Hi everybody ! Lately I am reading comments regarding "overpriced" hardware from Victron, and in many comments we can see examples of cheaper alternatives. Ok, but people if there is a higher price, it might be a reason.
Usually, when you buy a branded product from a valuable company, you get SUPPORT, WARRANTY and SERVICES. This has a cost, and it is also calculated in the final price.
I'll tell you my story : I created from A to Z my installation, buying cheaper components from Chinese products. They were working fine (Inverter with integrated MPPT), but it was no way to perform equalization. Then, I bought two MPPTs from the same brand, supposedly being able to be paired and providing enough energy to equalize my battery bank. The problem is they were not correctly fine tuned and the voltage was different from what my Fluke Meter was measuring. I had a serious fight with the seller, and finally the manufacturer connected on my PC remotely to fine tune the MPPTs. Unfortunately, my battery bank was already damaged (sulfation).
I decided to buy the Smartsolar 150/100 MC4 with screen, and since, no more problems with the battery banks (I still use the "damaged one"), but had also to buy new batteries. I spent 8 months with the Tech.Support from the battery manufacturer trying to fix them, and at a point I recovered part of them.
Conclusion : some cheaper solutions do work, some others don't ! If I consider the time spent trying to find a solution, the costs of the "unadapted hardware", the damaged battery bank, it would have been better buying from the start a brand with a serious tech. support. Unfortunately, when I designed my RE Solution, I had not all the needed money, nor the knowledge I have today.
So, better wait to have the financial ressources and buying branded products, than a cheaper solution that will cost you a lot more within a year !
My two cents..
