on the same bank for the well pump. They aren't connected in any other way. He didn't have sufficient PV to power that pump, but he can offset about 70% of it. When he'd run the pump for about an hour, it would draw the battery down even at peak PV and delay the time the battery hit absorption voltage (2X Outback FM-80), and sometimes 58.3Hz wouldn't happen. On other days when the pump wasn't ran, the Magnum would drop to 58.3Hz at the approximate time the battery hit absorption voltage and would stay at 58.3Hz for about 6-8 hours.

He's since installed a smaller pump (2hp) and enough PV to fully power the pump AND charge batteries, I don't know if it's still happening on pump days, and he doesn't know off the top of his head, so he's going to document it the next time he pumps (typically only 1-2 days/week). He expects it is because resetting clocks is a daily event.



I trust a kill-a-watt to report a frequency value. He actually has two. One in the pump house with the inverter and one in the kitchen. They are always in agreement. He's also confirmed it with a Klein CL800. I've confirmed it with my Fluke 116.



Microwave clock (2 year old Panasonic Inverter microwave). Oven clock. Bose clock radio - pretty much all the clocks in the kitchen.



Nothing else is affected. I get that it's not a big deal from that regard, but the inverter is operating outside of published specification for an unknown reason creating a noteworthy daily nuisance. Generally speaking, when I find something that is running outside of specification, I am not willing to consider that it is as reliable as it should be. This odd behavior may be indicative of a premature failure.
Mine is a 4448 but I’m going to thro a Kill O watt on the kitchen wall and watch it for the poops and giggles.
So far the only stuff that don’t like the inverter is my clothes washer and poop box cheep chest freezer.
 
I see a number of the Magnum units on Amazon now. I am running two Magnum mspae 4448 inverters. They have ran rock solid for the year I have owned them. I use around 30kw a day through the Magnums. The Magnum expandability is really great. I am running two Magnums networked together and you can hook up 4 to provide over 12kw of power. One of my two Magnums basically just idles and waits for some high current equipment to turn on like my hot tub.

The thing I really love about the Magnums is that you do not have to do anything. You do not need to be babysitting them or switching this off or that off. When I have low battery voltage and it switches to the grid then the inverters automatically go to standby and soon as the solar charges the battery voltage high enough then the inverters switch on with a slight light flicker and that is it.

When I am on the grid due to low solar then the inverters are drawing idle current from the batteries. I never have to worry about the inverters sucking the batteries dry because the idle current is so low. I have not been able to measure the current draw with my Victron Smart Shunt because it is so low.

I have not needed repair and if I do then I will probably pick up another Magnum since I like them so well.

I am currently running the whole house off of the Magnums and not using any grid power. I currently am running a hot tub and a pool pump in the summer for the big energy drains.

I have done electronic repair all of my life so cracking open a Magnum is not something that I am afraid of. It sounds like I would be able to get most anything I need off of Ebay. Typically, I do not usually contact any service facility.

I do not regret purchasing my Magnums at all. I guess I am one of those Magnum dinosaurs because I love my Magnums.
I love my Magnums. I just so happen got a bad one in a bad time to get a bad one I guess. Kinda pissed that they have moved manufacturing to Mexico. I noticed when I finally got in contact with customer service their new headquarters is located in Fort Worth Texas. I was told that they are basically starting over from fresh.
 
So there's hope.
I got an rma 3 weeks ago. But since then , crickets. Let's hope this crap gets figured out.
All those 20k $ prewired systems out there might start having issues with no recourse.

Keep us posted if you get a ship date.
Greg
 
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