question

klewis avatar image
klewis asked

Quattro and lightning

We had a Quattro 48/5000/70, yes had, had 3 of them hit by lightning, the first in 2020 tripped the main switch, all good powered up again, no issues inside house, 2021 bluetooth not good enough, so July 2021 installed an Ethernet cable 20m from installation to modem in house, worked just fine, “October” lightning hit very very close to house, smoke coming out of inverter. Got a new one, OK, sitting in front of Laptop, modem just above me, and power board to charge phones etc., Boom, sparks come out of and around power board, inverter dead, get new one. “November” Boom, sparks come out of and around power board, inverter dead. Get new one, “December” Boom, sparks came out of and around power board, inverter and CCGX controller dead, Got a new Multiplus 11 48/5000/50 and colour control. Nothing in the house was blown and no fuses or mains tripped, Ok 99.95% sure! Our phone/ADSL line runs underground then up, across creek, then underground, then up a tree and runs through trees 85mtr to house/phone/modem, modem connected to Ethernet cable to CCGX controller. Removed Ethernet cable!! Installed WIFI extender connected to Ethernet of CCGX. Our first hit before Ethernet cable tripped main switch, after connecting Ethernet cable blew up 3 inverters, so looking like spike coming in through back door Phone/ADSL to modem/Ethernet to inverter. That’s the story. Question1: our WIFI extender is connected to 240v outlet, is connected to CCGX Ethernet in, should I trust this connection? Could we get a lightning spike through 240 outlet WIFI extender to Ethernet CCGX still?

MultiPlus Quattro Inverter Charger
2 |3000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

2 Answers
nickdb avatar image
nickdb answered ·

What surge protection have you added to the setup?

In a lightning area you should have proper protection on all feeds including solar.

Copper internet feeds should also have one.

Been there, done that, learned the lesson.

6 comments
2 |3000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

klewis avatar image klewis commented ·
Have all the proper protection on all feeds, plus extra surge protector, and now phone/ADSL lines. Catch 22 though, next storm do we shut down everything, or test our theory as to what caused it (phone/ADSL/modem/Ethernet cable, which is now disconnected from CCGX controller)
0 Likes 0 ·
nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ klewis commented ·

Before fibre (gosh that was long ago), I had remote strikes that traversed the phone lines, it affected numerous properties in the estate.

In my cleverness I had removed the adsl surge filter as I was far from the exchange and the filter affected speeds.

The spike traversed the router and cooked several device ports attached via ethernet.

After that I put in an APC multiplug which had a filter for adsl as well as satellite dishes.

I lost two of these multiplugs from subsequent strikes, but fortunately they have a lifetime warranty and just replaced them.

A strike via internet feed should just fry the ethernet port if you are using that, mine broke the TV ethernet port but the device was fine.

I would be surprised if a surge via ADSL could traverse the GX and damage a quatro/multi.

It sounds like the main feed was affected.

Surge protection varies. Some sparkies put in cheapies and don't always wire it correctly.

You would want a type 3.

They are unfortunately not 100% perfect, but given all the upgrades I did here and the many close strikes since, I have been claim free since the changes.


0 Likes 0 ·
klewis avatar image klewis nickdb ♦♦ commented ·

main feed? (connected to the grid?) could you explain more, we are on a standalone system, appreciate your feedback as we trying to work out the best solution to the issue and you have given informative information to work with.

0 Likes 0 ·
nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ klewis commented ·
So you are off-grid?

Even with surge protection, a direct strike and all bets are off - I had some wonderful pics of a large hole that a direct strike blew into a significant wall.

Without an understanding of how everything is wired and cabled, there is guess work involved.

Is it only the inverters that are being fried, no appliances on the OUT side, or anywhere else?

The surge could originate from the load side, or from supply cables to the quatro if there is a cable, for instance, feeding it from a genset.

It is unlikely the burned out inverter was caused from telephone cables.


0 Likes 0 ·
klewis avatar image klewis nickdb ♦♦ commented ·

yes off grid, house wired to 240v, earthed etc, and 12v lights wired, and yes no appliances effected, only the inverter being fried, exempt last time the CCGX (colour control fried) no sign of burn marks anywhere on the system or cables/wires, given sparks came out the area of phone cable/line/modem/power pionts connected to Ethernet to CCGX (colour control) to inverter, has to be the source of a lightning spike? I have unplugged the data cable from modem to CCGX colour control permanently put in wifi extender but still concerned that the wifi extender is powered by the 240v system and connected into the Ethernet to CCGX colour control, (240/Ethernet back door to inverter?) Bluetooth only goes about 5meters, would like to monitor system inside of house when running aircon etc at night, anyway Nickdb all the best of health 2022

0 Likes 0 ·
nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ klewis commented ·

I could fully imagine the GX being damaged, that does compute and even it traversing to the VE port on the inverter.

Best bet is to make sure the data points are protected.

If you move to wifi only, and your repeater is not physically connected to the incoming router then you should be fine.

The router power should have surge protection as should the phone line.

Are you using an ethernet over power (powerline) repeater (that could get messy) or is it just a wifi-to-wifi bridge (all over the air)?

Best bet is to run a cat 5 cable to a standalone AP which can reach your GX, I am not a fan of repeaters, they tend to cause more issues than they solve.

As long as you can get an "air gap" between the internet access and the inverters data sources then you will be fine.

Good luck and all the best for 2022.

Whomever said lightning never strikes twice in the same place was talking bull :)

The old tried and tested advice also applies - unplug the router during a storm, if you are nearby of course.


0 Likes 0 ·
Paul B avatar image
Paul B answered ·

Have a look at these Lightning product from Novaris http://www.novaris.com.au/

well designed and they also have data line protections as well -


1 comment
2 |3000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

klewis avatar image klewis commented ·
Thanks Paul, yes it seems like the best solution to the issue, are they 100% or just best bet available, will contact them thanks
0 Likes 0 ·