Outdoor rated inverter

[Robkh]

Outdoors I set up a shed with EG4 6500 EX48 with one EG4 Lifepower 48V battery to run LED lights on my gazebo, internet, chargers and occasionally use it to power shop vacs, etc.
Problem is that the maximum operating temperature of the EG4 EX48 is 104degrees F and I live in Phoenix where the temperatures have been 115+ degrees - as a result Fault 02 is seen and the inverter shuts down.
Signature Solar reminded me that the EG4 EX48 is not an outdoor rated inverter.

Question:
What would you recommend as a 48V “outdoor rated“ inverter that can tolerate a higher operating temperature - only need a minimum of 2500W-3000W output.
I heard Renogy has a 48V 3500W inverter that has a maximum operating temperature of 131 degrees F.

 

[Supervstech]

Put a small minisplit in the shed?

I would think a midea window unit set in there would offset the high temps in there… slap up some foam board on the roof and it would even be better…

 

[Hedges]

Question:
What would you recommend as a 48V “outdoor rated“ inverter that can tolerate a higher operating temperature - only need a minimum of 2500W-3000W output.

Page 230

"Continuous AC power at 77°F (25°C) Pnom 5,750 W
AC power for 30 minutes at 77°F (25°C) P30min 7,000 W
AC power for 1 minute at 77°F (25°C) P1min 8,400 W
AC power for 3 seconds at 77°F (25°C) P3sec 11,000 W
Continuous AC power at 104°F (40°C) Pnom 4,700 W
AC power at 104°F (40°C) for 3 hours P3h 5,000 W
Continuous AC power at 122°F (50°C) Pnom 3,500 W
Continuous AC power at 140°F (60°C) Pnom 2,200 W"

https://files.sma.de/downloads/SI4548-6048-US-BE-en-21W.pdf?_ga=2.98701469.2095840498.1689978929-1993228563.1689978929

Oh, sorry. This one isn't outdoor rated. The European model is.
Difference is breaker and SD card on front of US model.
I put silicone sheet over control panel and attaced front cover.
I think you could tape a vapor seal over it, put a lid over that for further protection.
That would make all electronics 4x (if you used glands for wire entries), 3R for fan and transformer.

Also check out Outback.
They have FX (sealed) and VFX (vented)

 

[v_green57]

Any water nearby?

If so, one of these:

Hessaire Reconditioned 1300 CFM 2-Speed Portable Evaporative Cooler (Swamp Cooler) for 500 sq. ft. in Green MC18V-RFB - The Home Depot

This Reconditioned Hessaire 1,300 CFM Evaporative Cooler is compact in size, pleasing in aesthetics and the performance exceeds coolers of a much larger size. This performance is achieved through expanding

www.homedepot.com

65W on low speed, 85W on high.

Right now, it is keeping my 8 - L16's at 86F while ambient is 114.8.

As already mentioned - 2" foam board insulation on all walls that see even a little sun. Strategic placement of shade cloth externally helps too.

Paint the roof with this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/APOC-Silver-Guard-F-0-9-Gallon-Aluminum-Reflective-Roof-Coating-1-Year-Limited-Warranty/1000551531

 

[Robkh]

There is water from a tap and I have that same evaporatIve cooler. Good thought but I wonder how much water that uses daily?

 

[v_green57]

There is water from a tap and I have that same evaporatIve cooler. Good thought but I wonder how much water that uses daily?

Some, of course. I would guess <5 gal/day. I have a bleedoff kit installed in mine to minimize mineralization of the pad and I use the water from that on the plants. So it isn't going to waste.

When we are having a more "normal" summer (105 not 115), it runs somewhere around a 50% duty cycle. Today more like 70%.

For me, it's all about the power consumption. Even a small A/C uses over 10X more power. It seems weird to me to have more solar capacity devoted to keeping the shed cool than I am using for the all the other stuff in the house. But my system is small compared to what others here are doing.

 

[Robkh]

Thank you all of you for your suggestions. I really don’t need a truly “certified outdoor” inverter and as a retiree, my budget can’t be in the thousands.
I need a lowish power output pure inverter that can operate at the elevated temperature experienced in Phoenix - the inverter will be protected from rain as it is inside a small short shed enclosure.

I wonder if a more heat tolerant inverter (suggestions requested) can be used with an inline grow fan (AC Infinity w thermostat) would suffice?

 

[Hedges]

A fan can make a huge difference. It can't reduce heatsink temperature below ambient, but can get it much closer to that. For products without a fan, using one may let it tolerate 20F higher temperatures or more. Most inverters do have a fan, and we don't know how effective it is so don't know how much improvement a large fan can provide. Testing with thermometer or thermocouple on heatsink (or non-contact thermometer) may show you. But only for heatsinked components, some inside rely on internal air alone.

Earth is cooler than outside air in hot climates. Put air through a buried duct, then to inverter?

 

[Supervstech]

A fan can make a huge difference. It can't reduce heatsink temperature below ambient, but can get it much closer to that. For products without a fan, using one may let it tolerate 20F higher temperatures or more. Most inverters do have a fan, and we don't know how effective it is so don't know how much improvement a large fan can provide. Testing with thermometer or thermocouple on heatsink (or non-contact thermometer) may show you. But only for heatsinked components, some inside rely on internal air alone.

