posted 3 years ago
If the inverter manufacturer and their own troubleshooting steps are of no help in bringing it back to life, and it is not under warranty, this would follow my normal repair/recycle steps:
1. unplug it/disconnect everything, open it up (remove all external screws for the case, and look inside); if easily fixable (fuse, etc), then fix it, close it up, and put back in service. This is the time to blow the dust out, de-bug it (literally, as vent holes allow critters to get in ... ants, spiders, etc.), and see if it comes back to life. BTW, all electrical devices should have a maintenance schedule of opening it and cleaning out dust.
2. if not easily fixable (board component fried), at least you know root cause, and can take steps to avoid this issue (different operations, another vendor, etc.)
3. if you can't determine the problem at all, then write it off and finish recycling it.
Recycle it completely by taking apart and unscrewing every major component (aluminum shell, plastics, electronic boards, wires/cables/plugs). When these are in piles, send everything to its recycling waste stream (metals, plastics, wires, etc.). All parts streams go into a box of your choice, and when full, get taken to the vendor of that stream. Metals go to a metal harvester (in every city). Electronic boards go into a separate box ... when full, get them to an electronics board recycler, who will usually take it off your hands for free (they harvest all kinds of components and materials off of these boards). Anything not recyclable goes into the garbage, but at this point it is much smaller, and less of a load on the dump (plus, hopefully, no dangerous/leaking electronic boards get into the dump).
Simple tools to recycle anything? Screwdrivers, wire cutters, etc. Every once in a while, I drag out my "specialty bit" kit, because vendor uses a "star" screw, instead of philips- or flat-head.
My success rate ...
- 1/3 of the time, I see something I can fix (loose wire, fuse, etc.); saves a complete new purchase. Sometimes cleaning it out fixes it, as dust or critter parts can short something.
- 1/3 of the time, I see the smoking gun of failure (a smoked component on an electronic board with charring around it, etc.); decide if you'll buy the same unit again, or if your operations will now include critter-protection.
- final 1/3 of the time, I cannot determine the fault at all, so I know to write this unit off and finish recycling it. Goes into choosing a different vendor next time.
Sometimes, with type of failure uncovered *and* pics, the vendor will play ball, even if not under warranty any longer ... if not, possibly yet another reason not to use them in the future.
Hope this helps ...
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