Pros and Cons of repairing CMS inverters

carbon-management-logoBackground

CMS inverters came in several types including CMS2000, CMS10000, CMS4000, CMS5000. The most common were CMS2000 2kW inverters manufactured in Taiwan under contract for Carbon Management Solutions (CMS).  Whilst the inverters proved stable compared to other Asian manufactured inverters from new companies, the products had several issues.  The company CMS made overly generous warranty offers and subsequently went into administration. They phoenixed as “Carbon Management Solutions Group”, refusing to accept liability for repair of equipment sold by the previous legal entity.

You should understand these fundamental issues before considering replacement or repair:

1. Design

The CMS2000 products were indoor suitable but installed outdoors in many cases

The capacitors inside were typically of a cheaper variety, such as Elite

The relays inside were typically of a less reliable type, such as Song Chuan

2. Practical Installation Issues

The CMS2000 in particular was well suited to installation with 8 to 9 x 24 volt panels (eg 170 watt, 180 watt, 190 watt panels popular ~2007-2010)

Unfortunately, many installers installed these with 1500 watts of panels, many times with 6 x 18 volt panels (eg Jinko Solar 250W), which was really too low in voltage for them to work well. So even if you repair one specific fault with the unit, incorrect installation may lead to a similar fault developing soon after

Pros of repairing

There is a company in Brisbane that repairs CMS 2000 inverters.

This may give you a lower cost to get back up and running (initially). Also, no other wiring needs to be changed, and the space around the inverter will remain the same.

Cons of repairing

If you repair:

1.You need to pay to have a licensed electrician or competent technician remove the faulty inverter.
2.The problem CMS 2000 inverter will need to be delivered to the Brisbane company (freight cost, wait time).
3.You will need to pay for the faulty inverter to be repaired (potentially variable cost if a second fault is found eg burnt circuit board).
4.The repaired inverter will need to be sent back to you (freight cost, wait time, missed delivery hassles)
5.You will need to have a licensed electrician re install your repaired CMS 2000 inverter.

Considering even a conservative estimate of the above costs it would be at least $500 and then you still have the CMS 2000 inverter with no warranty – further different faults could develop for which you are not covered.

It would be cheaper overall to replace the problem inverter with a new quality solar inverter from a quality manufacturer that actually backs up its products.

To move forward with solving your inverter problem, complete our inverter service request form or call 0295571648