Earth is cooler than outside air in hot climates. Put air through a buried duct, then to inverter?

Earth warms rapidly, and insulates well.
Ya need a long tunnel buried to achieve much cooling with air.
Now... if you buried water well below the frost line, then pumped that through a radiator, it should achieve a healthy cooling effect...

 

[v_green57]

Is your shed a full enclosure (all four sides + roof + door?)

You already have the Hessaire. C'mon, give it a try. As a "near-retiree" myself, I watch every penny and can relate. You can stuff it into the door and use some cardboard to fill in the open spots temporarily until you convince yourself it'll work. You do need to provide a way for the cooled air to "flow through" and get out.

I set mine up with a Dial thermostat:

DIAL Evaporative Cooler Digital Controller 7617 - The Home Depot

The Evaporative Cooler Digital Controller automatically turns an evaporative cooler on/off at your pre-programmed temperature setting. Room temperature is constantly displayed on the LCD screen. To ensure

www.homedepot.com

(egads - they have gone up from $49.95 in two years)

but that was before I discovered the much cheaper modules I am using to control heating pads on LFP batteries:

Amazon.com: LM YN DC 12V Digital Thermostat Module -58℉ to 257℉ Fahrenheit Temp Display Temperature Controller Board With 20A Relay Waterproof Sensor Probe Dual LED Display Red Blue: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: LM YN DC 12V Digital Thermostat Module -58℉ to 257℉ Fahrenheit Temp Display Temperature Controller Board With 20A Relay Waterproof Sensor Probe Dual LED Display Red Blue: Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

(yep, I have some installs in Southern Utah that see single digit winter temps. as well as dealing with the 119 summer temps here in PHX.)

Cheaper, and have LED displays rather than the LCD that the Dial does (not backlit and makes me turn the light on to see it).

The "downdraft" duct on the Hessaire diverts some airflow directly on to the battery bank. The rest blows onto the CC's, inverter, etc.

 

[Crowz]

Outdoors I set up a shed with EG4 6500 EX48 with one EG4 Lifepower 48V battery to run LED lights on my gazebo, internet, chargers and occasionally use it to power shop vacs, etc.
Problem is that the maximum operating temperature of the EG4 EX48 is 104degrees F and I live in Phoenix where the temperatures have been 115+ degrees - as a result Fault 02 is seen and the inverter shuts down.
Signature Solar reminded me that the EG4 EX48 is not an outdoor rated inverter.

Question:
What would you recommend as a 48V “outdoor rated“ inverter that can tolerate a higher operating temperature - only need a minimum of 2500W-3000W output.
I heard Renogy has a 48V 3500W inverter that has a maximum operating temperature of 131 degrees F.

My sungold tp6048 while not "outdoor" rated does have a max temp of 122 and 90% humidity.

 

[Hedges]

Wattage at that temperature?

While the Sunny Island 4548-US and 6048-US have just a percentage difference continuous power rating at 25C, and identical 3 second surge rating, 50C ratings differ 2:1 and 60C ratings differ 11:1

Significant differences in cooling, and probably number of transistors in parallel.

 

[Crowz]

Wattage at that temperature?

While the Sunny Island 4548-US and 6048-US have just a percentage difference continuous power rating at 25C, and identical 3 second surge rating, 50C ratings differ 2:1 and 60C ratings differ 11:1

Significant differences in cooling, and probably number of transistors in parallel.

Its a 6000 watt inverter and just says max operating temp 50C and up to 90% humidity with no condensation which is 122F.

No clue if that is handling 122F at idle or loaded.

 

[Rednecktek]

Outdoors I set up a shed with EG4 6500 EX48 with one EG4 Lifepower 48V battery

The outdoor rating is weather rating, if it's in a shed it's not outdoors. A small AirCon would be great, a little window unit would work great as you don't need a lot to install those and they're cheap. A mini-split would be nice if you have the space.

 

[Robkh]

I bought a Midea window air conditioner model MAW12AV1QWT 12,000 BTU $420 online Costco but in the store I got it for $280. I built an extension to my “shed” putting the AC 2 feet from the electrical equipment so my butt can fit there for maintenance work.
It works great, effortless cooling the area down to 86 degrees while it is 118 degrees outside.
Signature Solar is emphatic that the EG4 inverter operating temperature upper limit is 104 deg F, so that eliminates EG4 as an option for those in desert climates and in RVs.

 

[k490]

One of the downsides of living in Phoenix have to spend KW hours on cooling inverters. I have a shed with a window AC original plan was cool it down to high 80's so didn't damage plastics when we hit 119F. I started with 2 panels and a 12V battery after reviewing AC units I thought it would pull 450 watts turned out when it was 115F it pulled close to 980 watts of power. The inverter blows ton of heat the AC unit is cooling the inverter down. I need more power I'm going out there and running it only during on peak off peak I plug the AC unit into long extension cord. It pushed my off peak over some magic number now my utility hit me with an extra $50 even though me on peak is lower.

This is why mostly grid-tie inverters I see on house mounted outside of the house since they are going from 500V PV to 220V ac doesn't get as hot. Trying to go from PV down to 12V or even 48 then back up from 48 to 220V generates lot of heat.