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sebastian-k asked

Phoenix 24/3000, 2.3kW load, high temperature alarm at ambient of +8°C

Hi,

I have tested my Phoenix Smart 24/3000 connected to a battery to charge a car with 10A at 230V and at a cool ambient temperature of +8°C. The Phoenix is mounted on a concrete wall and there is plenty of free air below and above the Phoenix. The air and the wall did not heated up significantly during this test.

The remote console showed 2.25...2.3kW during the test. But after ~2h the Phoenix sent a temperature warning and turned off completely some minutes later. I did not expected a high temperature shutdown at this low ambient temperatures. For sure in summer I would have expected this behaviour as Phoenix is rated for 2400W up to +25°C ambient temperature. But it looks like I have to reduce the charging current even in the winter season (need a new charging cable to test).

Does anybody can confirm this behavior or is it possible my Phoenix has an cooling/efficiency issue and should be claimed at Victron?

Thanks in advance, any hint is appreciated.

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Phoenix InverterTemperature Alarm
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3 Answers
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wolfganglowl answered ·

Hello!
I (and also some other users) have exactly the same problem with the Phoenix 24/3000 or 48/3000 (see also https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/144383/phoenix-smart-inverter-243000-overheating-problem.html).
I use the 48/3000 and also charge my car with 2200W with it. The inverter is also mounted on a concrete wall. After 4 hours at a room temperature of 15°C the inverter shut down with an overtemperature alarm.
According to my dealer, this problem is not known. I will now send my device to the dealer for repair and see. Unfortunately, I bought the device on the Internet and thus have no local contact.

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sebastian-k answered ·

Hello Wolfgang,


thank you for sharing you experiences, so I know my inverter is not the only one showing less continous power than expected / warranted. I am very interested to see the feedback from your dealer / from Victron in your case.

I repeated my tests 3 more times at low ambient temperatures.

At +7°C and with an additional fan mounted below the Phoenix I experienced another high temperature shutdown after 2h:10min at 2.3kW.

At +2°C I "only" got a temperature warning, afterwards my batteries run empty (still above 24.5V). But at the end of this test I measured the surface temperatures: lower front of Phoenix = +7°c, upper front of Phoenix = +15°C, concrete wall besides Phoenix = +2°C.

This should not cause a thermal problem for the Phoenix at all. If there is no individual problem with the Phoenix, Victron should consider to degrade the continous rating or better explain "continous".

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wolfganglowl answered ·

Hello Sebastian!
Your measurements coincide with my observations.
I now suspect that the inverter is indeed too hot internally. I have now got myself a replacement (a Victron 48/5000) and was surprised to find that this stronger inverter draws significantly less current for the same output power, namely 5A less at 52V. So that's about 250W less than the 3000VA version. This would explain why a temperature alarm occurs; these 250W have to go somewhere. The 5000VA inverter also runs much quieter.
My 3000VA inverter is still at the dealer. I am waiting for a feedback. As soon as I have a result, I will let you know.
Kind regards Wolfgang

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wolfganglowl avatar image wolfganglowl commented ·

After I sent the device for repair, I first heard nothing from the dealer for two weeks. Then suddenly a brand new inverter was waiting at the door. There was no comment from the dealer, but I now got a replacement without any discussions. Unfortunately, I could not test the device yet, but I assume that not every inverter has the error of my first device and the problem is therefore solved. Obviously Victron is very accommodating in this case.

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