You invested in power inverters because they play a crucial role in your organization’s operations. You can ill-afford for the equipment to fail and leave other equipment without the DC to AC power inversion it needs to operate efficiently.
Unfortunately, this happens many industrial power users each year. That’s the bad news. The good news is that many inverter failures can be prevented, if you know what causes them. Below are four common reasons why inverters fail, and what you can do to help prevent it.
1. Lack of Maintenance
As with other types of industrial power equipment, inverters require scheduled maintenance to remain in top operating condition. When maintenance is spotty or non-existent, it can significantly reduce the lifespan of an inverter and lead to expensive repairs.
Solution: Maintain inverters according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you lack the capacity to maintain your own inverters, use the manufacturer’s maintenance services. If the manufacturer doesn’t provide maintenance, seek out an experienced third party that does.
2. Adverse Operating Conditions
Sometimes, there’s no choice but to use an inverter under adverse conditions, such as the presence of airborne contaminants, heavy vibration, and extreme temperature. If you don’t use inverters that are designed to withstand the adversities, the equipment could fail quickly.
Solution: If your inverter must operate under adverse conditions such as the ones above, choose an inverter than has NEBS Level 3 certification. This certification ensures that an inverter is designed to withstand conditions that could easily incapacitate standard inverters.
3. Malfunction of Electrical Parts
No matter how well-made they are, industrial power inverters eventually experience faulty parts — usually near the end of their lifespan. Most users learn about the electrical malfunction of an inverter after the problem causes the equipment to fail, but it’s possible to detect electrical problems when they start, instead of further down the line.
Solution: Include infrared scanning in your scheduled maintenance plan. Handheld infrared scanners can detect a “hot spots” caused by electrical problem, before the problem spirals out of control. By detecting and repairing the problem early, you may avoid buying a new unit.
4. Wrong Grade of Equipment
Not all grades of inverters are designed for industrial applications, particularly residential-grade and commercial-grade inverters. Many inverters fail simply because they aren’t designed to meet industrial power needs, but the problem is easy to avoid.
Solution: Invest in industrial-grade inverters, and avoid using residential-grade and commercial-grade inverters. The latter two types of inverters may be less expensive,
But their lifespan is usually quite short when they are used for industrial power needs.
About Exeltech
Since 1991, Exeltech has supplied stock and custom power inverters to industrial users. Our inverter models offer a wide range of features — including NEBS certification — that make it easy for our customers to select precisely the right equipment for their power inversion needs.
For questions about our equipment, or to place an order, please contact us today at 800-886-4683, or email us through our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!
