Question: Please has anyone been successfully operating 48V 15KVA Quattro continuously at close to its maximum rating (12KW) for long period (one year or more)? My system is designed for significant increase in 230V AC load in the near future, but my Quattro has been giving me concerns even at low loads right from the beginning. I have initiated RMA with the dealer but I just want to know my options for future planning.
Background: I have two sites with almost identical design; installed in April 2023 and July 2023, respectively. The Quattro in the first site has not given me any concerns yet. For the second site, the Quattro zero load power self-consumption has been a source of concern from day one. It's been a significant drain on my precious battery storage so much so that I have not really used the Quattro for up to 1 month (cumulative) since I installed it. The manual that came with the Quattro says it should be 80W but it has consistently been greater than 150W. I have been using my backup 8kW Sorotec inverter for almost all the time. Been switching on the Quattro once in a while mostly during daytime for mostly no-load preservation purpose. Been all the while in conversation with the dealer who have been expressing doubt about existence of zero load power issue. Recently I bought additional Smart Shunt and installed for dedicated measurement of the zero-load power of the Quattro. My original (DVCC) calculation/indication of the zero-load power being greater than the Quattro's design specification limit was confirmed and dealer stopped doubting that this issue exists. This is the first sign of issues with this Quattro.
The second issue with this 15KVA Quattro is that the fans have NEVER come on since day one. Recently I tested it with increased load and temperature alarm came up at just 4.6 kW load and the fans never came on. Alarm goes away if you reduce the load. This has me thinking that the Quattro at the other site may similarly fail when I increase the load in future per my plan. Who knows what would happen if I connect to grid or generator and use the Quattros in charger mode?
Now the reason I switched to using Victron products is because my Chinese product (8kW Sorotec) was giving temperature alarm when loaded to about 5kW (at least the fans come on) and I didn't want to mess around with retrofitting the inverter / changing the fans like some suggested. I thought the Victron products come load tested from factory both in inverter-only mode and in charger mode. I feel deeply disappointed that a 12kW rated Victron inverter is overheating at an even lower percentage load. I feel disappointed having to spend money to return (and possibly later retrieve) such (4 to 5 times more) expensive Victron product to/from the dealer/distributor. The hassles do not seem to justify the confidence and big extra cost of switching to Victron.
System Setup: Fully off-grid. 13.8kWp solar panels on roof, 2 x Smart Solar RS 100A MPPT's, 1 x 48V 15kVA Quattro, initially 40kWh but now 90kWh LFP battery packs, Smart Shunt for battery packs, new dedicated Smart Shunt installed in Quattro DC connection to DC busbars, Cerbo GX, GX Touch 70, Victron DC busbars with cover, Sorotec 8kW inverter (originally intended as backup inverter; 60W zero load consumption) as DC load. Good clearance space around Quattro. Quattro installed in upright position on specifically designed stool with sufficient clearance space/ventilation in all directions including below the unit.
