Fronius IG inverter under performing

Is your Fronius IG Inverter under performing?

IS your Fronius inverter only producing a low amount of power? As a Fronius service partner on a number of occasions we’ve seen Fronius IG inverters that are not producing as much power as they should be, but no error codes are shown on the display. Unfortunately as no error message is being displayed people often don’t realise they have a problem with the system.

The first thing to check if your system is under performing is that there is no shading on the solar panels, as if there is any shading present on any of the solar panels it will be very detrimental to the performance of your solar power system. If you have checked the panels and you definitely don’t have a problem with shading then it may be an issue with your Fronius inverter.

Can you hear the inverter fan running?

The easiest way to check if the under performance of your solar power system is due to a problem with your inverter is to put your ear to the inverter in the middle of a sunny day and listen – you should be able to hear the quiet whir of the inverter’s internal fan. If over a period of time you can’t hear any noise from the fan it may well be that the fan has failed and is causing the under performance of the system.

Usually if the fan inside a Fronius inverter fails it will come up with an over heating fault code such as a STATE 303 or STATE 304 error code, but we’ve found that sometimes for one reason or another the fan fails and instead of shutting the inverter down and displaying an error code it just derates the power production of the system. This keeps the inverter operating but it will be performing well below the optimal level that it should be. The power production is derated so the inverter doesn’t get too hot and cause further damage to the system.

The internal fan inside the Fronius IG inverter is a 12V fan, very similar to what you will find in a desktop computer. The fans seem to start failing when the inverter is about 6 or 7 years old, and when the fan fails obviously it can no longer control the inverter’s internal temperature.

Unfortunately when the fan tends to fail in the Fronius IG inverters it usually damages the DC-DC board inside the inverter as well, so both components usually end up needing to be replaced. If it was just the fan then it would be a relatively inexpensive repair, however when it’s both the fan and the DC-DC board it’s not the same story..

How to get a Fronius IG Inverter under performance issue fixed

Gold Coast Solar Power Solutions are a Fronius Service Partner If your Fronius inverter is still within the warranty period or even if you’re not sure (a 5 year warranty is standard) then you can call Fronius directly on 03 8340 2910 or if you’re near the Gold Coast or Brisbane you can contact us here.

Before we can provide any advice we will require your inverter’s serial number which can be found underneath the inverter. It will be 8 digits followed by a / and 2 more digits, such as 12345678/20.

If your inverter is out of the warranty you have 2 options: