How important is it to adhere to the installation instructions on victron equipment with regards to clearance on inverter installations? Does it really matter if equipment is boxed in tightly with little to no air gap? Will this affect the warranty?
asked
Importance of adherence to clearance requirements?
Clearances are not specifically mentioned as exclusions to the Victron warranty.
Generally lack of clearance is not a reason for a Victron product to fail. Heat sensitive Victron products also include thermal derating - so power output (and heat production) will be reduced as temperature rises.
Installation location DOES become a factor when there is additional sources of heat (such as installation in a machine, engine or generator room) but speaking generally, if the unit is installed in a suitable room, with it's own temperature control or ventilation, without additional external sources of heat, and the system design means that the power reduction is acceptable, then it will not automatically void the warranty.
However please don't consider this a license to ignore the installation guidelines in the product manuals. I would investigate all other possible options first, and only accept installation that contradicts the installation guidance if the alternative was to cancel the job completely.
It would also be very wise to seek a specific confirmation from your supply chain before installation if THEY are also willing to support the system.
The Victron warranty statement terms, conditions and limitations is here if you would like read it yourself, available from the bottom of this support page - https://www.victronenergy.com/support
The warranty states "This warranty will not apply where the product has been misused, neglected, improperly installed, "
Would not following the installation guidance in the manuals be considered improperly installed?
Exactly. it really comes down to if they deny warranty (which they can and you are giving them the opportunity to do so by installing it improperly) - are you willing and able to fight it ? As in it probably involves you being willing to involve legal work to force them to accept your warranty claim. Is it worth it and something you want to risk. Even if someone said it here, which Im sure they wont nor will it be binding - the person who actually makes the decision on accepting warranty claim or not is who you need/want. And I doubt that person is here.
It’s a broad term, and to be sure, I would run the installation plan past the distributor or area sales manager for their opinion if you were in doubt, or could foresee the installation placement potentially leading to failure.
Victron has a well deserved reputation for good faith honouring of warranty, and does not look for ways to avoid a legitimate warranty claim.
How hard do you want to run it, how long do you want it to last? The product capabilities stated in the datasheet are based on installing it as per the manual. You'll note that the equipment becomes less capable as it's ambient air temperature goes up. You'll also decrease its life running by restricting it's airflow and hence running it hotter.
If you want to run it at low load, intermittently you might get away with it.
You'll almost certainly void your warranty in my view.
Thanks for your answer but very much need an answer from a victron member of staff regarding the warranty,
Thank you though and your input is really appreciated
Perhaps you could read the Technical Notes regarding temperature derating.
Hi, I have but it’s much more about how this affects the warranty, I’m guessing it’ll invalidate it personally but it’s for a client who’s bought a huge unit from a supplier with no planning as to where to fit it.
Is there anything wrong in this picture in terms of the distances from the Multiplus unit?
It's tight around the Multi, but I would not consider it a warranty voiding problem with that installation from my perspective.
The MPPT is a heat source, and it has plenty of natural airflow around it's rear heat sink.
The Multiplus uses fan forced cooling and draws from below, and vents out the top. It seems like there is enough room that the installer could have to allowed more space above the MultiPlus, which would be better, but there is enough to allow airflow. The sides are less important, but again more space is better if possible.
In the worst case, if the Multi does tend to overload or over temperature, increasing the clearance at the top would improve performance.
So, this minimum 100mm from each side of the MP is not critical, and I can hang 3 units, let say, 30 mm from each other?
Why than, there is >100mm in the instruction?
Please see my other answer and consult with your supplier for specific installation advice.
Ok, I understand that the installation can ignore/bent rules as long as is done by Victron certified installer/dealer.
Picture I posted is from this article:
https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2020/08/11/video-shows-ess-installation/
@MarekP - Victron is very reasonable when it comes to assessing warranty claims.
We stand by the product, and will not try to wiggle out of a claim on a technicality, if it had no bearing on the fault or failure.
To make this work, we rely on a trusted network of distributors to work with their installers to overcome the challenges that emerge when installing the products in the real world.
The hard line is yes, the products must be installed according to the specifications in the manual.
The reality is the equipment is installed in all sorts of conditions, configurations and not all of these are perfect.
We build the gear tough enough to hopefully withstand the real world challenges that are out there, and if it fails, we will do our best to make things right.
I get that your answer is a bit tongue in cheek, but it is true to a degree, if an installer commits to learning the Victron products, their strengths and limitations, then we will also support them and their installations, and help them to improve their processes and training so that mistakes are not repeated if that leads to the (repeated) failure of a component.
In the example you posted, if the installer made a warranty claim not because the equipment failed completely, but because it was reporting over temp and over load alarms well below it’s rated capacity, then replacement would be unlikely to be a remedy, so the installer would be advised to modify the installation to make the recommended clearances.
Due to the temperature derating safety features, that should be the equipment working correctly and as designed. It should not lead to a total failure unless something was actually wrong with the unit itself - and then a warranty claim probably would be considered.
But this is all very hypothetical, and considering there isn’t many (any?) posts on this community of over 11,000 complaining about an ACTUAL issue with the handling of warranties, I think enough has probably been said :)
