Inverter fan noise

[math55]

I just bought a cabin which has 2 solar panels with 600W together (300W each). My inverter has 600W continuous power and 1200W peak power. The inverter is connected to a 12V 80AH car battery. As soon as I plug my 45W laptop in (nothing else connected), the fan starts blowing like crazy. The laptop loads just fine and also pretty fast and I can also turn on some room lights, but I still wonder why the fan starts so early even though I do not use that much W.

Can this be solved by buying a lets say 2000W inverter? The fan noise is really annoying.

Thanks !

 

[Mattb4]

Some inverters have fans that run when any load is applied or load above a certain level. They are generally the lower cost ones. Better quality ones will use a temperature sensor to determine when cooling is needed. So just buying a higher watt rating likely will not solve the fan running if it is a bargain basement inverter.

 

[JoeHam]

This is a long shot but you may want to open the case up, after disconnecting from the battery and discharging capacitors.

Not knowing how old the inverter is you may need to blow dust out of it and perhaps evict some spiders or other bugs. Take a look for any obstruction to airflow.

Also post the make and model and we may be able to figure out if its a fan always on type of inverter or not. If so, be sure to replace it with one that does not operate in that fashion (temp controlled fans).

 

[math55]

Thanks! Could you guys recommend a good inverter? Mine is a ProPlus, does not say much more on the cover. It looks like it wasnt the most expensive though :-D.

 

[rhino]

The cheapest fix if you are mainly just using laptop is to find a DC to DC convert for your laptop. Your laptop is running on DC anyways and the power cord you use currently to plug it in is converting AC to DC. So if you get something to power your laptop directly off of DC it will be more efficient and not use the inverter at all.

 

[math55]

Thanks for your answers ... its not only about the laptop, the fan starts running even after switching on 3 normal room lights which might have 50W together. I am only wondering why it happens so early ... I mean if it started at 500W, ok, but after about 1/10 of the W it supports? So again, would buying a "bigger" inverter solve the issue with the fan?

Thanks

 

[rhino]

Thanks for your answers ... its not only about the laptop, the fan starts running even after switching on 3 normal room lights which might have 50W together. I am only wondering why it happens so early ... I mean if it started at 500W, ok, but after about 1/10 of the W it supports? So again, would buying a "bigger" inverter solve the issue with the fan?

Thanks

Please read what @Mattb4 said. Many cheap ones do not use temperature to determine if they actually need to run the fan. If you got a "cheap" bigger inverter it could do same thing. If you want to guarantee quietness you should get a MorningStar SureSine inverter which comes in a range of sizes and has no fans and relies completely on passive cooling. Otherwise you need to look for a higher quality brand that does have fans but only turns on when needed such as Victron, Outback, etc.

Getting a larger inverter then what you need introduces inefficiency because they are more efficient closer to the upper range of their rating. So theoretically a 300W inverter will be more efficient running a 200W load than a 1000W inverter running same load. The larger inverters will also have a larger "zero load" draw meaning they will waste more power when nothing needs it compared to a smaller inverter of same quality.

 

[SamDeleted]

How about replacing the fans with silenced ones (noctua are the best)

Just have to match the voltage (5v or 12v) and the number of cables (2pin , 3pin or 4pin)


It's easy !

 

[math55]

Thanks for all the answers ... I checked the price of the inverter I have and it seems to be one of the cheaper ones. I think Id go for one with passive cooling .

Thanks!